Catholic Daughters

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas is one of the oldest and largest organizations of Catholic women in the Americas. Under the patronage of our Blessed Mother, the Catholic Daughters are united by their faith in Jesus Christ and in their devotion to the church and Holy See.  We live out our Catholic faith through spirituality and prayer, hospitality, and stewardship.

Contact
Maggie Considine, Regent
For those interested in partcipating in Catholic Daughters of the Americas, please click here.

Mission

The mission of Catholic Daughters of the Americas is to participate in the religious, charitable, and educational activities of the church; enhance the spiritual development of its members; and provide philanthropic outreach to the parish, community, and country.

Accomplishments
This past year, the members of Court Ave Maria engaged in numerous activities to provide outreach to both the parish and the greater community. We also participated in several activities to enhance the spiritual development of our 65+ members.

Activities included those as in recent years—a memorial service on All Souls Day for the members, providing gifts for adopted families at Christmas, weaving palm decorations for Palm Sunday, creating rose floral arrangements in the church as a fundraiser and a gift to the parish for Mother’ Day, preparing and serving two dinners at the SECU Family House, making numerous hand-made blankets and teddy bears for the Victory Junction children’s camp, and sponsoring the annual CDA student education contest. 

New activities included a Holy Hour for Peace prayer service for the parish in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary; and a May Crowning ceremony for the members. The Catholic Daughters also assisted Youth Ministry with set-up and serving a Youth & Family Dinner, assisted the Knights of Columbus with all three Fish Fry dinners, assisted with meal preparations and serving at the Come and See Retreat, and twice hosted the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit for the parish as well as for an elementary school in Virginia. 

In addition to service and spiritual activities, the Catholic Daughters also took time to gather socially. This past year’s events included outings to Southern Supreme Fruitcake Company, Duke Homestead Christmas by Candlelight, Morehead Planetarium, Duke Gardens, Lavender Oak Farms, a night of bowling with our priests, and an in-house movie night.  We also held two seasonal bake sales as fundraisers to support a number of charities as well as various ministries within the parish.

Meeting Frequency
Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday, 7:00pm, September through June. We also pray the Rosary prior to meetings, beginning at 6:30pm.

Meeting Venue
Saint Teresa Room in the Parish Center or in Friends and Family Hall for special events.

Estimated Time Commitment for Volunteers
Members attend the monthly meetings (about an hour) as well as spiritual, service and social events as time permits. Members may participate on committees and/or volunteer on average 12 or more hours during the year to work on fundraising events (e.g. bake sales), service projects (e.g. SECU Family House Dinners), or in support of other ministry or parish events.

Special Skills
Motivation to participate in philanthropic and parish activities, organizational leadership, and fund raising.

Membership
Membership is open to women 18 and older. Current enrollment is 68 members.