SDCCW marks 60th year
 | Shunka and Waka Sakuda (Okinawa Dancers) provided entertainment after the Superior Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Awards Banquet at the Hotel Chequamegon
in Ashland. The dancers, both originally from Japan, attend Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Ashland. (The Catholic Herald/Claudia Broman) |
Cathryn Sprynczynatyk
Staff writer
ASHLAND – The Superior Diocese Council of Catholic Women used its 60th annual convention to look forward to the future instead of back at its past with its theme “Women on the Wings of Change.”
The convention, which took place at Our Lady of the Lake Church, Ashland, welcomed back former members including a number of past presidents of the council. Diane Maki, a parishioner of Holy Family, Woodruff, was one of the past council presidents who returned to hear the talks on change in the Catholic Church.
“I think it’s good to have our eyes open to what the global issues really are,” Maki said.
The main speakers, Elizabeth Amman, a Grand Rapids Dominican Sister, and Marla Lang, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, both from Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center, Arbor Vitae, spoke on the mega-trends affecting Catholicism today. The talk was based on the book “The Future Church” by Catholic journalist John L. Allen, Jr.
“When the women were discussing the topic that might be used for the conference, [Allen’s book] seemed to flow from the point of view that change is quite evident in our entire planet, world and society,” Sr. Lang said.
To meet Allen’s criteria for a mega-trend, each topic had to have a global influence, an impact at the Catholic grassroots and engagement by the leadership of the church.
“The issues that are running in our minds all the time are not the issues affecting the whole church,“ Sr. Amman said.
Still, Sr. Amman said the Diocese of Superior is already experiencing some of the mega-trends such as the growth of Catholicism in South America, Africa and Asia influencing the worldwide church. As rural dioceses receive priests from the Philippines and India, she said we are seeing a reversal of missionary work.
“We keep saying in the United States we have a vocation crisis and a shortage of priests,” Sr. Amman said. “It might be relevant here, but it’s not worldwide. The [missionary countries] we used to go to in the early ‘50s and ‘60s, now they’re coming to us.”
According to Sr. Lang, the diocese has also come into contact with the trend of expanding lay roles.
“Expanding church roles for lay people is quite evident since few are responding to the ordained call,” Sr. Lang said. “As I move around from parish to parish, I’m really inspired how that’s taking place. I think that is calling for greater ownership.”
Yvonne Glonchak, president-elect of the diocesan council, said global change isn’t the only change the council focused on with this year’s theme.
“I think what we’re trying to do is be women on the wings of change,” Glonchak said. “We’re trying to bring back into the council women who have left.”
Membership in the council has been trending toward older generations of women, and Glonchak said that’s not surprising considering younger women are busy with families. Glonchak, who is a Catholic convert, said mentoring from women on her parish council was central to her growth in faith.
Current president, Lucille Brandner, said they are trying to involve young women by moving council meetings to evenings and weekends.
“We need the younger people too, because the younger people are where the younger families are,” Brandner said.
Glonchak recognizes a council set in its ways isn’t always the most attractive to newcomers.
“There’s like a set group that has been doing this forever, ” Glonchak said. “When new people come in it’s hard, because they can say, ‘It’s always been this way,’ and new people say, ‘But what about this?’”
Two younger women in attendance at the convention were the 2010 recipients of the Superior Diocese Council of Catholic Women scholarships: Kayla Solum and Linda Noziska.
Noziska, who attends Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medford, is a nurse working toward becoming a physician’s assistant through University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The scholarship will help her to finance her continuing education while she raises three children on her own. As part of her education, she is studying Spanish in order to work with the Spanish-speaking population in her area.
“I think there’s some disparity with them,” Noziska said. “There’s the language barrier and the cultural barrier. My mother is Mexican, so I’m a little more passionate about this.”
Solum received the scholarship to aid her as she works toward her bachelor’s degree in dairy science at University of Wisconsin River Falls. Solum, who is from Our Lady of Lourdes, Dobie, said she plans to return to her family farm and eventually gain ownership.
Looking toward the future and next year’s convention, Brandner said the council will likely take inspiration from the National Council of Catholic Women’s theme, “Building a Campaign for Human Dignity.”
“We’re all working toward the same thing to promote the value of women and really work on issues such as good family values, and human dignity is a big part of it,” Brandner said.
For more information on the Superior Diocese Council of Catholic Women, contact Lucille Brandner, president, at 715-748-4721. |