2024 March NewsNotes

Dear Newsnotes Readers;

LDCCW President Trudy Burenheide directed us to

the intercession of St. John Paul II for her two year term.

I remember the beginning of the papacy of John Paul II

during my college years at UNL. Actually, though I was a

practicing Catholc, it was a non-Catholic friend who told

me we had a new pope! Less than a year later, through the

influence of the Newman Center, I entered the seminary. I

hope to reflect on St. John Paul II’s influence on my life at

the 64 th LDCCW Convention April 26-27, 2024.

           The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a beautiful section, under a 100 pages, that is Part Four: Christian Prayer. Of the four parts, I think this Part is the most beautiful and most beneficial to read. 

Describing prayer, it uses hundreds of quotes from Scripture, the Church Fathers, Church documents especially of the Second Vatican Council, and saints known for their spiritual life and writings. Its first quote is from the autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux. She says, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love.” It goes on to say the psalms and the gospels tell us that the foundation of Christian prayer is humility, the trusting of God like a little child trusts its mother. 

Province Director

Kay Wessel

I recently returned from the NCCW Board of Director’s meeting in Washington D.C. There are routinely two Board of Director’s meetings held in Washington D.C. each year (one in January and one in June). In 2023 both of these meetings were held via Zoom rather than in person. This was my first opportunity to meet the other Province Directors face-to-face. A great time.

Spring seems to be the time where we set our minds to creating to do lists. Today, my husband and I took a walk around the house today writing a ‘to do’ list of things needing to be accomplished outside. I even wrote down a task he was working on so I could say it was finished! Silly, but I was thrilled we made progress.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will accompany Jesus from city to city, lighting hearts on fire along the way. This will be one of the largest Eucharistic pilgrimages in history. Just as crowds followed Christ throughout his

earthly ministry, our nation will process with our Eucharistic Lord through cities, along highways, and past rural towns on his way to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024. While pilgrimages have a

long legacy within the Church, this is the first undertaken at such a scale—walking coast-to-coast with Our

Eucharistic Lord!

The LDCCW believes in the sanctity and dignity of life from conception to natural death and we endorse programs which support and advance this belief. Please enjoy the report reflecting the support the women provided at the symposium.

As you know the LDCCW financially supports many programs that support and uplift people in different areas of our diocese. We had so many thank you notes we had to take a picture of them. Just a reminder of the impact you can make when you support the LDCCW.

The 2024 Winter Symposium was a bountiful event for the women of the LDCCW. It continues to impact the spiritual growth of those in attendance.

Plan to mark your calendar for the 2025 Winter Symposium January 10 & 11th at The Counsel Retreat House.