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Excerpt:

The first organizational meeting of the St Cloud Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) was on the Feast of Christ the King, October 25, 1953. The first meeting was a joint meeting of both the Council of Catholic Women and the Council of Catholic men. A diocesan wide rally was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral and delegates from every parish and deanery were in attendance. Bishop Peter W. Bartholome celebrated a Pontifical High Mass. Father Harold Kost was appointed moderator for the newly formed council.

     Six committees were set up following the example of the National Committees. Our Diocese added a Rural committee. Mrs. Patrick (Verena) Meagher was the first president. One of the primary purposes of the council was to unite all Catholic women’s groups in the Diocese. Another purpose has been to train leaders among the women of the Diocese.

     The annual conventions (now conference) grew from a comparatively small meeting in Sauk Centre on October 24, 1954 to over 600 delegates at the convention in 1965.The largest convention was held on October 8, 1967 at St. Mary’s in Melrose, when 850 women attended the gathering.
     In 1957 open houses were held at the Franciscan Convent in Little Falls and at St. Benedict’s Convent in St. Joseph under the sponsorship of DCCW in the hopes of encouraging vocations among young girls.
     In 1962 a workshop for presidents was added. At these workshops ideas that have worked successfully in individual parishes were presented by the Deanery committee chairmen. Also in 1962 a card file was set to keep a record of women who have been active in DCCW work and leaders on all levels.
Guilds were set up in eight deaneries patterned after the Guild in St Cloud. This project was a part of the Catholic Charities Program. The donations to the Bishop’s Thanksgiving Clothing Drive and the donations to the office of the Propagation of Faith (Mission Office) were reported with the Foreign Relief Committee reports. The Madonna plan received more than $1,000 in 1964.
     Bishop Bartholome made good use of the DCCW organization by having each Deanery set up informational meetings concerning the New Horizons Campaign.
     Nearly 10,000 delegates and guests gathered in Detroit for the 31st biennial convention in November of 1962. The delegates represented over 14,000 organizations affiliated with the National Council of Catholic Women.
     At the 10th annual DCCW convention in 1963 Father Harold Kost was given special recognition for being the Diocesan Moderator since its beginning. Father Kost continued to lead and serve for a total of 19 years. He donated the first money to the Scholarship Fund.
In 1966 the Committee system for the National Council became very large and was reorganized. In 1967 the committees became called commissions.
In April of 1975, the DCCW was asked to join in the Diocesan planning of the Bicentennial celebration. On September 12, 1976 a day-long celebration was held with over 20,000 people attending, filling the Sauk Centre fairgrounds.
     The first Province Conference was held in the Crookston Diocese in June of 1980, which continues every even numbered year, moving around the various Dioceses.
     The first Fun Food Fund Day was held June 12, 1991. It included a turkey dinner and a silent auction along with a humorous style show and door prizes. It is the fund raiser that keeps the Diocesan Board viable and is held the 3rd Thursday in June every year.
     In June 2000, Mary’s Garden in Washington DC was dedicated. The project was paid for in 2 years by the hard work of the women in parishes across the Nation.
These are just a few of the many things that were accomplished since 1953.
Thanks Irene Schmidt for compiling this article.