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| Upper Photo: Jean Loosbrock, Joan Miller (holding baby)
Right Photo: Coreen Slater
Lower Photo: (l to r) Karen Fuerstenberg, Teri Spartz, Kathy Mitchel, Karen Honnerman, Kristi Schettler
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Wilmont Welcomes New Members
It is always nice to hear how our courts around the state, were able to obtain new members. Here Court Madonna #829 of Wilmont shares these stories of those who recently joined:
Mary Weidert, mother of Jean Loosbrock and Joan Miller, encouraged her daughters to join CDA.
Coreen Slater took a little nudging - she received an invite and a phone call. After some thought she decided it was her time to join as her mother, mother-in-law and grandmother are all members. (No getting out of that one Coreen).
Rounding out the other new members, which make it total of eight for Court Madonna are Karen Fuerstenberg, Teri Spartz, Kathy Mitchell, Karen Honnerman and Kristi Schettler. Did you notice - coincidentally - four out of these five have their first name beginning with the letter "K".
How did they bring in eight new members? First they put an announcement in the bulletin, then invitations were sent to a large number of women. They did not stop at that . . . there were phone calls made, talking with women at church and some house visits were made. Regent at the time was Joan Joens who worked very hard at spreading the word about CDA. Their court is very active and that appealed to the women. The new members reasons for joining were: my mother belonged, I am looking for a spiritual group of women to be with, I like the charitable works they do. I was asked, some one cared. I felt I could grow in my faith through this organization. Congratulations to Court Madonna Wilmont. They said there are really no secrets to getting members you just have to keep asking.
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March Spotlight --- IRIS - Infants Remembered In Silence, Inc.
What is IRIS?
(IRIS) is an organization designed to help parents, family, friends, and professionals cope with the devastating death of a child in early pregnancy (miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, etc.) or death from premature birth, stillbirth, neo-natal death, birth defects, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sudden unexplained death of a child (SUDC), illness, accidents, and all other types of infant and early childhood death. This assistance includes emotional support at the time of the death and the years that follow.
When a child dies, parents, family, and friends mourn the death and begin the process of coping. This proce
ss is known as grieving. Bereaved parents experience many different feelings including disbelief, sadness, loneliness, fear, anger, regret, guilt, despair, and a sense of great personal loss. Parents who experience an infant’s death are usually unsure of what their feelings and emotions should be. Some parents keep their feelings inside while others are able to express their grief easily and openly, still others have feelings of grief that are so intense that they don’t understand what is happening.
Guilt, real or imagined, is a normal part of grief. It surfaces in thoughts and feelings of “if only” or “I wish I would have.” During this time be patient with yourself. Each person’s grief is individual. Mothers and fathers, grandparents, family, and friends all cope with grief differently. While there is no “right way” to grieve, it is helpful to know that grief has many ups and downs and lasts far longer than society, in general, recognizes. In fact, the grief process may take several years to work through.
It has often been said that with the death of our parents we lose a piece of our past. With the death of a sibling we lose a piece of our present (what is currently going on in our lives). But with the death of a child, parents lose their entire future. All of their hopes and dreams are gone.
Many bereaved parents have the need for understanding, hope, knowledge and comfort. Other bereaved parents who have experienced similar losses can provide this type of support. While there are no instant solutions, no fast easy answers, and no timeline for grief, there is a sense of direction found through knowledge and understanding of the grief experience. Bereaved parents can find help and hope for the future from IRIS.
How IRIS Can Help:
Website: www.irisRemembers.com
An IRIS advocate is a volunteer who assists the parents with creating memories of the baby, explaining options, answering questions, and assisting the parents before, during and/or after the death/delivery. This service includes the options of being a doula (labor coach) assisting with labor. Other options include taking pictures, making 3D sculpture of a child’s hands and feet, taking a lock of hair, and taking hand/foot prints using an inkless system. A Blessing cloth is available for those who choose to baptize/bless their child. A comb with a fabric hair folder, fabric certificate folder, and a fabric photo folder are also available.
On average, an IRIS advocate will spend 8-10 hours in the hospital working with a family and the child. In the funeral home setting, without the parents or family members, IRIS advocates will spend approximately 4-5 hours working with the baby. Parents are always encouraged to take part in the process regardless of the location.
Bereavement Support Packets: Packets contain information for parents on the type of death that they have experienced, along with options that are available to them. This includes information such as how family and friends can help, grieving grandparents, father’s grief, mother’s grief, creating memories, planning a funeral, etc. Approximately 500 packets were given out in our service area. Parents are not required to give us their names and/or address to receive services. This type of death is very private and many parents do not wish to share this information. Packets are available free of charge at Hospitals, Funeral Homes, the IRIS office, and many agencies with in our service area.
Burial Clothing Sets: Boxed sets contain a garment (boy, girl or unisex), blanket and cap designed by IRIS to fit infants 2" - 24" in length. Each is designed to meet the needs of these fragile infants. Also included in the boxed set are baby lotion, baby soap, a shell (use for religious blessing), tape measure, and teddy bear.
Support Groups: Support groups are held twice a month. The 2nd Wednesday of each month from 11 am to 1 pm and the 4th Tuesday of the month from 7 to 8:30 pm. Meetings are held at the IRIS office and are well attended from families within our service area and outside of our service area. It is common to have parents travel an hour or more to IRIS Support Group meetings.
Newsletters: Newsletters are published 4 times each year and contain information, suggestions, ideas, poems and events that parents, family, friends and professionals can attend. IRIS currently mails 720 newsletters that are read by well over 1,500 people. The mailing list includes parents, grandparents, family, friends, and professionals.
Holiday Service of Remembrance: The Holiday Service has been held annually since 1993 on the first Sunday in December at 2pm in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd on Shattuck Campus, 1000 Shumway Ave in NE Faribault MN. This is a service that is held annually on the 1st Sunday in December. In 2006 over 150 people attended the service. 198 infants were remembered during the candlelight service that is held at the Chapel of the Good Shepard on Shattuck Campus in Faribault.
Training Program: Training is provided for advocates, care providers, funeral directors, clergy, childbirth educators, medical staff, police and sheriff departments, social workers, public health, attorneys, teachers, daycare and foster care providers, and interested professionals. IRIS provides a wide range of information for clinic/hospital staff and nurses along with training of IRIS volunteers and advocates. IRIS volunteers also provide education for the state mandated SIDS and Shaken Baby training that is required for all licensed childcare and foster care workers in the state of MN.
Common Burial: This service is for infants hat die before the gestational age of 20 weeks. This service is held in conjunction with District One Hospital, Boldt Funeral Home, Maple Lawn Cemetery and IRIS. This service is based in Faribault but is used by many parents who deliver in Faribault and live in other communities. IRIS provides a committal service twice each year (May and September).
Memorial Quilt: Memorial quilts are a special way for parents to remember their children. IRIS provides several options for parents to take part in. There are over 400 infants remembered in these quilts.
Due to funding it is important to remember that all IRIS services are free of charge to parents who live within, deliver within, or return home to bury a child from within our six county service area. Parents often experience large medical bills for the mother; they may also have large medical bills for the baby if he/she lives for any amount of time, and in addition will have funeral or cremation expenses. Most parents are not prepared for such expenses. In addition, most bereaved parents do not have the emotional or physical strength to look for such resources and information. Anyone living outside of the IRIS service area is welcome to purchase a bereavement support packet and clothing. Everyone is welcome at support group meetings and IRIS functions such as the Holiday Service and Balloon Release, etc.
For more information on Infants Remembered In Silence, Inc. (IRIS) please visit: www.irisRemembers.com
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| Rosemary Walz Honored by MN CDA Officers, outgoing MN State Regent Kathy Kennedy and National 2nd Vice Regent, Shirley Seyfried. |
Minnesota CDA Honors Outgoing Gopher News Editor . . . .
"Job Well Done Rosemary"
Rosemary Walz has been the Minnesota Go-pher News Editor for the past 13 years and we were saddened when she decided to retire as the editor. Rosemary's time consuming efforts to put out a first-class paper four times a year was something that Minnesota was proud of. Over the many years that she edited the paper, she was awarded many first place winnings including her last newsletter in 2009 when she received first place. When we did not receive a first place, we were awarded second or third place awards.
The State Regents who asked her to be the Minnesota State Newsletter Editor were: Donna Farrell, Shirley Seyfried, Lois Nelson and Kathy Kennedy.
Her work as editor included editing the articles and pictures that she received from the Minnesota Courts and assembling them as a newspaper format, which was then printed. Rosemary kept track of all the addresses of who received the newsletter and printed the labels for the paper as to the different zip codes. After the newsletter was printed the job continued as the labels were put on over 3,500 papers. Her helpers on this project were her husband, Merrill, her sister and brother-in-law, Martha and Ed Schoenborn. The job didn't stop here as the papers were counted, bagged and a Post Office report was made.
Rosemary became a member of Court St. Justin #2020 of Mahnomen in 1983. Over the years she has truly dedicated herself to Catholic Daughters as she served as the Court's First Vice Regent in 1985, then Regent for four years; District Deputy for four years; Minnesota State Treasurer for four years, chaired different projects over the years and was the Go-per News Editor.
HISTORY: The Minnesota newsletter "Go-pher News" was started by Olive Hastad of Court St. Mary 509 of Moorhead as editor in 1965. Following her as editors over the years were: Lynette Thiewes of Owatonna: Georgine Alt of Owatonna; Alice Panos of Medford; Barb Thursdale of Waseca; Becky Flynn of International Falls; Pam Kay of Medford; and Rosemary Walz of Mahnomen. Each one of these Editors received many First, Second and Third place National Newsletter Awards since it was started.
The newsletter first was printed on an 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper and mailed to the Regents. About 1974 the newsletter was printed as a newspaper format with just four pages of print, which later grew bigger and continued until 2009 as a 12 to 16 page newspaper edition. The Go-pher News was mailed to all the CDA members of Minnesota since 1982 and also mailed to members of the National Board and Directors, Bishops, Priests and other people.
As the newsletter grew in size it contained articles from the State Regent, State Chaplain, National Representative, State Board officers, the Circle of Love chairs plus the many articles and pictures from the Minnesota Courts. The newsletter was used to convey information updates from the State and National.
Submitted by: Kathy Kennedy
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January Spotlight - The Year of the Priest
In June 2009 Pope Benedict inaugurated the Year of the Priest which he encouraged all of the faithful to fully participate.
As a local Spiritual Enhancement Program Court St. Rita started a Vocation Prayer Chain dedicated to the prayer for the sanctification and renewal of all clergy. The Prayer Chain started in September 2009 and continues through the first week of June 2010. This is forty weeks of prayer!
“O, how great is the priest!…If he realized what he is, he would die!”
(St. John Mary Vianney)
With the approval of St. Henry’s parish priest, Father Joe Herzing, a 106 year old chalice is part of the Prayer Chain. Members are able to sign-up for a week of their choice to have the chalice in their home. Each day the member recites special prayers, which travel with the chalice, for priests. Some members make this a family activity. The chalice has a special wicker carrying case lined with 2 small pillows. The carrying case was donated by a CDA member and the pillows made by a St. Henry’s parishioner.
The 106 year old chalice was given to St. Henry’s Parish by the Merroriam Sanctee Mission. The date of the mission engraved on the bottom of the chalice was May 17-24, 1903.
Having a blessed chalice that has held the consecrated Blood of our Lord in ones home is very special is the most frequent comment of members. Some members place the chalice on an end table or cocktail in their living room with candles; other members have it in their private prayer corner.
Members of Court St. Rita feel they are blessed to have this special way to focus on the beauty and dignity of the priestly vocation.
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| Court Owatonna #1180 welcomes seven new members into their court. |
Look who is in the spotlight for November-
COURT OWATONNA #1180
How do you get 7 “possible” new members to join your court?
Found them on a dark street, hog-tied them and held them until they said yes!
Just kidding!
But now that I have your attention I will tell you how it worked for me. . . .
I have always let my friends know what we are doing in our court. I used the brochure that our court has and talked with them about how we work to help out both local and national organizations. These organizations are the same ones that most Catholic Women support. I tell them about the new project we do called Baskets for Benefits, Prayers For Families and the many other projects we do throughout the year. I also share that we start our meetings with the rosary and end it with a special prayer. I express that I feel a part of something bigger than myself and how the Catholic Daughters as a whole would pray for me. I explain that we meet every month but that if they cannot make it to all the meetings, that it is ok . . . it is a part of life and we have to give what we can to support the organization. If they say they are too busy right now, I ask them to let me know when the time is right. I always leave the door open for them to join when it is right for them.
This was submitted by Philomena Seykora who has been a member for 25 years and of the seven new members she had asked 5 of them to join her court. Totally awesome job, Philomena!
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Court St. Joan of Arc was in the spotlight for August 2009 . . .
COURT ST. JOAN OF ARC, MARSHALL, MN
What can be more fitting then to have Court St Joan of Arc of Marshall be the first ones that we spotlight in our new featured item on the Web site. What a fantastic job they did on hosting the 2009 convention! This court has so much more to offer. They are experts in putting together funny yet prayerful skits for their meetings. This court is in their community, letting the public see the Catholic Daughters at work volunteering for the betterment of those whose lives they touch. The Marshall Court has worked hard to make their court strong and energetic, always on the lookout to try something new. After all the work that they put into doing the convention they are right back at planning their new calendar for the upcoming year, which I am sure, will be jammed packed with activities to keep them promoting CDA.
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