Catholic Daughters of the Americas
Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 6pm in the Conference Room.
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The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, founded in 1903, is one of the largest women's organizations in the Americas with its headquarters in New York City. In 2012 there were 75,000 members in some 1,250 courts (local chapters) in 45 states across the country, in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. The Catholic Daughters of the Americas were originally founded by members of the Utica, New York, branch of Knights of Columbus and intended to operate as the organization's female auxiliary. When the first set of officers was elected on June 18, 1903, most of the leadership was male with only one female. Known as The National Order of the Daughters of Isabella, the organization was very active during World War I volunteering as nurses and clerks, hosting parties for servicemen, conducting sewing and knitting classes for the Red Cross, donating clothing for the needy and working with the blind. In 1921 the name was changed to the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and in 1925 the Knights of Columbus severed ties with the organization.
The purposes of the organization are to participate in the religious, charitable, and educational apostolates of the Church. Catholic Daughters of the Americas engages in creative and spiritual programs which provide its members with the opportunity to develop their God-given talents in meaningful ways that positively influence the welfare of the Church and all people throughout the world. We 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. The Daughters have The Blessed Mother Mary as their patron. Our Court: Court Queen of the Rosary #2368 is the local chapter with around 110 members from Our Lady of Sorrows, Sacred Heart, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes. We meet the first Thursday of every month in the OLS Conference Room at 6:00 pm. Every meeting begins with praying the Rosary, followed by fellowship and a business meeting. The Court has a Texas Bingo License (obtained in February 2002) and receives a quarterly distribution of monies used to support several ministries in our local parishes, the Diocese of Brownsville, and community organizations. Our members partake in volunteer work in their parishes and community, and hours and monetary donations done and collected by members are logged and reported to the state and national level for competition through the Circle of Love program. This is all in keeping with our motto, "Unity and Charity." For the last several years, a Marian Conference honoring our Blessed Mother Mary has been sponsored by Court Queen of the Rosary in the month of January. During the season of Lent, a Lenten Retreat is held for all members and guests. We invite any woman 18 years of age or older to become a member. We also have an active Junior Catholic Daughters of America (JCDA) chapter that accepts young girls ages 6-17. For more information contact Velma Esparza: [email protected] |
