6-15 State Newsletter

35 Pages·2015·4.11 MB·English

The Lone Star Messenger
Newsletter of the Texas State Court
Catholic Daughters of the Americas®
June 2015 Edition
CDA Mission Statement: “Catholic Daughters of the Americas® strive to embrace the principle of faith working through love in the
promotion of justice, equality, and the advancement of human rights and human dignity for all.”
Reverend Donald Ruppert
State Chaplain
Message From The State Regent P.0. Box 1325
East Bernard, TX 77435-1325
979-335-7551
As the saying goes, “Time sure flies by when we’re having [email protected]

fun!” I would like to thank each and every Catholic Daughter Peggy Rosales
in Texas for your gracious gifts of time, talent, and treasure State Regent
P.O. Box 91598
these past two years. Each State Regent comes in with goals Austin, TX 78709-1598
in mind, but we can’t accomplish them without the help of the 512.771.0884
[email protected]
state board, state chairman, district deputies, and local courts

and the membership. Eve Trevino
First Vice State Regent
1102 Delta Drive
Corpus Christi, TX 78412
I know that each State Regent says, “I have the best board!” In our eyes, they
361.658.8553
are without a doubt the best! You spend a great deal of time with these ladies [email protected]

getting to know them and deciding how you are going to bring your diverse
Rosie Stockwell
backgrounds together and work on “the goals.” Some goals just fall into your Second Vice State Regent
315 Alamo Street
lap, but it is also work and takes working together. As you go up the board, the
Edinburg, TX 78541-9482
time becomes increasingly more, but it is rewarding and priceless in memories. 956.369.3048
[email protected]
Thank you to those ladies before me that I served with, I took a piece of you

along the way as I moved up in rank; I observed and learned so much from Melodie Brunt
State Secretary
each of you!
1243 N FM 2148
Texarkana, TX 75501-0370
903.293.4911
We had a wonderful state convention, Christine Moore, with her leadership and [email protected]
the convention team, Thank you! A state convention starts getting planned two
Rebecca Brown
years in advance, sometimes; contracts are signed three to four years in
State Treasurer
advance to get dates and places. Sometimes, the place that is secured is not 1013 San Felipe
always the optimum, but with a great group of women – we make it work to the Angleton, TX 77515
979.248-0993
best of our ability. I urge everyone to get involved in a state convention. This is
[email protected]
where you get to work alongside amazing women with such vision and have fun
along the way. State Conventions are a lot of work, but so worth it! Carolyn Malik
Immediate Past State Regent
P.O. Box 243
Shiner, TX 77984-2865
As I leave office, the one thing I would like to leave you all with… Membership!
361.594.3170
Carolyn Bachmann, National Director, presented a great talk on membership,
[email protected]
recruitment and retention at the Convention.

State CDA Website:
www.texascda.org

(Continued on Page 3)
National CDA Website:
www.catholicdaughters.org
A Message From Fr. Don Ruppert
State Chaplain

My Dear Catholic Daughters of Texas,
Congratulations to everyone who worked to make the Biennial Convention in
Austin a wonderful experience. The Convention chairladies kept things running
smoothly and I found the hotel staff most courteous and accommodating.
Each local court contributes to the overall success of the Catholic Daughters of
the Americas. As the state chairmen give their reports during the convention I
am always amazed at how much charitable work is taking place across Texas.
Your support of state and national projects is commendable. Across the state,
Habitat Houses are testimony of your commitment to help others in need.
It is with fond memories that I write this message for the state newsletter. During the terms of the
past eight state regents it seems every time I turned around it was time to publish another newslet-
ter. Now that this is last I will write I’m sure I will miss those friendly reminders that my message
needs to be sent to the state regent ASAP. During the terms of State Regents Carolyn Bachman,
Sheila Martinka and Peggy Rosales I looked forward to celebrating the scholarship memorial Mass
on the first Friday of each month – seventy two total. It was an honor for me to serve as National
Clergy Consultant when Libby Ramirez was National Regent. This experience taught me a lot about
the inner workings of CDA.
Catholic Daughters have come a long way and changed with the times but the order’s “grass roots”
involvement continues with the same fervor as that of our founders. From rolling bandages during
World War I to building Habitat homes today, the journey continues. I have developed a “love affair”
with CDA and admire the dedication of the members. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.
I congratulate the incoming officers. Moving up through the ranks the state regent knows the work-
ings and responsibilities of each office under her. I have passed the torch to your new chaplain Fa-
ther Bob Dunn and know that you are in good hands.
I hope to see all of you at future conventions. With the Blessed Virgin Mary as
your patroness carry on doing the work of her son Jesus. May God bless you.

Father Don Ruppert
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Message From The State Regent Continued...
Olga Samaniego, First Vice National Regent gave an excellent video at the
state convention, you can view it at:

https://youtu.be/vun_WTY534s

The video is about fourteen minutes long – I urge each court to take time
out of their upcoming meetings to play it for your membership. I know not all members come to
meetings, so encourage those that can’t make it to a meeting to watch it at home. Let them
know about it through a court newsletter or email or any means possible. CDA is an amazing
organization, run by women, for Catholic women with Christian values. It can even be a lifelong
organization, depending on when you join, i.e., JCDA. There is no other organization in the
world that you get to work right alongside women of faith and vision who are Catholic who love
His church. We must have goals and a vision of the organization lasting long after we are gone,
for our daughters, nieces, etc. to carry on. We have been in a steady decline in membership.
Texas has been fortunate to continue to institute new courts that replace the ones that have to
be disbanded. Disbandment of courts this term had a couple of common threads; aging mem-
bership and the lack of continuous recruitment! In order for a court to have milestone anniver-
saries, it is going to take each of us to continue to recruit new members. An experienced, loyal
member cannot do the work of a younger member, nor are their interests the same. A program
or project we had 20 or even 5 years ago isn’t always going to continue to work forever. I en-
courage each court to look at what you are doing, how do we appear to the women of our
church and community, are we relevant and thriving with membership growth and personal
growth for each member? Have annual court planning meetings, invite your interested mem-
bers to come and give input. You just never know what idea will come out of this meeting! In-
volve your membership; make your meetings interesting, spiritual, relevant and FUN!

God bless everyone, you have given me such gifts of friendship and sisterhood that I will carry
with me the rest of my life. God bless Texas Catholic Daughters!
Peggy Rosales
®

State Mission Statement

The members of the Texas State Court love Christ and His Church and are dedicated to leading
others to Christ and to His service through the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.
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Message from National Director

Carolyn Bachmann [email protected]
The 2013-2015 term lead by State Regent Peggy Rosales has come to a close, and the new lead-
ership under newly elected State Regent Eve Trevino is beginning. With all new beginnings comes
change, new goals, new ideas, and new VIP faces to do the work of CDA in Texas. When the State
Regent calls you to take a State Chairman or District Deputy position, be willing to say yes and se-
riously understand the commitment you are undertaking for two years. There is a time commitment
and sacrifice from your everyday routine that will have to be made in order to do your job well.

I want to say thank you to the outgoing State Board for their dedication and work these past two years. I have enjoyed
working closely with the State Officers and for the membership of Texas this past year as your National Representative.

Congratulations to the newly elected State Board, and I look forward to working with all of you in leading Texas forward in
membership and leadership the next two years. I want to remind each member of the State Board that you have been
elected by the membership of Texas, and you pledged to them your commitment to serve them with your time, gifts, and
talents. With your new jobs come sacrifice from family and friend activities. I ask the new State Officers to come together
at the first meeting to pray on the goals set for this new administration.

I hope all you who attended the convention had a wonderful time and took at least one thing back to your first court meet-
ing to share with the members what you enjoyed or learned at the convention. I need each one of you to spread the news
of BOGO! – Bring One; Gain One. Each member needs to do her part in gaining and growing the membership of her court.
It will take all CDA members across the nation to invite one new person to join CDA to keep our organization growing in a
positive direction. If we love our organization, each member must work at bringing in new ladies for the survival of Catholic
Daughters for future years.

May God’s blessings and peace be with you,

Carolyn Bachmann
“Each one of you has to be God’s microphone. Each one of you has to be a
messenger, a prophet. The church will always exist as long as there is someone
who has been baptized…Where is your baptism? You are baptized in your profes-
sions, in the fields of workers, in the market. Wherever there is someone who has
been baptized, that is where the church is. There is a prophet there. Let us not
hide the talent that God gave us on the day of our baptism and let us truly live the
beauty and responsibility of being a prophetic people.”
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez, of El Salvador, who was beatified on May 23, 2015
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Message from First Vice State Regent
Court Development & Membership

Eve Trevino 361.658.8553 [email protected]

It has been an honor to serve you as First Vice State Regent this past term 2013-2015. I really
enjoyed these past two years, and I am extremely proud of our accomplishment during this past
term. What a joy it was to see everyone at the State’s 49th Biennial Convention in Austin. I was especially excited to
see so many members from the newly instituted courts at the convention. I know that everyone will agree that we had a
wonderful time and enjoyed the entire convention, especially the Friday Fun night and the Saturday formal banquet.
As First Vice State Regent, I had the responsibility for court development and membership for the state of Texas. As I
said, we had an extremely successful term with the institution of thirteen (13) new courts. We will be able to start the
process with five (5) additional new courts for the term 2015 - 2017. This will be a great start for Rosie Stockwell our next
First Vice State Regent.
The new courts brought in more than 800 new members, and Texas membership grew to 16,326 members. The winners
of the Texas Membership contest were announced at convention, and we thank all the courts for bringing in new
members. The winners are listed in the award/contest section of this newsletter.
We awarded twenty (23) St. Bernadine of Siena awards, Patron Saint of Public Relations, to the individuals who were
instrumental and responsible for the establishment of the new courts. The winners are listed in the awards section of this
newsletter.
This was such a great experience for me, and I am so grateful for all the help and support you gave me. I thank you;
keep up your good works and continue to bring in new members to your court. God Bless all of you.
So They Say...SUMMERTIME
—Even if you have nothing in your wallet, nothing can keep you from having a great
summer. You can listen to crickets sing you to sleep, trace the Big Dipper, breathe in the
stars, run through a sprinkler, host a cartwheel contest in the front yard. Regina Brett

—I believe that summer is our time, a time for the people, and that no politician should be allowed to speak to us
during the summer. They can start talking again after Labor Day. Lewis Black

—Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. Sam Keen

—Summer is the season when a man thinks he can cook better on an outdoor grill than his wife
can on an indoor stove. Unknown
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Message from Second Vice State Regent
Memorial Scholarship

Rosie Stockwell 956.369.3048 [email protected]

Catholic Daughters—It was such a rewarding experience to be the State Memorial Scholar-
ship Fund Chair during the 2013-2015 term! I am so grateful that I had the chance to work
with the regents and the Memorial Scholarship chairs from the many local courts who partici-
pated in this state project. Thank you for your continued participation in the Memorial Schol-
arship Fund--it was amazing how many Mass enrollments I received every month. Please
continue to send Mass enrollments for your loved ones, living or deceased; it is such a spiritual blessing.

Memorial Scholarships 2015: This year we received $38,250.00 in contributions and were able to award forty-
one (41) scholarships. One hundred forty-five (145) applications were received; three judges read the essays and
scored them. I extend a sincere thank you to all the courts that sponsored applicants.

The winners were announced at the 2015 CDA State Convention in Austin, TX. If your court had a winner, please
remind him or her to send me the paperwork needed in order that a check is sent to the institution of higher learning
in time for the Fall 2015 Semester.

Please request Mass cards, envelopes, and enrollment forms from Second Vice State Regent Elect. Your court
checks with the enrollments should be mailed to: Melodie Brunt, Second Vice State Regent, 1243 N. FM 2148,
Texarkana, TX 75501.

Court Memorial Scholarship Contest 2015: Congratulations to the local courts who were awarded certificates for
this contest! The award certificates and letters to the regents were presented at the 2015 CDA State Convention in
Austin, TX. All local courts are eligible for this contest; criteria includes the total number of dollars contributed to the
Memorial Scholarship Fund between the dates of April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015.

A list of the Circle of Love Leadership winners in included in this newsletter.

"Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will." St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Plano/Richardson, #2100 Our Lady of the Snow participated in
Read Across America in March. Pictured left to right: Regent Diane
Filibeck, Vice Regent Nenita Cuellar, Recording Secretary Jacelyn
Hoffman and Suzanne Delcambre at Medical City Children’s Hospital
in Dallas as they delivered a little red wagon filled with children’s
books their Court’s members donated to the hospital’s Abby’s Book
Corner Library. ( www.abbysbookcorner.com)
SUBMITTED BY JACELYN HOFFMAN
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Message from State Secretary
Melodie Brunt 903.293-4911 [email protected]
What a great convention! I loved visiting with everyone, putting names to faces and meeting
new friends. Thank you for being supportive of me this past term as your State Secretary. It
has been humbling to see how generous you are in the name of Catholic Daughters of the
Americas.
Never forget, ladies, that if we stretch we can reach far.
Thank you so much for your vote of confidence in me to be your next Second Vice State Regent. I will certainly do
my best to serve you and encourage you in Leadership activities and Memorial Mass Fund Program.
Change is coming, so please be aware of the change in our duties as State Officers.

Ladies, please read closely,
Do NOT cause the State Officers to shuffle your money and paperwork from city to city!
By the time you receive this newsletter, Rebecca Brown, State Secretary, will receive your Membership, Transfer,
and Deletion forms. She will also be the one to receive your State Dues, charitable donations and financial review
forms. You should already have received both your National and State invoices for semi-annual dues. The State
Invoice will include assessments for Theological Fund, JCDA, and Campus Courts. Pay the full invoice. And
please send to
Rebecca Brown, State Secretary P.O. Box 1478, Angleton, TX 77516-1478.
All Memorial Scholarship forms and monies are sent to me, Melodie Brunt, 2nd Vice State Regent.
Remember:
Two (2) signatures on court checks
Make checks out to: CDA Texas State Court
Court Number on check
Dollar amount matches the written amount on checks

Enjoy your summer. I look forward to working with you in the next two years as Second Vice State Regent.
Fr. Jim Sichko was the keynote speaker at the 49th Biennial Texas State
Convention in April. His challenge to CDA members to “Be Kind,” be-
came the watchword of the convention. If you’d enjoy more stories, wis-
dom and guidance from Fr. Jim, check out his book Among Friends,
Stories from the Journey by Father Jim Sichko, with Chas Allen and
Jonathan Ryan. Available at Amazon.com.
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Message from State Treasurer
Rebecca Brown 979.248.0993 [email protected]

Greetings and blessings to all my CDA sisters.

WOW! I can’t believe two years have already gone by. To all the Court Financial Secretaries
and Treasurers, know that you are serving CDA wonderfully in unity and charity. I have en-
joyed my term as CDA Texas State Treasurer, visiting with CDA courts across the State of Tex-
as, and finding new friends along the journey.

The 2015 Texas State Convention in Austin was the best convention I’ve been to in a long while. If you were able to
attend, I hope you gained new sisters in Christ and learned a little more about Catholic Daughters. To all the ladies
who attended the Courtroom Spirituality Workshop, thank you for your patience, and I enjoyed sharing my experiences
with you. If you were unable to attend, start planning or saving or fundraising for the 2017 State Convention in Corpus
Christi. Nemo says, “It’ll be fun!”

I’d also like to say thank you for your support at the State Convention and voting for me as your next State Secretary.
Melodie Brunt has served the State of Texas well as State Secretary, and I’ll have big shoes to fill. Your courts can
start sending information to me on June 1, 2015. I have a new address, so please be sure to use the correct one
when mailing items to me. The new address is; PO Box 1478, Angleton, TX 77516-1478.

In unity and charity we can do anything God has planned for us. As Mother Teresa said, “I can do things you cannot,
you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” May y’all have a very blessed summer!

“In Christ We Live”
Austin, #2391 Our Lady Queen of Apostles sponsored a
May Living Rosary with the help of other parish ministries.
First Communicants from Religious Education participated in a
crowning of Our Lady.
PHOTO BY MARGARET RAMIREZ
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Spiritual Enhancement

Carolyn Rapsilver, Chairman 979.885.6507
[email protected]

A Summer Blessing

May you walk with God this summer
In whatever you do and wherever you go

Walking with God means...
Walking with honesty and with courage,
Walking with love and respect
And concern for the feelings of others

May you talk to God this summer
And every day and in every situation

Talking with God means...
Praying words of praise for the beauty of creation
Saying prayers of thanks for friends and good times,
Asking God's help in all your decisions
Expressing sorrow when you have failed

May you talk with God every day. Amen.

- Author unknown
Prayer Intentions for the Quarter

 For the church and its leaders, both ordained and lay persons, that they may always have the courage
to preach the gospel.

 For those who govern the nations, that they may heed the voice of Jesus and find remedies for every
injustice.

 For people in areas of war and violence, that new opportunities may be found to end conflicts, provide
the basic necessities of life, and restore their means to support their families.

 For those in need, those who are ill, and those who are troubled in spirit, that they may find healing in
the name of Jesus.

 For those who have died and have acknowledged Jesus as their Lord and Savior, may they rejoice for-
ever with the Living One.

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Respect Life
Mary Rose Barta 361.594.2781 [email protected]
“We Are Masterpieces of God’s Creation!“
Respect Life Theme for 2014-2015 as set by National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I would like to thank State Regent Peggy Rosales for the opportunity to serve as the Respect Life Chairman the past two years.
Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, my two year Respect Life report did not get included in the convention packets. With
that in , I would like to take this opportunity to summarize the report, by reviewing the goals of the Respect Life program for 2013-2015
and taking a brief look at how these goals were met.
As outlined by our State Regent and State Board our goals for Respect Life were:
Expand our thinking and knowledge on pro-life issues
Promote Respect Life awareness from conception to natural death
Adopt slogan of: Don’t be just a check writer – be the helping hands.

To accomplish these goals, the articles in previous issues of this newsletter covered a variety of pro-life and

Respect Life topics. In addition, courts were urged to take a look around their area of the state and choose
groups who were in need of CDA’s “helping hands” and possibly add one new Respect Life project this term. Courts were also urged
to pray for the success of our Respect Life efforts – and then let our actions be the fruit of our prayers.
Special thanks to the forty-four courts who completed and returned the Respect Life reporting form. There were many courts that

participated in numerous Respect Life activities and that deserve recognition for their good works, thus making it a difficult task to
choose five courts to be recognized as “outstanding.” From the numerous and varied projects reported, it is evident that the CDA
courts of Texas have been very active in supporting the Respect Life cause. Keep up your good works!
Congratulations to the five courts who were recognized for their outstanding participation. One criterion was that there was active

participation in all three areas: Respect for the Unborn; Respect for the Abused, Neglected, Battered or Homeless; and Respect for
the Elderly; with special attention given to new or unique projects.
So that we may learn from one another, listed below are a few of the more unique projects reported under the three categories or
groups of people.
Respect for the Unborn and Newly Born
Pennies for Life; making baby caps for newborns; hosting a speaker from a Pregnancy Center (speaker later joined CDA!); posting of
35 white crosses in memory of babies killed by abortion (one for each year since abortion legalized); hosting a “Celebration of Life”
event; 40 Days for Life and other prayer vigils.
Respect for Abused, Neglected, Battered or Homeless
Hosting Celebration of Life with speakers from Red Cross, Women’s Crisis Center, and testimonies from adopt-
ed children; babysitting for children while mothers attend counseling classes; baking cupcakes for birthdays of
abused or neglected children; Angela House for women released from prison; Walk-a-thon for Down’s Syn-
drome Foundation; making snuggle blankets for children at Texas Children’s Hospital; blankets for Casa Juan
Diego clients; volunteering to mentor/tutor children with special needs
Respect for the Elderly
Making homemade lap blankets, visiting senior members on Make a Difference Day, making corsages for nurs-
ing home residents on birthdays, hosting Valentine’s party for singles over age of 60, donating cleaning supplies
(since these cannot be purchased with food stamps), making 135 small pillows for elderly.

Respect Life Convention Workshop: I would also like to thank our State Regent for having a Respect Life workshop at the con-
vention. Researching the materials for this presentation, helped me, and hopefully, all the workshop attendees, to meet another one of
the goals for this term – to further expand and broaden our knowledge of the Respect Life cause. I would like to thank those courts
who sent members to the workshop and also to those members who requested materials from the presentation. If you requested infor-
mation and you did not hear from me, it was because your email was returned as undeliverable. If you will take the time to email me
again, I will be glad to share the workshop materials with you.
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