From The Pastor’s Desk

The Parish Council of Catholic Women, or PCCW as we call it, is a service organization of St. Agnes Cathedral Parish that all women registered as members of the parish belong to. It is also an affiliation of the Region 3 & 4 Council of Catholic Women, or RCCW; the Diocese of Springfield - Cape Girardeau Council of Catholic Women, or DCCW; and the National Council of Catholic Women, or NCCW. Meeting dates and times vary depending on the program; general meetings are at 6:30 p.m. We often have speakers and food AND we always have fun and fellowship.
What isn’t the PCCW? It is not the older ladies club. It is a mingling of young and old, single and married,
mothers and grandmothers, all working together for the church and the community.
Besides the usual officers, we also have what are called Commission Chairs. The ladies in these positions
receive information that comes from the national, diocesan, and regional levels to the parish. After sorting
through it, they then pass it along to us at our meetings.
PCCW is also about service to its members. From national to parish level, we act to support, empower, and
educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service. Our programs respond with Gospel values
to the needs of the church and society in our modern world. We strive to help each other to achieve our goals
and not lose sight of our values. One of the real joys of attending meetings is to share stories and gather
inspiration from one another. If you have a problem you are worried about, someone else at that meeting has
probably been through it and can offer some advice.
Some of the different programs and fundraisers of the past year involved:
- Cookie decorating – 50 people attended and brought cookies from home to donate to Sister Elizabeth for home bound & assisted with delivering cookies and poinsettias
- Day of Recollection – mass, speaker, and lunch
- Assisted Father Lewis with Christmas Open House at the rectory – donated cookies
- Donated 100 gift bags for priests when they attended Diocesan Priests’ Institute
- PCCW members attended Regional CCW & Diocesan CCW meeting
- 1st Saturday of the month – attend mass for deceased members of PCCW, rosary, followed by breakfast
- Annual bazaar & Annual garage sale
- Serve monthly meals at Harmony House & serve monthly meals at Rare Breed
- Attend mass monthly at Life House, followed by lunch & hosted Mardi Gras party
- Assist with gifts for Jesse Tree at Christmastime, donated items to Grace Methodist & Sammy’s Window
- Host Diocesan Anniversary Celebration
PCCW needs all the women of the parish. Even if you cannot attend all the meetings, we encourage you to try
to come when you can. Be a worker for some of the fundraisers and come and have some fun once in a while
too.