Lay Organizations

[Casilda]

Does anyone have experience with the following?

Catholic Daughters of the Americas
Theresians International

 

[Casilda]

catholicdaughters.org/index.shtml

Claims to have over 70,000 members in 45 states and US territories. No one here heard of them or a member? Seems to be similar to the league that Lutheran women have, Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, or LWML.

 

[Corki]

We have an active CDA chapter at our parish and I am a member. I have some friends at another parish who are Theresians. Do you have any specific questions?

 

[Casilda]

I would like to know how the parish meetings are set up. Is it just the meeting agenda or does it offer a Bible study or devotion to further spiritual growth? No one in my parish knows of such an organization. How could I start a court in my parish? Do I have to attend elsewhere to learn the ropes? Or could I belong to a court if I am not from that parish?

Thank you.

 

[Corki]

I can tell you how it works for us. Different courts may be slightly different but there is a basic framework for meetings that they all follow.

I would like to know how the parish meetings are set up. Is it just the meeting agenda or does it offer a Bible study or devotion to further spiritual growth?

We have a meeting and a “program” once a month. The program is sometimes spiritual and sometimes just something fun or interesting. We have spin-off programs on a less regular basis. For example, a group of our CDA members met once a week and worked through Father Barron’s Catholicsm video series. We have field trips for interested members. Last year we visited the painted churches in central Texas. We have had one-day retreats some years. We do some fundraisers to support our charitable outreach and our scholarship fund.

No one in my parish knows of such an organization. How could I start a court in my parish?

You start out by getting your pastor’s permission and then contacting the State Regent. The CDA website has a step-by-step procedure for starting a new court.

catholicdaughters.org/start.shtml

Do I have to attend elsewhere to learn the ropes? Or could I belong to a court if I am not from that parish?

Once you get organized, there is training for the officers but you don’t have to start at an existing court. You can belong to a court at another parish. Our closest neighboring parish does not have a CDA court so several of their ladies belong to ours.

All of the above is about CDA. I don’t know very much about the Theresians. There are only a few of those groups in our diocese.

 

[fred_conty]

My wife belongs to the Daughters and she enjoys it. They meet once a month. And sometimes the members bring a guest to the meeting. And every so often they have a pitch in before. The meeting itself lasts about an hour and a half.

This year their theme were the apparitions of Mary. A guest speaker was invited to give a 30-45 minute talk for each apparition.

They also have a workbook with some thought questions to mull over for the next meeting. I believe some of these are biblical. They also have a short social among themselves after, at which time anyone is free to leave.

The topics under discussion are religious subjects and could be anything that would be interesting or informative to them. And the guest speakers have been both lay and priests.

My wife has met a number of her friends thru it. Seems very worthwhile.