I’m going to start this with a personal perspective and make myself vulnerable. I was very much a non-practicing Catholic before I retired. Attended Mass occasionally. Never spent much time learning more about my faith. In fact, the only time I prayed was when I wanted something from our Lord. I was too busy with “worldly” things — too focused on getting where I wanted to be using my own power. Never thought about asking for direction from God. Never thanked him for what he gave me. Never thought about my money as actually being His — with me as a steward. I could go on and on. In other words, God didn’t come first in my life — and I didn’t think about him much until Sunday rolled around and I had to think about going to Mass.
Then my mother-in-law died. I was holding her hand as we prayed the Chaplet of Devine Mercy. (I was actually reading it from a card that a woman who was a Third Order Franciscan gave to me — I had never seen this chaplet before.) I finished the chaplet at 3 p.m. on a Saturday. And within a minute, my husband said “Sheri, she is gone.” Was this a monumental moment for me? No, not at the time. But it stuck in my mind because she always prayed for me. In fact, at one time while on the phone with her, she asked me if something had happened that caused me to stop going to Mass. She never brought it up again, but that question always popped up in my mind.
Within a few weeks after her death, I started thinking seriously about joining a local church. At first, I even thought about joining a Lutheran church. But that just didn’t somehow feel right. I started visiting (for Mass) the local Catholic churches around me. My mother gave me a copy of Matthew Kelly’s book “Rediscovering Catholicism” which was being handed out at her church; I read it cover to cover within a couple weeks. I went to confession for the first time in years. And in one confession, I admitted that I had not attended Mass on a regular basis. The priest asked me why. I said it was hard to go to Mass by myself — no one in my family wanted to go with me. He chuckled and told me he goes to Mass all the time by himself. At first, that irritated me a little since he was a priest — I wasn’t. But then I started thinking about what he said. I’ve always believed in personal responsibility — that each of us is responsible for our own actions and the consequences of those actions. And I realized I was the only person responsible for me not going to Mass every week.
Well, I got that part down pat. I bought an audio version of Matthew Kelly’s book and “listened” to it again. I started thinking about the part about going to daily Mass. What??? I had a hard time just getting to church on the weekends. I had joined a local Catholic parish that I liked. I tried the weekday Mass thing. I felt good after I left. Then I had to convince myself and my husband that this was worth doing (he wasn’t a church-goer and wasn’t going to Mass even on weekends). After I attended weekly Mass for a few months, I realized it was always the same woman who did the setup for the Mass, who did the readings, and who put things away. One day I asked her if she needed help. Keep in mind that this is a very small rural church community — usually only about seven to 10 people attended daily Mass. She was very appreciative, and I started helping by doing the liturgy readings at weekday Masses. I was so uncomfortable because I wasn’t even sure when to go up. Then I progressed from there to learning how to be her backup as sacristan. I went from there to being a lector for weekend Masses and being a eucharistic minister. But my progress was slow — I’m just doing a fast forward on how things actually happened. And by the way, my husband had joined me in attending Mass every weekend! Yayee!
Getting back to why the Council of Catholic Women is important.
Once I started paying attention to God and his plan for me, I started doing things I had never done before. I started looking for ways to grow my faith — to learn stuff I should already know and to delve deeper into things. I looked for retreats and Catholic gatherings that could teach me more. I started with our local parish’s Catholic Women’s group. At that point, I wanted to “do” something. I am a do-er, I need to be hands-on in learning stuff. Well, that need got me into trouble. I attended two meetings of our parish Catholic women’s group and then found my name on the election ballot as the vice president (president-elect). The Holy Spirit really works in unforeseen ways and has a weird sense of humor! Here I was, a transplant into a rural community, who didn’t know anyone in the area, had no relatives in this community, and was just a beginner in learning my faith — and I was VP and then president of a Council of Catholic Women’s group. What do I do now?
One of the first (and very beneficial) things I did was to attend a Koinonia weekend retreat. Then I attended a Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Lenten retreat — several in fact. And I went to other Catholic retreats, including one at the Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Minnesota. By then God had me hooked. I began reading more books and watching more videos and movies that grew my faith and perspective on things. I began to realize that I was a disciple — a learner and a teacher — and Jesus was leading me, sometimes kicking and screaming. (Note that providing learning opportunities like a Lenten retreat is extremely important work — even if the retreat only changes the life of one person.)
I don’t know how my name got on the list of “people to call” for a position on the board of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. Possibly because I unintentionally had been a VP and then president of a local parish Catholic Women’s group. They called me asking if I would consider being the Family Commission Chair for the diocese. Me? I barely knew my way around — I was a newbie who knew nothing! Our deanery council had folded as had our parish council because we couldn’t find anyone who was willing to step in for leadership positions. Let me tell you — I went into that position totally blind. Did I make mistakes? Oh yes. Was I terrified? Absolutely! I was way out of my comfort zone. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.
So why would I encourage you to become involved with the Council of Catholic Women — at the parish, Area Catholic Community, deanery or diocesan level? Because God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. And the benefits of being engaged in a Catholic women’s group are humongous! I can’t begin to tell you how special all the women are who I have met and became connected with. They help me to grow in my faith. They are a positive force in my life. They pray for me as I pray for them. They understand the struggles I have as a disciple. They are a light in my life as I try to follow God’s will for me. They are amazing women, prayer partners and friends. And I can tell you right now that they bring out the best in me. I’m not sure how God does that, but he does!
To close, I would strongly recommend that you start somewhere — wherever you are comfortable — and step into the community of the Council of Catholic women. You don’t have to become an organizational officer, but you certainly have a gift to contribute — at a parish level, at the ACC level, at a deanery level, or at the diocesan level. Be involved — grow your faith — take another by the hand and lead them. We need each other. We need you.
I believe St. Francis said, “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people hear today.” So, get involved — even if it’s behind the scenes. Let Jesus take the wheel and show you where to go. Our councils need you. If you don’t know how to get in touch with someone, give me a call at 320-805-0010. May God bless you and the Holy Spirit lead you!
The DCCW is hosting a Lenten retreat March 8 at St. Michael Parish in Buckman called “The Secret of the Holy Face.” To register, send $20 before Feb. 28, $25 after Feb. 28, to St. Cloud DCCW, 14267 Fairway Lane, Becker, MN 55308. Contact Linda Borgerding at 320-293-1839 with questions.
Sheri Streasick is the vice president, of the St. Cloud Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.
Pictured above: Sheri Streasick prays at St. Thomas Church in Kent, a stop on the DCCW’s Source and Summit tour Aug. 1, 2024.