From Myrna Wong Friends of NCCW for WUCWO, President . DEAR MEMBERS OF FRIENDS, HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. AS WE START THIS NEW YEAR OF HOPE LET US TOGETHER STRIVE TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF OURSELVES THAT WE CAN BE IN THE EYES OF GOD. LET US LOOK FOR THE FACE OF GOD IN EACH AND EVERY PERSON THAT WE ENCOUNTER EVEN KNOWING THAT SOMETIMES THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT. I WAS INDEED PRIVILEGED TO ATTEND THE WUCWO GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN DAKAR, SENEGAL TRAVELLING WITH 7 WOMEN FROM THE UNITED STATES IN OCTOBER, AND WHAT A WONDERFUL, GRATIFYING EXPERIENCE. MY MEETING AND SHARING WITH THE WOMEN FROM THE 5 REGIONS OF THE WUCWO ORGANIZATION WAS OUTSTANDING. WHEN WE GATHERED AND DISCUSSED TOPICS IT WAS INDEED SURPRISING TO KNOW THAT WE SHARED MOST OF THE VERY SAME CONCERNS NO MATTER WHERE WE LIVED. WE HAD SOME GREAT SPEAKERS, ENRICHING MASSES WITH EACH REGION’S THEME SO IT WAS COLORFUL AND UPLIFTING WITH SONGS AND PRAISES TO OUR LORD. OUR NCCW PRESIDENT, MARIBETH STEWART WAS CHOSEN TO BE VICE PRESIDENT GENERAL OF WUCWO. WE ARE SO PROUD OF HER WORKS THAT SHE DOES FOR ALL OF US. WE WILL HEAR MORE ABOUT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FROM MARIBETH IN HER ARTICLE WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER SO I WON’T EXPOUND ANY FURTHER ON THE TRIP. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE RENEWED YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY PAYING YOUR DUES AND MAKING DONATIONS. IF YOU FORGOT TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE DO SO OR IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, PLEASE CONSIDER JOING US. IT ALL HELPS US TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF NCCW FOR WUCWO AND PREPARE FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 2020. IN OUR LAST NEWSLETTER I HOPE THAT YOU NOTICED THAT IT CAME FROM OUR NEW WEB ADDRESS: FRIENDS OF NCCW FOR WUCWO . PLEASE NOTIFY US OF ANY CHANGES TO YOUR ADDRESS AND OR E-MAIL ADDRESS USING THIS NEW WEB ADDRESS. I ASK YOU TO CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR WORLD PEACE AMONG ALL NATIONS AND TO CONTINUE TO HELP THOSE AROUND YOU THAT NEED HELP. AS I SIGN OFF FOR NOW PLEASE KNOW THAT I KEEP ALL OF YOU IN MY PRAYERS AND ASK EACH OF YOU TO DO THE SAME FOR ME.

WITH GOD’S BLESSINGS, MYRNA

Friends of NCCW for WUCWO, Inc.

February 2019

OFFICERS President Myrna Wong Vice President Bonnie Workman Recording Secretary Josephine Gilbert Corresponding Secretary Patty Sommerhauser Treasurer Joanne Hillebrand

BOARD MEMBERS Spiritual Advisor Very Rev. Fr. James Stembler Judy Brose Debra Drager: Newsletter Lucy Johnson: Parliamentarian Joan McGrath Julie Racine Cathy Salata Donna Sanders Maribeth Stewart: NCCW President and WUCWO Liaison

Pat Smuck Diane Tugander Carol Updyke Linnea Warda

“Keep looking up…that’s the secret of life.”

-Snoopy

Charles Schultz, of Peanuts fame, was a very thought provoking individual.

The world he created in the Peanuts comic strip is one to which many of us

can relate. We know Charlie Browns, we know Lucys, we know Linuses – I

suppose with my love of music I’m a Schroeder of sorts – we can truly relate

with these characters and still find great joy in reading about the adventures of

these familiar characters. Growing up, we would watch the various television specials throughout the

year of Peanuts, the hands down favorite being the Christmas special. Snoopy was the favorite one in

our household. We even gave a pet dachshund the name of Snoopy.

I recently found the above noted quote which is a very wise statement. We often talk about the secret

of life. Thanks to Victor Herbert we even have a song, “Ah, sweet mystery of life at last I found

thee…” For different people, the secret, or mystery, of life is this or that. There doesn’t seem to be

much unity in what that secret is; however, Snoopy here has us recognizing one thing: the secret of

life is up. Our relationship to God is the secret of life. Our encounter with God and, due to that en-

counter, our encounters with others enable us to truly understand what this creation of God is all about.

The connection we have with God and with one another gives meaning and purpose to us and keeps us

going. The work we do is important, but the hope is that it is not the work that drives us. It is our

relationship with God. Therefore, we need to keep looking up.

Think of all that has happened with the relationships you have, whether family, friends, NCCW sisters,

WUCWO sisters, etc. Those relationships, grounded first and foremost in our relationship with God,

have brought us so much. We have had good times, bad times, challenging times, but isn’t that what

life is all about? Interacting with God and with one another, and in our interactions with one another,

keeping our minds and hearts on God to keep us grounded as created beings of that God who truly

loves us.

So, in the midst of winter, when the snow is on the roses and needs to be shoveled; when the ice is on

the highway making driving an interesting adventure; when the power goes out because of the

uncertainty of the weather; when its 80 degrees on the thermometer and the perspiration starts coming

down on your face (that would be California, Texas, Florida, etc.); take a moment to look up and

remind your mind and heart of the secret

of life. God loves us, and it is that love

that guides us on this life journey. It

may not always be fun or pretty, but

with a loving God as the center of our

life, we can certainly make it.

And to quote one of our Peanuts

characters,

that will be 5 cents please!

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Very Rev. Fr. James Stembler Friends of NCCW for WUCWO Spiritual Advisor

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NCCW President and WUCWO Liaison Maribeth Stewart Blogoslawski

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE 2018 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WORLD UNION OF CATHOLIC WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS DAKAR, SENEGAL 16-21 OCTOBER 2018 WUCWO Women-Carriers of ‘Living Water” to a world that thirsts for Peace Arriving in Senegal, the first impression was of the heat and humidity but

that was coupled with the excitement felt over the anticipation of the Assembly finally happening after so much planning and discussion and work. We looked forward to seeing old friends from around the world and delighted to meet new ones, especially from our own country. On the first day, we were bused from our hotel, a property that was situated right on the ocean and had lovely accommodations, about an hour away to Dakar. On the way, I could not fail to note the number of idle men who had no work, and the women and children along the dusty red roads selling mangoes or brightly colored and patterned lengths of cloth. I could not help but look at those beautiful children and wonder what the world was missing as it is likely that they would never have the opportunity to contrib-ute their particular gifts to the world. Many prayers remain in my heart for these people. The opening Mass was lovely after which we were taken to the Grand Theater in Dakar to a huge tented area where we had a formal opening ceremony attended by the Cardinal, Papal Nuncio, several cabinet ministers and the President of Senegal. We then began the first of two Study Days in which we explored different aspects of the theme of the Assembly. We heard of socio-political dynamics at work in our world, the different types and causes for migration and the dangers and difficulties encountered by migrants around the world with emphasis on the proper Catholic social response to this issue, and learned what is happening to our common home in terms of how women can impact the environment in both negative and positive ways. A special effort had been made to include young women in this Assembly and it was wonderful to have these young people with us and to learn their perspective on things. On the second day we heard from experts on Evangelii Gaudium, Amoris Laetitia, Laudato Si, and Gaudete et Exsulatate who noted the relevance of these documents to our life as WUCWO. During the Statutory Days that followed, we heard reports, selected a theme, approved new resolutions, and elected new officers and board members. The final resolution titles are:

A Healthy Planet Depends on All of Us Care for the Family in Difficult Situations; Especially for the most vulnerable members Elimination of Discrimination and Violence against women Educate to respond to the call for holiness

The priority (theme) for the next four years will be: WUCWO Women called to Holiness to sanctify the World for a Holistic Development On the last day, buses transported attendees to the Shrine of Popenguine where we joined WUCWO women from all of Senegal and other countries in Africa for the Closing Mass. The joy, colors, dancing, and music made this a truly unique experience for WUCWO General Assemblies and I am sure that those attending will long remember their time together in Senegal. The NCCW delegation included Olga Baeza, Theresa Boscia, Jackie Brandon, Lucy Johnson, Rose Martinet, Carole Updyke, Myrna Wong, and the author of this report, Maribeth Stewart. A more complete report can be found at www.nccw.org on the scroller on the homepage.

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The Friends of NCCW for WUCWO Nominating Committee for 2018 - 2019

was appointed at the Friends business meeting held at the NCCW Convention in Pittsburgh.

They are: Joann Hillebrand, Liz Hocutt, Diane Tugander, Kathy Willems

and Joan McGrath, Chair.

Please contact any Committee member to nominate yourself or someone you know who would be an asset to the Friends Board. It is our hope that many

qualified and concerned women will want to be considered for this great volunteer opportunity. All names suggested will be carefully and

prayerfully discerned.

Joan McGrath

WUCWO Newsletter Spring 2019

“Voting and the Parliamentarian”

Lucy Johnson, Friends Parliamentarian

Last year, with the revision of the Bylaws for Friends, the role of the parliamen-

tarian, specifically relating to voting, was clarified. While it is the duty of the

parliamentarian to remain neutral, like the presiding officer, a parliamentarian

can vote if the vote is taken by ballot. Unlike the presiding officer, the parlia-

mentarian does not cast a deciding vote nor can she relinquish her position in

order to make motions or participate in debate.

The parliamentarian maintains a position of impartiality but can vote only in the

case of a ballot vote. RONR (11th ed.), p.467, ll. 8-19

On another note, I attended the WUCWO General Assembly in Senegal last fall. As a parliamentarian, I

learned two things. The WUCWO Bylaws do not list a parliamentary authority. When procedural questions

arise, the Board decides the answers until the next General Assembly. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Re-

vised (RONR), although familiar to us, is an American authority and not used for this international organiza-

tion.

Secondly, the question arose regarding the rights of a paid staff member who serves as an ex-officio member

of the Executive Board. Per the Bylaws, the WUCWO Board clarified the question. However, I was curious

as to what RONR would say. According to RONR, In an executive board of a society, if the ex-officio mem-

ber of the board is under the authority of the society (that is, if he is a member, an employee, or an elected or

appointed officer of the society), there is no distinction between him and other board members. RONR (11th

ed.), p. 483, ll. 25-30

Friends of NCCW for WUCWO, Treasurer: Joann Hillebrand Message from the Treasurer : Joann Hillebrand

Just a friendly reminder that if you haven't sent in your 2019 dues yet, keep in mind they are delinquent March 1st, according to our bylaws, Article III, Section 3.

We have received over 30 membership payments for 2019 that were received before December 31, 2018 . These names will be entered in our special drawing as stated in our Fall Newsletter.

Friends' of NCCW for WUCWO pins will again be sold at the NCCW Convention. If you are interested in selling pins at your local meetings, please contact me. We have sold about 100 pins but still have many available. Postage for mailing individual pins is $2.50. I am happy to mail one or more to those interested in purchasing pins, they are very good quality and make good gifts to your friends who believe in our mission.

Included in this Newsletter is our membership form, I hope my mailbox is full of new and renewal memberships by March 1,2019.

Thank You, Joann

630-789-8460

Friends of NCCW for WUCWO, Vice President: Bonnie Workman

Thank you to all who worked the exhibit booth for our NCCW convention in

Pittsburgh. You proved to be great salesman as we sold $780.00 in

pins and took in $850.00 in dues ($300.00 were new members).

WHAT A TEAM……………

The history committee consists of: Deb Drager, Marilyn Ericksen,

Carole Updyke, Myrna Wong and Chair Bonnie Workman.

The committee was sent a suggested plan to start in executing the

continuation of Friends of NCCW for WUCWO’s history. It is

YOU who make history, so please, if you have attended the North

American Conferences or WUCWO General Assemblies, give us

your story. Contact Bonnie Workman bbw@sssnet.com

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Membership dues and donations allow Friends Of NCCW For

WUCWO, Inc. to support the programs and projects of the

World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO) the

WUCWO North American Region and the NCCW

Representative to WUCWO, as we stand in solidarity with

Catholic Women around the world!

Annual membership dues for Friends Of NCCW For

WUCWO, Inc. are $25.00 per year. Paid members receive a

periodic newsletters and informative updates (via email) as

well as an invitation to and voting privileges at our annual

meeting held during the annual NCCW Convention.

Membership Dues are due January 1st and will

become delinquent on March 1st of each calendar year.

If you have questions regarding Friends Of NCCW For

WUCWO, please contact Myrna Wong, President

Email: albmyr@aol.com Phone: 772.335.5160

or Joann Hillebrand, Treasurer

Email: denouncer.5@comcast.net Phone: 630.789.8460

Please include the form below with your payment

Make checks payable to: Friends Of NCCW For WUCWO, Inc. Mail this form and your check to:

Friends Of NCCW For WUCWO, Inc. Joann Hillebrand, Treasurer

54 Derby Court Oak Brook, IL 60523-2650

PLEASE PRINT VERY CLEARLY

NAME_____________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS______________________________________________________APT________________ CITY_______________________________________________________________STATE_________ ZIP______________________________ PHONE__________________________________________ EMAIL __________________________________________@_____________________________

Enclosed please find my check payable to: Friends Of NCCW For WUCWO, Inc.

2019 Annual Membership in Friends Of NCCW For WUCWO, Inc. $ 25.00

+ Additional donation/gift in any amount $_______

Your check number __________ Total check amount $_______

Please print your email address very carefully

2019 Membership Form: Friends Of NCCW For WUCWO, Inc.

Page 6

Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center

2450 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 1.800.468.3571

Our next Friends Of NCCW for WUCWO meeting will be held at this convention,

more information to follow!

For every new member that you refer, for a NCCW membership, your name and the new member ‘s name will be entered to win 2019 convention registration and 5 nights (Tuesday – Saturday) at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in

Atlanta. (Meals, Tours and Fundraiser NOT included) There will be two (2) second chance drawings of $100 each

towards NCCW store merchandise (membership renewals excluded). Please go to: nccw.org for complete information.

Early-Bird registration

March 1 - June 1

for our NCCW Convention! All Fees are Nonrefundable

If you have any questions or if you would like more information

about Friends of NCCW for WUCWO, Inc. please contact:

Myrna Wong, President Email: albmyr@aol.com Phone: 772.335.5160

The web address used when we send the newsletters to our Friends Members is:

friendsofnccwforwucwo@gmail.com. Please let us know if you have any changes in your personal contact information.

NCCW 2019 Convention

August 21 -24

NCCW Convention Registration closes

July 29 Go to: nccw.org for complete information

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Friday, March 1, 2019 Friend’s of NCCW for WUCWO Membership Dues are delinquent, see pgs. 5-6. Please send in your Membership Dues! Make copies of our Membership form and invite others to join too!

NCCW 2019 Convention Early Registration Begins Wednesday, March 6, 2019 Ash Wednesday

Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 2:00 A.M. Remember to “spring forward” in the spring

and set your clocks forward one hour (i.e., losing one hour).