U.S. bishops started the Council of Catholic Women shortly after World War I, said Mickey Nickelson, president of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women. The bishops said the women should continue the good work they performed behind the scenes during the war, Nickelson said.
The organization’s mission statement is to support, empower and educate women in spirituality, leadership and service, she said. “And … our mission statement starts with spirituality,” Nickelson said. “We really do start with our spirituality because, if we don’t have that, we’re just people doing good works,” she said. “And our core value is spirituality.”
Mickey Nickelson
Nickelson reflected on the ACCW, its values and its upcoming annual convention with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley for a show debuting 9 p.m. April 15 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Each meeting of the Council of Catholic Women starts with a prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel, Nickelson said. “We ask her to be our guide. And we seek her help to intercede for us that we will be wise, courageous and loving leaders of the Church.”
Nickelson said members “are here to help the Church and we really do turn to pastors and the archbishop to say, ‘What do you need from us?’”
She described the organization’s mentorship program, which matches women new to the group with those with some history “because walking together also cements that relationship, which, during this pandemic, when we weren’t able to meet in person, we suffered as most organizations (did).”
Conley asked about a perception that the organization is largely for women in their senior years. Nickelson said it is not true, but younger women probably lead busier lives. “Not that we can’t use our time to do other things, but the commitment of a family definitely shapes how many meetings they attend, whether or not they can be in leadership roles,” Nickelson said. Her own parish has a very young group of women who lead its Council of Catholic Women, she said.
ACCW members are preparing for their 89th annual conference, set for April 29 at St. Albert parish center in Albertville. Archbishop Bernard Hebda will celebrate the 5 p.m. Mass. Speakers include Julie Meyer on “Mary and Martha for the 21st Century” and Franciscan Sister of Mary Susan Marie Pleiss, a civil engineer, whose first assignment was serving Appalachian missions, Nickelson said.
To learn more about the ACCW, visit its website at accwarchspm.org. Click on “Events” for information about the conference in Albertville.
To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which also repeats at 1 p.m. April 16 and 2 p.m. April 17.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show includes interviews with Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses his favorite traditions and tips for engaging fully in the Easter season; and Father Michael Van Sloun, interim director of clergy personnel in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses the meaning and symbolism of Pentecost and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
Recent Comments