La Bonne Nouvelle Des Amis (The Good News, Friends) Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court September 2017

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1 In Unity and Charity La Bonne Nouvelle Des Amis (The Good News, Friends) Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court September 2017 Mission Statement: Catholic Daughters of the Americas strives 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. Message from the Louisiana CDA State Regent Connie Dronette My Dearest Sisters in Christ, I love when new school supplies start appearing in stores. There is something about the possibilities that may come out of a box of 24 crayons that excites me. I guess if you are not a teacher, it might sound a little strange. A mentor teacher, one that had many more years experience, once told me that when it was no longer fun to walk down the aisles of school supplies to see what was new, it was probably time to retire. I must admit that I still love school supplies. As you are reading this letter, I am getting to know my new students and gearing up for my 33rd year in education. Please pray for me and my students. The LA State CDA Officers attended the National State CDA Officer Training in Belleville, IL, in July. While we were there, we prayed for our CDA sisters in a different diocese each night. You were always on our mind and in our hearts! We learned so much, and we can t wait to share with you at the Leadership Conferences coming up soon! While we were there, we celebrated the accomplishments of our state and local Courts as we received National Awards. Our LA State CDA Court newsletter won first place. Thanks goes to Karen Fills, the newsletter editor. We had two winners in the local Court newsletter contest. In Category II, Division I, Court Lady of the Lake #695-Lake Charles won first place. Newsletter editor was Karen Fills. In Category I, Division II, Court Regina Coeli #2063-Baton Rouge won third place. Newsletter editor was Loretta Britt. Congratulations to all! Our State also had two education contest winners. Collin Faucheux won first place in poetry, Category II, Division II. His poem was submitted by Court Assumption #1672-Franklin. Lucy Brown won first place in poetry, Category II, Division II. Her poem was submitted by Court Eunice #208- Eunice. Congratulations to all! We held two Leadership Conferences this past weekend and will be holding the others in September and October. Please make sure you make every effort to attend the conference in your diocese. If you can t attend the conference in your diocese, please attend in another diocese. (Continued on page 2) LA State CDA Officers State Regent Connie Dronette 610 Pitre Street Sulphur, LA conniecda@yahoo,com First Vice State Regent Dawn Fortenberry Daniel Guidry Road St. Amant, LA dawniecda@yahoo.com Second Vice State Regent Pam Melancon 9325 Jeff Street Gonzales, LA pammelancon17@gmail.com State Secretary Margaret Comeaux 215 Public Road Rayne, LA margaretcda17@gmail.com State Treasurer Becky Shillings Robert Road St. Amant, LA bshillings@eatel.net LA State Chaplain Reverend Edward Richard, M.S Cypress Street Sulphur, LA revedrichard@olpssulphur.com National Director Helene Shepard National Regent PO Box 455 Washingtonville, New York misshelene2000@yahoo.com Newsletter Editor Karen Fills 1513 Anita Street Sulphur, LA mkfills@suddenlink.net Webmaster Joyce Stein Paul Stein Street Vacherie, LA joycestein@bellsouth.net LA State CDA Website CDA National Office

2 Message from the Louisiana CDA State Regent (Continued) Connie Dronette The new state directory is almost complete. Hopefully, they will be ready to hand out at the leadership conferences. Thank you, Dawn, for all the time you spent on the directory! It is time to think about a child that you can possibly nominate for CDA Kid for A letter explaining the project and application are included in this newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pam Melancon, LA State CDA Kid Chairman. Please remember to turn in your application by October 31, 2017, to the CDA Kid Chairman in your diocese. I hope that as the season changes and many Courts begin meeting again after a summer break, you begin meeting the challenge of contacting a Court in your area to combine forces for a service project, a prayer experience, or a fun activity. Please send me a note and pictures when you meet the challenge. St. Theresa of Calcutta said, Faith in action is love, and love in action is service. May God bless your Courts endeavors this year. I will be praying for you. Your Servant Sister, Connie The LA State CDA Officers lit candles while they were attending the CDA National Officers Conference in Belleville, IL, for all the District Deputies, Past State Regents, Circle of Love Chairmen, State Chairmen, local Court officers, and CDA members in a different diocese each day. Pictures are below. The candles for the Dioceses of Alexandria and Shreveport were lit at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. The candle for the Diocese of Baton Rouge was lit at Chapel at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The candles for the Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux and the Archdiocese of New Orleans were lit at Lourdes Grotto at Our Lady of the Snows. The candle for the Diocese of Lafayette was lit at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. The candle for the Diocese of Lake Charles was lit at the Shrine of St. Joseph in St. Louis. 2

3 Pictured below is LA State Regent Connie Dronette being presented the award from CDA National Regent Helene Shepard and National Clergy Consultant Reverend Jeffrey J. Maurer in Belleville, IL, for our state newsletter winning first place in the CDA National Newsletter contest. The newsletter editor is Karen Fills. LA State CDA Officers at Belleville, IL LA State Chaplain Reverend Edward J. Richard, M.S. Prayer for Our LA State Chaplain O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayer on behalf of our LA State Chaplain, Reverend Edward J. Richard. Give him a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of his priestly life. In his loneliness, comfort him in his sorrows, strengthen him in his frustrations, point out to him that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show him that he is needed by the Church, he is needed by souls, he is needed for the work of redemption. O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your son who is close to you because of his priestly ordination and because of the power which he has received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs him so much. Be his comfort, be his joy, be his strength, and especially help him to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy. Amen. Personal Information Please notify LA First Vice State Regent Dawn Fortenberry at or her at dawniecda@yahoo.com if you change any personal contact information in order to receive future mailings. We need to keep the LA State CDA Directory updated and CDA National Office informed of changes so you can receive the SHARE Magazine. LA STATE CDA 2018 Education Contest The LA State CDA theme for the LA State 2018 Education Contest is "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy" or "Finding joy in my life." The LA State CDA 2018 Education Contest forms will be sent at a later date. JOY VERY IMPORTANT: COURT REGENTS PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION BELOW WITH YOUR LOCAL COURT OFFICERS. Send all membership/addition/deletion reports to: Dawn Fortenberry, First Vice State Regent Daniel Guidry Road St. Amant, LA Send all CDA Shirt orders with payments enclosed to: Pam Melancon, Second Vice State Regent 9325 Jeff Street, Gonzales, LA Send all checks to: Margaret Comeaux, State Secretary 215 Public Road Rayne, LA

4 Please note: National Director Carolyn Bachmann is no longer assigned as the National Director for the LA State CDA Court. National Regent Helene Shepard will replace Carolyn as our new National Director for the LA State CDA Court for the term. Message from National Regent Helene Shepard Dear Catholic Daughters of the Louisiana State Court, We just completed the training conference for all state officers in Belleville, Illinois. The theme was, You are the JOY in CDA. You would have been very proud of the participation from your Louisiana State Officers. I think you will agree with me that they are the JOY in CDA in Louisiana. Joy is a very important factor when serving the Lord, as we do in the Catholic Daughters. I spoke about joy at the conference, but not merely happiness or laughter, but as a way of life. When you have joy in your heart from being a faithful servant of God, it will give you stability in your life that will produce peace and hope. Whether you are serving in the church or in the community, whether you are serving your family or your friends, or whether you are serving those you know or those you've never met you need to get involved and serve as Jesus did. As you experience the joy of being a blessing to others through service to Him, you are also becoming more like Him. After all, Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and give. Matthew 20:26-28 We have the perfect vehicle for service through the Circle of Love Program. I think that this program needs to be fully understood by all Catholic Daughters. The Circle of Love is the basis for our CDA Program for outreach which is the result of our relationship with the Lord. As you begin another CDA year, continue your wonderful work and, in so doing, bring the Joy of CDA to others. God bless each of you. In Unity and Charity, Helene Shepard National Regent Find Father Pierre A picture of Father Pierre (pictured to the left) will be appearing somewhere else in each of the LA State CDA newsletters for Scan each of the newsletters and see if you can find him! One winner will be chosen from entries received. Contest will begin with the June, 2017, newsletter and end March 1, Drawing will be held at our LA State CDA 48th Biennial Convention. Please tell us where you found Father Pierre by ing your entry to mkfills@suddenlink.net or mail to Karen Fills, Newsletter Editor, 1513 Anita Street, Sulphur, LA You will have several chances of winning the contest prize of $50.00 for your Court if you enter the contest after each issue of the newsletter. Have fun and enjoy getting to know our LA State CDA newsletters a little better! Faith in small things has repercussions that ripple all the way out. In a huge, dark room a little match can light up the place. Joni Eareckson Tada 4

5 Message from our First Vice State Regent and State Court Development Chairman Dawn Fortenberry Greetings My Dear Sisters in Christ, It seems like we just left Convention, and we were off to Belleville for State Officer Training. Our Lady of the Snows Retreat center is such a beautiful place; I wish all of you could experience it. Lots of information was shared with us. One main concept that caught my attention was to always have JOY in all you do and how you do it. We will be presenting the information we learned at our upcoming Leadership Conferences. We promise they will be faith filled, JOYful, and educational. We hope to see ALL of you there to help rejuvenate you and fill you with a renewed love for CDA! The five state officers had an opportunity to bond and really get to know each other. We have so many ideas and so much talent to help our state grow spiritually, in strength and number. We are on fire with the Holy Spirit as our guide. He is ever present among us as we work for the glory of God. As the state representative for the Dioceses of Alexandria and Shreveport, I will be contacting you and trying to make Court visits in the near future. This is another area of the state I will be trying to grow. As Membership and Development Chairman for the State, I have been contacting churches in the Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, and New Orleans areas of the state. We lost quite a few Courts during Katrina and need to grow that area again. We are so excited to let you know that we have four pulpit talks already scheduled: September 9th and 10th at Most Holy Trinity in Covington; September 23rd and 24th at Our Lady of Lourdes in Slidell; September 30rd and October 1st at St. Joseph in Patterson; and January 27th and 28th, 2018, at Our Lady of the Lake in Mandeville. We ask for your prayers and support as we venture to make our state strong again in CDA! And don t hesitate to let us know if you know of an area where we can try to start another Court. We will be calling on many of you to help with recruitment. All that is needed is to wear your CDA colors and join us with positivity, energy, and that wonderful CDA smile. We need to spread our joy to others as we work for the Lord. A tidbit of thought! Think back when you first joined CDA! Did someone invite you personally? Did you see something about CDA in your bulletin? Are you taking the lead to venture out and do the service your heart is calling you to do? If not, why? Put that JOY back in your heart; answer God s call. Let us always be vigilant in our service to our church, our community, and our sisters and brothers. After all, isn t that what we are called to do? JOYfully yours in Christ, Dawn One day Boudreaux and his little boy "Tee" Boudreaux were talking, and "Tee" asked, "Poppa, when you was little, did you go to church?" Boudreaux tells him, "Why sure Tee, every Sunday." "Tee" says, "Dat's what I tought. I bet it won't do me no good neither!" Source: Every experience prepares you for the next one. You just don t ever know what the one is going to be. Howard Schultz 5

6 Message from our Second Vice State Regent Pam Melancon Hello my CDA sisters! I first must tell you about my experience at the National Conference in Belleville, Illinois. After many days of prayer, one of the biggest takeaways was the focus on community. This focus was first evident from going to various churches and basilicas and walking the paths of faithful Catholics. I could feel the presence of Christ as we prayed daily for each other and for all of you, our Louisiana CDA members. I then found community with the other State Officers. Spending time, day and night, gave us the time to form friendships and grow spiritually together. We prayed together, had meetings together, and laughed together, and boy, did we laugh together! I feel certain that the energy level, enthusiasm, determination, and spiritual bonding between us will be a true asset to our State. I am eager to share this with you so that it may spread in the communities of our local Courts. It was so inspirational to meet and exchange ideas with other States. What a gift that these women accepted God s call of leadership in our CDA organization on all levels. All of these experiences with community have further exemplified the mission of Unity and Charity. As each day progressed, the message for the need of Community in our youth became more evident. The excitement to get started on our JCDA Courts has increased daily since this conference after seeing clear the need for this type of ministry. I am currently forming a committee to begin a statewide membership growth. We currently have 93 CDA Courts and only 9 JCDA Courts. I challenge us to continue developing our existing JCDA Courts while expanding new ones across the State. Please prayerfully discern and act upon the call from Christ to reach out and be examples of Christ to our youth. I look forward to working with each of you and will be praying for you daily. In addition to our attention on the JCDA youth, we must also remember our community of CDA Kids. The deadline for submitting a nomination for the 2018 CDA Kid Contest to your Diocesan CDA Kid Chairman is October 31, 2017! Please be sure to complete the form which is included in this newsletter prior to the deadline. Upon receipt of your nominations, the Chairpersons for each Diocese will submit the chosen entry to the State CDA Kid Chairman, Pam Melancon, by November 15, This will allow us to announce the 2018 CDA Kids in the December Newsletter. Beginning in January of 2018, we will start our prayers and monetary support for these kids! God Bless, Pam Food for Thought A lady went to the priest and said, Father, I won't be going to this church anymore. The priest responded, But why? The lady said, Ah! I saw a lady speaking bad of another lady; a man that can't read well; the worship team living wrong; people looking at their phone during service; among so many other things wrong in the church. The priest replied, OK. But before you go, do me a favor. Take a full glass of water and walk three times around the church without spilling a drop on the floor. Afterwards, leave the church if you desire. The lady thought this is too easy! She walked three times around as the priest had asked. When she finished, she told the priest she was ready. And the priest asked, When you were walking around the church, did you see a lady speaking bad about another lady? The lady replied, No. Did you see anyone looking at their phone? No. You know why? You were focused on the glass to make sure you didn't tip it and spill any water. It's the same with our life. When our focus is on our Lord Jesus Christ, we don't have time to see the mistakes of others. Your spark can become a flame and change everything. E.D. Nixon 6

7 Message from our Recording Secretary Margaret Comeaux My Dear Sisters of CDA, Summer is nearly over for another year, and we move into a new season, hopefully a little cooler and maybe just a little less rain and a few less mosquitoes. Also in this new season, we look forward to time spent in the joys of CDA. Before heading to Belleville in July, I was invited to attend a meeting at Court Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary #2214 in Mire, Louisiana. Regent Dot Derouen was so kind to invite me, and I had the honor of welcoming four (4) new members into their Court that evening. Mire is a small community; therefore, the Court may not be large in number, but they are big in heart, and in serving God and their parish in the name of CDA. Thank you again ladies for inviting me, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you. Then it was on to Illinois in July for the Conference at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows (such a beautiful place). The Conference was again quite a learning experience and it was good visiting with ladies that I have come to know from all over the country. As we gathered and visited, we know that our accents may differ, and our cultures are not the same, but the one thing we have in common is how can we continue to help CDA grow in numbers and how can we continue to Serve the Lord with gladness. One of the best parts of the entire time spent in Belleville was each morning before the five (5) Louisiana State officers would start our day, we would gather for a prayer service which had been prepared by Regent Connie. At the close of day, we did the same thing, gathered and prayed. This was the highlight of the entire week for me because we prayed for each other and the job with which we are entrusted. We prayed for our families, and, foremost, we prayed for all the Courts of Louisiana. Each day we lit a candle and prayed for the Courts, the District Deputies, and the Chairpersons of each Diocese, which made it all so special. Thank you to Connie, Dawn, Pam, and Becky for making these prayer times very special. I know this time we spent in prayer will help Louisiana CDA continue to grow in Unity and Charity. By the time you re reading this, we (the state board) will have completed two of the Leadership Conferences that we have planned for you, and we will be looking forward to doing the other three (3). The Diocese of Baton Rouge will be on September 9th, and September 30th will be in the Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux and includes the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The final one will be in the Diocese of Lafayette on October 7th. We are so hoping all the Courts in the state will be represented at one of these conferences. We promise you they will be very informative, very spiritual, and even humorous. I hope they are as enjoyable for you to sit through as it is for us doing them. It has been great working together with the fellow board members putting these together. We hope you can take something back to your Court that will help you to continue to grow in numbers, and Unity and Charity. From 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline. I think he was telling us to use all the gifts God has given us and to look forward to the new because it is full of promise and hope. Love and Prayers, Save the Date March 28-31, 2019 Catholic Daughters of the Americas 48th Biennial Louisiana State Convention Sulphur, Louisiana West-Cal Event Center "Serve one another humbly in love" Galations 5:13 7

8 Message from our Treasurer Becky Shillings Well the last 3 months have flown by. It seems I just wrote an article for the newsletter last week. It s been an exciting three months going to anniversary banquets, priest appreciation dinners, and Masses. And even more exciting has been the bonding with my fellow State officers while in Belleville learning from National or working together to put on the Leadership Conferences that are coming up. I am also looking forward to begin visiting the Courts I am the state representative for in the Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux and Archdiocese of New Orleans. As State Treasurer, I perform basically the same duties as the local Court treasurer does. That being said, I d like to present to all of us treasurers a short refresher on those duties. The Treasurer shall: 1. Receive all monies from the Financial Secretary only and give a receipt to the Financial Secretary for the monies received; 2. Pay all bills approved by the Court. (Approval is not required to pay monies due to the National Office, the State Court or as recorded in the Court s Standing Rules); 3. Present a Treasurer s Report at each regular meeting; 4. Make bank deposits immediately (within a few days of receipt); 5. Record all checks written and deposits made in the checkbook as well as in the Treasurer s ledger. The ledger can be the big black book from National or an excel spreadsheet or a hand written column ledger sheet; 6. Balance check book and ledger book and reconcile the bank statement monthly; 7. Serve on the Budget Committee. (Every Court should have a budget); 8. Prepare the financial review form for each semi-annual Review; 9. Attend the Financial Reviews for your court with all books available to be checked. These duties can be found in the Tools of the Trade for further review. Mentioned in the above duties are two items, Standing Rules and Budgets, that every Court should have. These should be written out and made available to every Court member. These will be discussed in depth in the next newsletter. So until next time, May you always find peace and oneness with the Lord, Becky Congratulations on the Following Court Anniversaries September 5, St. John the Baptist # Brusly - 44 years September 8, Sancta Maria # Lacassine - 30 years September 14, St. Michael the Archangel # Convent - 44 years September 24, St. Peter and Paul # Scott - 28 years September 27, St. Katharine Drexel # Creole - 2 years September 29, Stella Maria # Welsh - 82 years October 6, St. Gregory # Parks - 16 years October 9, St. Barbara # DeRidder - 41 years October 11, Saints Anne & Anthony # Sorrento - 2 years October 13, Monsignor JV Plauche # Bossier City - 60 years October 16, Our Lady of Perpetual Help # Houma - 57 years October 22, St. Catherine Laboure # French Settlement - 2 years October 23, St. Peter # Gueydan - 62 years October 23, Our Lady of Grace # Raymond - 51 years October 24, St. Landry #119 - Opelousas years November 1, Genevieve of Paris # Thibodaux - 15 years November 6, Lady of the Lake #695 - Lake Charles - 95 years November 9, Eunice # years November 13, St. Francis # Iota - 67 years November 14, Pere Maltrait # Kaplan - 69 years November 15, St. Louise de Marilla # Maurepas - 2 years November 18, St. Theodore # Carlyss - 39 years November 23, Notre Dame # Alexandria - 68 years November 30, Mystical Rose # Jeanerette - 68 years 8

9 CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE WHAT? A DAY OF LEARNING, ENTERTAINMENT, AND FUN FOR STATE LEADERS IN THE LOUISIANA CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAS WHO? ALL DEPUTIES, CIRCLE OF LOVE CHAIRMEN, STATE CHAIRMEN, PAST STATE REGENTS, LOCAL COURT REGENTS & VICE REGENTS WHERE? A CHURCH HALL NEAR YOU! TIME? 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM WHY? BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN, IT S AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE YOUR CDA SISTERS AND THERE S A SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR ALL WHO ATTEND! FEATURING: Laverne & Shirley DIOCESE OF LAKE CHARLES SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 HOST:ST. MARTIN DE PORRES #2659 GRANGER/VINCENT COMPLEX 5326 ELLIOT RD. LAKE CHARLES, LA PARKING ACROSS STREET RSVP: CONNIECDA@YAHOO.COM DIOCESES OF ALEXANDRIA & SHREVEPORT SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 HOST REGINA PACIS #1372 CDA HALL 130 TRUDEAU NATCHITOCHES, LA RSVP: DAWNIECDA@YAHOO.COM DIOCESE OF BATON ROUGE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 HOST: ST. ALBERT THE GREAT #2050 HOLY GHOST PARISH HALL 600 NORTH OAK STREET HAMMOND, LA RSVP: PAMMELANCON17@GMAIL.COM DIOCESE OF HOUMA THIB. & ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW ORLEANS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 HOST: MASSABIELLE # 1134 ST. JOSEPH HALL 318 THIRD STREET MORGAN CITY, LA RSVP: BECKY54CDA@GMAIL.COM DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 HOST: STS. PETER & PAUL #2321 CHURCH HALL 1110 OLD SPANISH TRAIL SCOTT, LA RSVP: MAR- GARETCDA17@GMAIL.COM IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THE CONFERENCE IN YOUR DIOCESE, PLEASE ATTEND ONE IN ANOTHER DIOCESE. 9

10 Diocese of Alexandria My name is Sue Keller. I am a District Deputy from Natchitoches. I do the financial reviews for Court Bishop Greco #2072 in Pineville and Court Regina Pacis #1372 in Natchitoches. Past Louisiana State Regent Joyce Stein appointed me as District Deputy vacated by Gloria Baker. I have served in this position for five years beginning in the spring of I have been a CDA member of Court Regina Pacis #1372-Natchitoches for six years. I am retired after a 30 year career at LSU. As a Mother and grandmother, I am enjoying my retirement years. Diocese of Baton Rouge My name is Barbara Schmitt, and I am a Catholic Daughter today because of my daughter, Kay Schmitt Frey. Kay joined the Junior Court of St. Francis of Assisi #1915, and after a couple of years of her increasing involvement with such wholesome and generous charity work in that organization, I decided I had better investigate the Senior Court. I joined Court St. Francis of Assisi #1915 on October 11, 1983, and that was one of the best decisions of my life. Honestly. Thank you, my darling daughter, Kay! I attended my first CDA National Convention in July of 1986 in Philadelphia, and have attended every national convention since, with the exceptions of New York in 1990 and Tampa in I met so many wonderful women from all across our great country; some I am still in contact with to this day. Lois Dugas, Past Louisiana State Regent, appointed me a District Deputy in Thus began another wonderful phase of my CDA life. I took a break from District Deputy duties when I became regent of my Court for the second time. However, when Joyce Stein, Past Louisiana State Regent, asked me to once again accept District Deputy duties, I was glad to do so. My fellow officers in my Court made it easy for me to handle being both a Regent and a District Deputy. And I have accepted that responsibility with joy and humility. Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving the following Courts: St. Francis of Assisi #1915 (my own Court); St. Rose de Lima #1194; St. Charles #1608 (now disbanded); St. Michael the Archangel #2080; Regina Coeli #2063; St. George #1960 (currently serving); St. Jean Vianney #2303 (currently serving); and St. Kateri Tekakwitha #2331 (currently serving). I hope to see many of you at upcoming CDA events! And thanks for this opportunity to share a little about myself and my CDA story with you. The Prayer of the Chalice by Frances Nuttall Father, to Thee I raise my whole being, a vessel emptied of self. Accept Lord, this my emptiness, and so fill me with Thyself - Thy Light, Thy Love, Thy Life - that these, Thy precious Gifts may radiate through me and overflow the chalice of my heart into the hearts of all with whom I come in contact this day revealing unto them the beauty of Thy Joy and Wholeness and the serenity of Thy Peace which nothing can destroy. About Frances Nuttall Frances Nuttall was born in 1892 in India of English parents, her father being a well-known architect and water-diviner, and her grandfather the Government Astronomer in Madras, Norman Pogson. She was a gifted artist and calligrapher, being a Fellow of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators. She did many wonderful calligraphic works and illuminations in the manner of the Celtic scribes, as well as combining this work with book binding and leather work. In later life she became more involved in her mystical interests and moved to Glastonbury where she was much involved in the Chalice Well Trust and the early Glastonbury movement. She did a rather wonderful painting of Joseph of Arimathea. She died in Glastonbury in

11 Diocese of Lafayette Dear CDA Sisters, You may remember me from when I stepped in as LA State CDA Treasurer for a short time under Past LA State CDA Regent Barbara Michael. However, regretfully, I was not able to run for election when that term ended because of my personnel circumstances at that time. I so enjoyed my time in state office and cherished the many friends I made. Therefore, you can imagine how happy and excited I was when LA State CDA Regent Connie Dronette recently appointed me as a District Deputy for the Diocese of Lafayette serving Courts St. Landry #119-Opelousas, Pere Maltrait #1445-Kaplan, St. Peter #1705-Gueydan, and St. Leo # 2168-Robert s Cove. I look forward to serving my CDA sisters, developing new friendships, learning about the duties of a District Deputy, assisting with audits, and doing whatever else may be needed. The Lord has blessed me with a small but very loving and supportive family. I have been married to my wonderful husband, Angelo, for the past seven years. My daughter, Angie, and son-inlaw Billy West, have blessed me with a beautiful granddaughter, Lindsay, who is currently a sophomore in college. In 2000, I moved back to my home town of Rayne after retiring as director of Audubon Girl Scout Council in Baton Rouge. I have been an active member of Court Rayne #844-Rayne since that time and have also served as a past Court Regent. Upon my return to Rayne, I began working for St. Joseph Catholic Church. I served first in a volunteer capacity then in a variety of paid positions throughout the years that followed. This past June, I again retired but still remain active at St. Joe s, once again serving in a volunteer capacity. My belief in service to the Lord and in the mission of the Catholic Daughters has remained a constant throughout my life. How honored I am to be given this opportunity to honor Him through service to my sisters in Christ. You are called with a Holy calling not according to your works but according to the Lord s own purpose and grace. 2 Timothy 1:9 May God bless you one and all for the faith and support you have given me. I ask that you please pray for me to become closer to our Lord Jesus Christ as I move onto this new life journey. Prayers & Blessings, Lin Diocese of Lake Charles My name is Aline Babineaux, and I am from the Hathaway area. I have been married to Jim Babineaux for 52 1/2 years. Jim retired from Community Coffee after 30 years, and I have been a Mary Kay consultant for 33 years. We have three sons, nine grandsons, one granddaughter, three great grandsons, and one great grand daughter. Jim and I love to camp and to travel. My friends are always saying, "You are going again?" and my answer is always, "Yes, why not!" I have been a member of Catholic Daughters Court Our Lady of Grace #1964 in Hathaway, for 49 years. I have held the Court offices of Regent, Treasurer, and Financial Secretary numerous times. I was Regent most recently from I was appointed as a District Deputy many years ago for about four years, then 13 years ago I was again appointed as a District Deputy by Past LA State Regent Vickie Broussard Melanson. My Courts that I serve are Our Lady of Fatima #1506-Lake Charles, Our Lady Queen of Heaven #1785-Lake Charles, and Santa Maria #2293-Lacassine. I love being a Catholic Daughter, and it is such a privilege to have been asked to serve as a District Deputy. I truly have a blessed life. There is a place for everyone in the big picture. To turn your back on any one person, for whatever reason, is to run the risk of losing the central piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Johnna Howell 11

12 Diocese of Baton Rouge Court St. Joseph #1642-Paulina is gearing up for a new year. Our first meeting is August 9, 2017, where we will plan projects for August, September, and October. We ended our year with a traditional project which Court St. Joseph Court #1642-Paulina has promoted with a Patriotic Mass. It is an opportunity for the entire community to join in the celebration of patriotism and thanksgiving. Each year that we have hosted this event, the attendance has increased, especially the youth of our cluster; Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and other local organizations. The beautiful patriotic music provided by the cluster choir added to the patriotism of the celebration of the Mass. The flags and pageantry added to the meaning and the reason we celebrate the 4 th of July. Court Divine Mercy #2318-Baton Rouge is a group of Catholic women who are dedicated to a unified faith in Christ as demonstrated through charitable good works to the community and the church. Monthly meetings are inspirational, educational and fun. Committees work on projects that support the mission of Catholic Daughters of Americas. The various committees provide its members with the opportunity to develop their God-given talents in meaningful ways that positively influence the welfare of Most Blessed Sacrament Parish and the local community. Pictured to the right are the ladies that head the various committees. Left to Right: Susan Benjamin; Mona Braud; Gwenette Aubert; Marilyn Brummel; Kirsten Dantin; Rosie Mayorga; Kim Landry; Kathy Delafield; Marian Munro; and Regent Gennie Shannon. Greetings fellow Louisiana CDA Courts from Court St. Louise de Marillac #2703- Maurepas! We hail from the small church parish of St. Stephen the Marytr in Maurepas (Livingston Parish area). We are 30 members strong and will celebrate our second year anniversary as a Court on November 15th of this year. Our Court has strong ties to our local youth supporting them as they celebrate the receipt of the sacraments and in-between. We are also focused on supporting those rescued from human trafficking. We recently shared a fun/ spiritual outing in Natchez, Mississippi, visiting St. Mary s Basilica. It was a very moving and beautiful experience. We look forward to continuing our mission of service for many years to come!! 12

13 Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux Regent Evelyn Ruckstuhl from Court Cardinal Gibbons #177-Houma is still recuperating from total knee replacement and was unable to send a message at this time. Please keep her in your prayers. Diocese of Lafayette Court St. Paul #1434-Breaux Bridge finds its home nestled on the banks of the Bayou Teche in Breaux Bridge. It was chartered on April 13, 1947, under the auspices of St. Bernard Catholic Church. For 70 years we have served the pastors and families of our parish by fully participating and supporting the needs of St. Bernard families. We are currently 265 members strong and have an exciting and innovative BOGO plan for the upcoming year. Our Court meets monthly, and we publish a quarterly newsletter. A few of our charter members are still around to give us wisdom and guidance. Our most current event was the participation in our parish ministry fair which was held in conjunction with the kick-off of a new Youth Ministry program, Edge. Our Chaplain and Pastor, Father Garrett McIntyre is young, engaging, and very faithful. Court St. Paul is postured beautifully to carry out the Catholic Daughter Mission in the upcoming year. A little boy was standing outside of a church reading the names on a war memorial. His priest came up and began to talk with him. The little boy asked the priest, Who are all these people? The priest replied, Those are the people who died in the service. The boy asked, Was that the nine o clock service or the eleven o clock service? Unscramble the CDA Words Below 1. oticcahl 2. tdgaurshe 3. aiacresm 4. tiynu 5. rcitahy 6. ryma 7. tcuor 8. tgerne 9. gneemsti 10. ryrsoa 11. chnilpaa 12. plurpe 13. bore 14. SAREH Answers found on page 16 Semi-Annual Financial Review It s that time again! Financial Reviews for the period of April 1, 2017, through September 30, 2017 are due. Local Court Regents, please contact your CDA District Deputy to schedule your Court s Financial Review. You will receive a bill for CDA National dues. It is to be paid immediately and does not require Court approval. Do not hold the bill until the next Court monthly meeting. Also, remember to request an updated Court roster from the CDA National Office and compare it to your membership roster before the Financial Review. The Financial Review forms can be found on the CDA National Website at 13

14 Diocese of Lake Charles Our Court, Our Lady of LaSalette #1255-Sulphur, is usually quiet during the summer months. This year, that has proven to be the complete antithesis. At the end of June, we had our planning meeting with the Officers. Our District Deputy, Melina Dally, was in attendance. Our Court is in the process of making a Rosary CD, and we should finalize everything by the time our September meeting rolls around. The Officers planned our CDA year and will be ready to hit the road running when September comes around. Our parish, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, had to say goodbye to Father Thompson, who had been in our parish for three years. The Diocese of Lake Charles assigned him to study Canon Law in Washington, D.C. His farewell celebration was superb. We had an overflow crowd that was a fitting tribute to him. The Court decided we would do hamburgers and hot dogs, which sounds pretty easy. Grilling 200 hamburger patties in the hot July sun was not exactly easy. The Knights of Columbus Council #3015 helped us with that, so we were truly grateful for them. Father Thompson s parents were in attendance and that really made it special. He will be missed by the Catholic Daughters and our parish. Pictured to the left are Father Thompson with his parents and Court Our Lady of LaSalette #1255 Court Chaplain and Louisiana State Chaplain Father Edward Richard. After the farewell celebration, the very next weekend, we had a welcoming Italian dinner for our new priest, Father Paul Jussen, MS, and Monsignor Arthur Calkins, retired in residence priest. The Italian dinner turned out great and was enjoyed by all in attendance. The Catholic Daughters look forward to working with the two new priests. The JCDA helped us by bringing the bread baskets to the tables, passing around the dessert cart, serving the drinks, and cleaning up. What an asset to our Court! They made the day go smoothly. Court St. Martin de Porres #2659-Lake Charles recently celebrated their Five-Year Anniversary. Our Court is 65 members strong and was the recipient of a first place award at the LA State CDA Convention for largest percentage increase in membership for our size bracket. We feel we are still finding our way and determining our niche within the parish. We have raised funds for our parish memorial statue for the unborn, assisted with various religious education events, held baby showers for Project Gabriel and New Life Counseling, conducted a blanket drive for the SWLA Continuum of Care, held what has now become an annual paper drive for the Autism Society of Southwest Louisiana, and had a Pokeno social funraiser. One of our most successful ventures was the making of mesh Christmas wreaths. We not only raised money, but it was a great social time and learning experience for our members. We are looking forward to the next five years to see what we can do! When a friend is in trouble, don t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it. Edgar Watson Howe 14

15 Diocese of Lake Charles Court St. Katharine Drexel #2697-Creole pictured above was created in September, 2015, with approximately 50 members. Our Court is made up of members from Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cameron, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole, St. Eugene Catholic Church in Grand Chenier, and Our Lady of the Lake in Big Lake. Each of these churches had their own CDA Courts prior to Hurricane Rita but were unable to sustain themselves after the hurricane. Our first spiritual advisor was Archimandrite Herbert May, who passed away in May, This year we have begun a $500 scholarship award in his name which is presented to a graduating senior who exemplifies the Catholic faith. In addition, we sponsored the Baccalaureate Mass this year, provided each graduating senior with a gift, and held a reception in their honor. We also support Catholic Charities through volunteer work and through annual monetary donations. After the LA State CDA Convention and learning about Father Bayhi and his work with human trafficking, we immediately held a bake sale and designated all of the proceeds to benefit Metanoia Manor in Baton Rouge. We continue to seek out worthy causes to contribute to in any way that we can. Archdiocese of New Orleans Court Mater Dei #868-New Orleans was founded on May 18, Over the years, our Court has called several different Church Parishes home. Most recently, for over a decade now, Mater Dolorosa Parish in the Riverbend part of Uptown has been our home. While our Court members numbered in the hundreds several decades ago, we are currently 42 members strong, with one potential new member, Sydney Frances Veron, who graciously took the picture for this article. Some of the activities the ladies took part in years ago include potluck suppers, gathering on St. Charles Avenue to watch parades together on Mardi Gras, fundraisers, Spiritual discussion groups, and bingo once a month with the residents of a nursing home. In recent years, we continued the monthly bingos until the nursing home closed. We have gathered and delivered food, clothing, and toiletries to several organizations that help the homeless, and we continue to have ten meetings and two Masses a year, our Anniversary Mass in May and a Memorial Mass in November, at which we remember and honor our past Court members. Pictured seated left to right: Mary Edwards; Ann Foley; Financial Secretary Mary-Ann Huber. Standing left to right: Regent Joanne Spedale; Sr. Vincent Marie Wilson, S.H.F.; Pat Carbo; Wilmae Spedale; Treasurer Mary Ann Marx; Vice Regent Lodonia Michel; Joan Garitty; Recording Secretary Brenda Bourgeois; and Laverne McDow. 15

16 Archdiocese of New Orleans Archbishop Emmanuel Obbo, Archbishop of Tororo, Uganda, East Africa, visited Court Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal #2165-Algiers in appreciation for the support we have given to his Seminarians studying at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans who will return to Tororo for the priesthood when their studies are complete. The Court also makes gift boxes with personal items for workers on visiting ships, and is involved in various Pro-Life events including Access Pregnancy, The Women's New Life Center, and The Gianna Center of the Gulf South. We also make hundreds of rosaries for missions both in the United States and Africa, and the local prison. Our Christmas support goes to the youth at Covenant House, both through the Court and personal donations. Monthly donations are made to Bridge House, and we support their Christmas in July dinners. We also make our voices heard by writing our local and national Congressmen, whether expressing support or being against important issues. In January, 2017, we celebrated our Court's 40th anniversary. Diocese of Shreveport On October 13th, Court Monsignor J.V. Plauche #1761-Bossier City, will celebrate its 60th Anniversary with a luncheon to be held at Ralph and Kacoo s. Our Court has become smaller over the years, but we are still very active. Each year we have held a raffle to support our many charitable projects and activities. Some of these activities are listed below: The Alene Kaylor Scholarship of $1,000 is given to a graduating Catholic senior who has been accepted to a college. We attend and have Masses or Communion Services at the War Veterans Home and Pilgrim Manor Nursing Home. At Christmas time, we distribute cards and gifts for the residents. Participating with Project Handclasp through the Navy, we contributed funds for treadle sewing machines to be delivered to villages overseas. We make contributions to the LA State Court for Seminarians and other state projects. Local donations are given to the Food Pantry, St. Vincent De Paul Society, Providence House, and other various charities. CDA Shirts Any Louisiana CDA member can now order a CDA shirt at any time with a personal check made payable to LA State CDA (memo: State Shirt). This is a fundraiser for the LA State CDA Court. Please see the ordering form on page 17 in this newsletter to be included with your order and check. Answers to the Unscramble Puzzle on page Catholic 2. Daughters 3. Americas 4. unity 5. charity 6. Mary 7. court 8. regent 9. meetings 10. rosary 11. chaplain 12. purple 13. robe 14. SHARE 16

17 All shirts are 65% polyester/35% cotton button-down, ¾ length sleeve, and includes a sleeveless tank which is 100% combed cotton. The emblem of your choice below will be embroidered. **NOTE: The new purple polo is a fitted dry knit shirt which runs one size smaller. Circle the emblem of Court No: your choice: Court Name: Ship to: Phone: Striped White Purple Yellow State Court Only Black District Deputy Only CDA Louisiana State Shirt Order Form $ # $ # $ # $ # $ NEW Purple Polo # $ Small Small Small Small Small Small $32.00 Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium $32.00 Large Large Large Large Large Large $32.00 Mail form and full payment to: Pam Melancon Second Vice State Regent 9325 Jeff Street Gonzales, La Questions? Call X-Large X-Large X-Large X-Large X-Large X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $43.00 Not Available Shipping Charges: 1-3 Shirts $ Shirts $ Shirts $ or more $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $34.00 Sub-Total: Shipping: Total Due: 3X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $ X-Large $34.00 Revised TOTALS TOTALS TOTALS TOTALS TOTALS TOTALS Make checks payable to LA State CDA (memo: State Shirts) Make a copy of this form for your records before mailing. Purple # 17

18 JCDA Court Our Lady of LaSalette #1255- Sulphur had a great time over the summer. We finished off the summer helping our senior Court Our Lady of LaSalette #1255-Sulphur with welcoming two new priests into the parish. The girls were eager to help serve at the welcome banquet and help with drinks and desserts. The girls are also very excited to start planning the JCDA state convention next summer and have the opportunity to meet other JCDA girls from around the state. During the summer months, the JCDA Court Mother Cabrini #1468- Jennings enjoyed a week of Vacation Bible School together. They also continued their First Saturday Mass obligation. We kicked off the new year with an ice cream social, "Sundae Funday." We launched a new T-shirt, accepted new members, and planned our upcoming events! JCDA Court St. Maria Goretti #1475 of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Arthur met on Pentecost Sunday at the home of Christy and Brad Yates to hand paint muslin squares which depicted the mysteries of the rosary. These squares will be sewn into a quilt to be auctioned off at the annual parish steak dinner to be held in August. The girls finished off the day with a birthday party honoring the Catholic Church. The JCDA Court leaders are Kathleen Gage and Morgan Woods. JCDA Court of Visitation #1999-Moss Bluff had a great field trip this past summer which included a tour of St. Martin De Tours Cathedral in St. Martinville, a picnic under the Evangeline Oak, a shopping trip to the Rosary House in New Iberia, then a trip to Church Point to pray at the gravesite of Charlene Richard, the 'Lil Cajun Saint.' This was an amazing and inspirational day for 22 of our JCDA girls and their moms. Pictured to the right are some of the JCDA girls praying at Charlene Richard's gravesite. 18

19 2018 CDA KID The CDA Kids program is a great state project which started in 1999 and will continue again this coming year. This project is one of three parts of "Project Rainbow." We want to thank everyone that has helped with this program in the past, especially our diocesan and local Court chairman. Please continue to support CDA Kids. The money you donate goes to support a kid from each diocese who has been chosen as the CDA Kid. Each diocese will have one CDA Kid. The diocese will pray for and provide monetary support for that Kid for one year, which is from January, 2018, through December, The money for CDA Kids comes from donations from local Courts and from "Project Rainbow." Explanation of the program 1. Each Court is to nominate a child's name to the CDA Kids chairman in their diocese by October 31, The child should be age 12 or younger. He or she must have a life-threatening illness, such as cancer, HIV, any other disease, or be underprivileged. 3. When submitting the child's name, please fill out the enclosed form and mail it to the State CDA Chairman in your diocese (a list of the chairmen is enclosed). 4. A committee in each diocese will meet to review each nomination submitted, will choose one CDA Kid for the diocese, and submit their selection to the CDA KID State Chairman by November 15, Everyone will be notified in the December Newsletter of which child was chosen for each diocese. 6. Beginning January, 2018, the chairman for each diocese will keep up with this child, finding out when the child is in need of something. If the child needs prayers, the chairman will contact the District Deputies and the Deputies will contact the Regents. The Regents will contact their members. It will also be posted on our website under prayer line. 7. The child does not have to be Catholic. This program is open to all children who are sick or disadvantaged and reside in Louisiana. We want to reach out to children throughout the state who need help and support. 8. If you nominated a child this past year and they were not chosen, you may submit their name again. 9. If you have any questions, you may contact your Diocesan Chairman or Second Vice State Regent and State Chairman for CDA Kids, Pam Melancon, at 9325 Jeff Street, Gonzales, LA or by phone (225)

20 This form is to be submitted to the chairpersons of your diocese by October 31, 2017 (see enclosed list. of chairpersons). The child must be 12 years or younger and must have a life-threatening illness or be underprivileged. The following information is needed on the child and may be written on another sheet of paper. Child's full name: Child's date of birth: Parent s name, address, and telephone: Explanation of the child's illness or financial situation of the family: Likes of the child (hobbies, favorite toys, games, color, music): Name of Court submitting name: Regent's name, address, and telephone number: Parent's consent/ or permission: I,, hereby give my permission for my child's name to be submitted to the Louisiana State Catholic Daughters as a candidate for the CDA Kid recipient for If there are any questions concerning this program, please contact: Second Vice State Regent\CDA Kid State Chairman Pam Melancon 9325 Jeff Street Gonzales, La (225)

21 2018 CDA KID CHAIRMEN Diocese of Alexandria.Cheryl Verzwyvelt (Ct. 1452) 518 Beverly Loop Alexandria, LA Diocese of Baton Rouge..Alice Tassin (Ct. 2331) John Stafford Road Walker, LA Diocese of Houma/Thibodaux Betty Melancon (Ct. 1883) East Main Street Cut Off, LA Diocese of Lafayette.Jill Fontenot (Ct. 2317) 202 Rue Bordeaux Carencro, LA Diocese of Lake Charles.Vera Hollier (Ct. 1255) 910 Ruth Street Sulphur, LA (c) Archdiocese of New Orleans...Glenda Wactor (Ct. 1334) 1308 Carrollwood Drive LaPlace, LA (h) (c) Diocese of Shreveport.Mary Brinkerhoff (Ct. 1144) 412 Raymond Drive Monroe, LA

22 Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court Regent/Chairperson s Instruction Sheet For 8th Grade Scholarship Award To: Local Court Regents From: Pat Myers, State Scholarship Chair Re: Eighth Grade Student Scholarship Instructions and Forms The Louisiana State Court will award a $200 scholarship to an eighth grade student who will be entering a Catholic High School. A recipient from each of the seven (7) dioceses in the state will be chosen. These are your instructions for completing the application process, all necessary forms, and a copy of the application which may be duplicated for distribution in your local area. Decide on a deadline for all applications to be turned in to the local scholarship chair. A good date to decide on would be one month prior to the state deadline. This gives each Court enough time to accomplish all that needs to be done before mailing applications to the State Chairperson. Complete the bottom of the 8th grade instructions sheet with your local Court s information and deadline. Put together packets for each applicant. Packets should include: A cover letter from the Court chairperson and/or Regent giving them the deadline to meet, the chairperson s name and number, the Regent s name and number, where to mail the application (all applications should be mailed to local Court first), who to call at the local level if they have questions, etc.; The grade level instruction sheet for applicants; an official application. Once applications have been turned in to the local chairpersons, said chairpersons need to review each one making sure all documentations are included. Both Regent and Scholarship Chairperson sign each application and fill out the local Court information. The Regent signs both lines when chairperson is not appointed. Regent needs to type a letter of sponsorship on stationary with the Court s name, Regent s name, and address. One letter will cover all applications. Attach letter to top of applications. Simply state in the letter that the CDA Court is sponsoring the following students for a scholarship. Regent and/or Court chairperson is responsible for mailing all applications to the State Chairperson by the state deadline March 15,

23 Instructions for Eighth Grade Scholarship Applicant The Louisiana State Court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas will award a $ scholarship to an eighth grade student entering the ninth grade in a Catholic High School. Requirements are as follows: Applicants (male or female) must have resided in Louisiana at least one year prior to high school graduation. The applicant must have an overall academic grade point average of 2.5 or higher for grade 7 and the first semester of grade 8. All 8th grade students are eligible, regardless of race, creed, or religion. The applicant must be sponsored by a local CDA Court. Local CDA Courts may sponsor as many 8th grade students as they would like. The following documents are needed: An application form completed and signed by the applicant. Application must also be signed by the sponsoring Court Regent and scholarship chairperson. (These signatures will take place once you have returned completed application to sponsoring Court.); Junior High transcript for grade 7 and the first semester of grade 8; A copy of the student s most recent achievement scores; A letter of recommendation that refers to the applicant s academic references, school involvement, and character from at least two (2) members of the school s administration and/or faculty; A typed autobiography written by the student (Since this is a faith-based scholarship, we need to know not only of your academic accomplishments but how you give of yourself and how your faith defines you.); A letter of sponsorship from the Regent of the local CDA Court (This letter should be forthcoming once you turn in your application. Be sure to talk to the regent about this letter.). Please return completed registration packet to sponsoring Catholic Daughter Court (to be filled out by sponsoring Court) Deadline for returning application to sponsoring Court: Sponsoring Court Name and Number: Chairperson or Regent: Address: Phone Number: address: 23

24 Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court $200 8th Grade Scholarship Award Academic Year: Check List to be used by CDA Chairperson for each Scholarship Application Application form completed in its entirety and signed by applicant. Also signed by local Court Regent and scholarship chairperson. Regent will sign both lines when chairperson is not appointed. (Application will be signed once turned in to scholarship chair) Junior High School transcript for grades 7 through first semester of grade 8 Copy of most recent achievement test scores Two (2) letters of recommendation from school administration and/or faculty A typed autobiography written by the student Completed scholarship application and enclosures reviewed by the scholarship Chairman and Regent for accuracy, then mailed to: Pat Myers LA State CDA Scholarship Chairperson 802 Sundale Drive Lake Charles, LA The local Court Regent and scholarship chairperson should use this checklist to ensure that all the necessary information has been completed. This checklist form should be submitted along with the application. Please contact Pat Myers by calling or ing at patmyers@dolc.org if you have any questions. Deadline for mailing forms to LA State Chairman postmarked no later than March 15,

25 Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court $200 Eighth Grade Scholarship Application Academic Year: Applicant s Name: Date of Birth: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Home Telephone : ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) Church Parish: Occupation (s) of Parents/Guardians: Number of Children in family and their ages: Name of High School Attending: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Name of Principal: School Phone: ( ) Date of Graduation: Choice of University or College: Has contact been made by the student with the university or college? Major and Minor studies to be pursued: Applicant s Signature: Name of Sponsoring CDA Court and Number: Diocese of Sponsoring Court: Regent s Name: Home Telephone: ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) Address: City: State: Zip: address: Court Chairman s Signature: Court Regent s Signature: 25

26 Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court To: Local Court Regents From: Pat Myers, State Scholarship Chair Re: Regent/Chairperson s Instruction Sheet For 12th Grade Scholarship Award Twelfth Grade Student Scholarship Instructions and Forms The Louisiana State Court will award a $200 scholarship to a graduating high school senior who will be entering an accredited college or university. A recipient from each of the seven (7) dioceses in the state will be chosen. These are your instructions for completing the application process, all necessary forms, and a copy of the application which may be duplicated for distribution in your local area. Decide on a deadline for all applications to be turned in to the local scholarship chair. A good date to decide on would be one month prior to the state deadline. This gives each Court enough time to accomplish all that needs to be done before mailing applications to the State Chairperson. Complete the bottom of the 12th grade instructions sheet with your local Court s information and deadline. Put together packets for each applicant. Packets should include: A cover letter from the Court chairperson and/or Regent giving them the deadline to meet, the chairperson s name and number, the Regent s name and number, where to mail the application (all applications should be mailed to local Court first), who to call at the local level if they have questions, etc.; The grade level instruction sheet for applicants; An official application. Once applications have been turned in to the local chairpersons, said chairpersons need to review each application, making sure all documentations are included. Both Regent and Scholarship Chairperson sign each application and fill out the local Court information. The Regent signs both lines when chairperson is not appointed. Regent needs to type a letter of sponsorship on stationary with the Court s name, Regent s name, and address. One letter will cover all applications. Attach letter to top of applications. Simply state in the letter that the CDA Court is sponsoring the following students for a scholarship. Regent and/or Court chairperson is responsible for mailing all applications to the State Chairperson by the state deadline March 15,

27 Instructions for High School Graduating Senior Scholarship Applicant The Louisiana State Court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas will award a $ scholarship to a graduating high school senior who will be entering an accredited college or university. Requirements are as follows: Applicants (male or female) must have resided in Louisiana at least one year prior to high school graduation. The applicant must have an overall academic grade point average of 2.5 or higher for grades 9, 10, 11, and the first semester of grade 12. All high school seniors are eligible, regardless of race, creed, or religion. The applicant must be sponsored by a local CDA Court. Local CDA Courts may sponsor as many high school seniors as they would like. The following documents are needed: An application form completed and signed by the applicant. Application must also be signed by the sponsoring Court Regent and scholarship chairperson. (These signatures will take place once you have returned completed application to sponsoring Court.); An official transcript of the student s grades for the 9 th, 10 th, 11 th grades and the first semester of the 12 th grade; A copy of the student s most recent ACT or SAT test scores; A letter of recommendation that refers to the applicant s academic references, school involvement, and character from at least two (2) members of the school s administration and/or faculty; A typed autobiography written by the student (Since this is a faith-based scholarship, we need to know not only of your academic accomplishments but how you give of yourself and how your faith defines you.); A letter of sponsorship from the Regent of the local CDA Court (This letter should be forthcoming once you turn in your application. Be sure to talk to the regent about this letter.). Please return completed registration packet to sponsoring Catholic Daughter Court (to be filled out by sponsoring Court) Deadline for returning application to sponsoring Court: Sponsoring Court Name and Number: Chairperson or Regent: Address: Phone Number: address: 27

28 Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court $ th Grade Scholarship Award Academic Year: Check List to be used by CDA Chairperson for each Scholarship Application Application form completed in its entirety and signed by applicant. Also signed by local Court Regent and scholarship chairperson. Regent will sign both lines when chairperson is not appointed. (Application will be signed once turned in to scholarship chair) High School transcript for grades 9 through first semester of grade 12 Copy of most recent achievement test (ACT and/or SAT) scores Two (2) letters of recommendation from school administration and/or faculty A typed autobiography written by the student Completed scholarship application and enclosures reviewed by the scholarship Chairman and Regent for accuracy, then mailed to: Pat Myers LA State CDA Scholarship Chairperson 802 Sundale Drive Lake Charles, LA The local Court Regent and scholarship chairperson should use this checklist to ensure that all the necessary information has been completed. This checklist form should be submitted along with the application. Please contact Pat Myers by calling or ing at patmyers@dolc.org if you have any questions. Deadline for mailing forms to LA State Chairman postmarked no later than March 15,

29 Catholic Daughters of the Americas Louisiana State Court $ Graduating High School Senior Scholarship Application Academic Year: Applicant s Name: Date of Birth: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Home Telephone : ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) Church Parish: Occupation (s) of Parents/Guardians: Number of Children in family and their ages: Name of High School Attending: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Name of Principal: School Phone: ( ) Date of Graduation: Choice of University or College: Has contact been made by the student with the university or college? Major and Minor studies to be pursued: Applicant s Signature: Name of Sponsoring CDA Court and Number: Diocese of Sponsoring Court: Regent s Name: Home Telephone: ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) Address: City: State: Zip: address: Court Chairman s Signature: Court Regent s Signature: 29

30 CDA National Membership Contest - BOGO! Bring one, Gain one! The CDA National Membership contest dates are from August 1, 2016, to June 1, Every member should participate in BOGO! Bring one, Gain one! If every CDA member would bring in one new member for the new year, our membership would jump to 140,000 by the end of January. It is absolutely possible. Have you asked someone to join your Court? Several Courts doubled their membership last term, and I don t think they did anything extraordinary. What they did was invite women to see how the Court was feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and comforting those who were hurting. Who wouldn t want to be a part of that? Invite women to make a difference with you! We know marvelous things are happening in CDA. We hope you are inviting other women to experience the joy of serving God with you and offering them a place in our sisterhood. If you haven t, it s not too late. So many women are looking to give of themselves, and they are looking for the support of other women who share their thirst for God s presence in their lives. Unfortunately, they have no idea where to begin or how to start. Even if they are reading the invitations you are putting in your church bulletin or on a website, it is very difficult for a woman who feels like a stranger to walk into a group alone for the first time. Most often, she won t go rather than risk the awkwardness or embarrassment of walking in alone. Extend a personal invitation, or, better yet, offer to pick your friend or new acquaintance up to take her to your next meeting. Introduce her to your Court members. Make her feel welcome. She will be enriched by the experience, and your Court will receive a loyal and energetic new member! National CDA Sunday Catholic Daughters of the Americas National CDA will be observed on Sunday, October 15, Autumn Prayer O God of Creation, you have blessed us with the changing of the seasons. As we embrace these autumn months, May the earlier setting of the sun remind us to take time to rest. May the crunch of the leaves beneath our feet remind us of the brevity of this earthly life. May the steam of our breath in the cool air remind us that it is you who give us your breath of life. May the scurrying of the squirrels and the migration of the birds remind us that you call us to follow your will. We praise you for your goodness forever and ever. Amen. Teresa Burns, author of Catholic Family Faith Save the Date The 57th Biennial National Convention of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas will be held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, July 18-21, Be sure to put the dates on your calendar and start raising funds so you can join your CDA sisters from far and near at this wonderful gathering! On August 18, 2016, LA State CDA was given written copyright permission from Publisher Compendium Incorporated to use all the quotes in this newsletter. The name of the book is Thank You, In Appreciation of You, And All That You Do. The software programs used in this newsletter for some of the graphics/clipart are Microsoft Publisher, PrintMaster Version 18.1, and Broderbund. Some graphics were located by using the Bing search engine filtering system under free to use and share and/or free to use, modify, and share. As always, we hope this newsletter inspired you, made you think, and definitely made you laugh. Karen Fills, Newsletter Editor Remember to pray for those in the military who are serving to protect our country. 30