SJW Women’s Club
Wednesday, May 8th, 5:30pm Salad Supper
Members present: Terri Michels, Beth Sparks, Deb Evan, Joyce Wilcox, Mary Date, Carolyn Fox, Mary Beth Lacina, Gloria May, Jeannie Saffert, Janet Fasnacht, Jeanne Hassing, Jean Blanck, Marilyn Woelfel, Donna Hansen, Barb Wendlandt, Sharon Popowski,
Opening prayer by Father Reker
Terri started with the great history & foundation of our women’s club, on which we can build.
Funerals
We are making a 3-ring binder of things done by the women’s club. For funerals, etc. Terri asked Gloria and Jean B. to write down what they do. We are looking to step up our funerals a bit. Ideas include colored placemats, tablecloths, having a hostess, saying prayer before we eat, colored t-shirts or aprons for workers. Take note of things you see at other funerals that we maybe can do. Quilters will make new runners for centers of tables. Help out the new workers.
Father Reker’s Farewell
Saturday night we will have charcuterie boards, wine and something non-alcoholic to drink. Shirley Piepho will be the lead for this. Sunday after 10:30am Mass we will have baked goods, coffee, water. Carolyn will bring cuties, Terri will order a fresh fruit bowl from Truffles. Someone will speak after each Mass, Father has asked that this be brief! We decided to plan for 100 on Saturday night and 150 on Sunday. The question was asked who was paying for this? Beth will ask Glenn about this. Otherwise maybe the Men’s and Women’s club can share the expense? We will also present Father with a gift. Marilyn is making a MN Twins throw for Father’s gift. She said the kit was $50, she is not asking to be reimbursed at this time. Lori Ruch will do the quilting and that won’t have a cost either. We will be getting a $100 gift card for Twins tickets as well for Father.
Kitchen Cleaning
It’s time to do a deep clean in the kitchen. Jeannie Saffert has a list of things to be done. We will be cleaning on June 5th, in the morning from 9-11:30 and in the afternoon from 3:30-5:00. It was suggested we put sign ups at the entrances. We also talked about a training on how to run the dishwasher and coffee maker.
Graduation Reception
We will have donuts, coffee and juice after 10:30 Mass. We need to do light decorations and set up and clean up. Beth will order donuts from Cub West.
Respectfully submitted
Beth Sparks
St. Joseph the Worker’s Women’s Club Meeting
Nov. 14, 2023
The meeting started with prayer led by Beverly Miller, our Faith Formation Director.
She read a letter from St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta written in 1995 to the world women’s council meeting in the Philippines. St. Mother Theresa was asked by Pope John Paul II to write a letter because he knew it needed to be written by a woman.
Sherly Peterson thanked the Finance Committee for meeting and beginning the work of making a budget and setting some processes in place to deal with our funds.
Patrice Johnson spoke briefly about the committee’s goals. They will be working on setting up a budget, putting into place processes to receive requests, researching and working on places for our donations on a yearly bases, starting with 2023 will remain close to home and within in our own parish.
Monthly Donuts and the Youth Mass
It was reported 70 to 90 people turned out for donuts after the 10:30AM Sunday Mass. The second month of donuts had even a greater number turn due in part to the event including a farewell for Val Koch. Beverly thought the event is a wonderful opportunity for multigenerational gathering and interacting together.
A message in the bulletin helped to get more people to help with the serving and clean up. Beverly offered the help of students, we just need to let her know the specifies of what we need.
It was also noted that we may need to have better communications with the staff of Head Start who share our kitchen. It was also suggested there be training for how to use and care for our kitchen equipment.
Speakers
Birth Right
Carolyn Fox introduced, Sandy, a volunteer from BIRTH RIGHT. Sandy spoke of the opportunities, help and referrals done by the staff of Birth Right. Birth Right is in located in the back of Jake’s Stadium Pizza building and upstairs.
Birth Right offers:
The average number of new people they see every month is 30 and that number is growing.
Donations come from several different sources. Several of those are memorials, a Thanksgiving mailing, and area parishes.
Options for Women
Options for Women is another resource for parents dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.
The organization is undergoing a search for a new director, so they sent a video for us to watch instead. This five-minute video gave facts and their mission. There were several couples featured sharing their experiences. Their funds come from their yearly Gala, supporters, parishes, and other sources.
They offer ultrasounds, clothing, and most importantly, education for the parents, both mothers and fathers. Attending these groups and classes parents can earn points to buy items from the Option Store, items needed for the new family.
Fall Brunch
Workers are still needed.
Food items posted on the board at church were all taken after the first Sunday posted.
Quilt Mission Group
Nearly 100 quilts are made yearly. These quilts are given to many different places, a KY parish/school, quilt raffle at the Fall Brunch, nursing homes, area vets, hospital, and Simon Ministries. They will be checking with several other groups that may have a need for quilts. The cost of batting is still an issue. They are dwindling down their supply of materials. The group also makes knitted hats, mittens, walker bags, lap quilts, preemie hats and more.
The meeting end.
Lite Soup Supper
A light soup of soups, chicken noodle and chili with sides of cheese, crackers, and pinch was enjoyed by all.
Craft
Supper was followed by a fun Christmas craft of mason jars, greens, candles, and ribbons.
Approx. 25 ladies attended.
Respectfully Submitted,
Terri Michels