Catholic Daughters of the Americas holds state conference in OKC

Women from parishes across Oklahoma gathered May 3-5 in Oklahoma City for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas 47 ^th Biennial Oklahoma State Convention. The theme for the convention was, “Be Still, Listen, Be Blessed.” The theme stems from Saint Teresa of Calcutta who said, “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.”
 
Hostesses for the state convention were Court Holy Trinity, Okarche; Court Saint Mary, Guthrie; and Court Our Lady of Lourdes, Enid.
 
A memorial service was held May 3 for members who had died. Morning Mass was held May 4 at the Saint Francis de Sales Chapel at the Catholic Pastoral Center with Father James Caldwell. The afternoon speaker was Father James Wickersham, pastor of Saint Mary in Guthrie. Keeping with the theme of the weekend, he spoke about prayer, especially praying the Rosary daily.
 
“A slow Rosary is one of the most beautiful things. Don’t ever pray it just to pray it. Take your time with it. It is supposed to slow us down in our crazy world. Make it a true meditation,” Father Wickersham said.
 
He also spoke about the three ways of the spiritual life as told by Saint John of the Cross – the Purgative Way, Illuminative Way and the Unitive Way.
 
He also urged endurance in prayer even when there is a period of dryness.
 
“It is a challenge to understand, but it is going to happen. Why does God do this? He is testing us. He takes away the good feeling in prayer because he does not want us to worship that good feeling. If we prayed and we always felt good, we would be addicted to the good feelings. We are easily addicted to the things that make us feel good. In life, there are some really tough moments and that is when we have to be faithful and go through it. The same is true of our spiritual life. We have to be persistent through those moments of dryness in prayer,” he said.
 
Debbie Lattus, national director for the CDA, made her first trip to Oklahoma to attend the convention.
 
“Catholic Daughters have been serving God and his people for 116 years. Think back to the days when we were rolling bandages for the troops, we were working in soup kitchens to provide food for the hungry, setting up and working clothing drives to clothe the naked, and supporting pro-life rallies to protect the unborn and those unable to protect themselves. We, as Catholic Daughters, have always been immersed in events and issues that affect women, children, families and helping provide a good life for all of God’s people,” she said.
The CDA announced a gift to support seminarians with donations of $600 to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma and $400 to the Diocese of Tulsa. The 58 ^th Biennial National Convention will be held July 14-19, 2020.
New state officers:
- Barbara Carpenter, state regent
- Karen Huber, state first vice regent
- Jo Ella Newbury, state second vice regent
- Debra Brzozowski, state financial secretary
- Karla Ludwig, state treasurer
The Circle of Love Award winners are:
- Spiritual Enhancement: Court Saint Jude, Lawton
- Youth and JCDA: Court Saint Francis of Peace, Altus
- Quality of Life: Court Salve Regina, El Reno
- Family: Court Saint Mary’s, Guthrie
The Education Awards were given to the court that the students represented.
Art Division One:
- First Place – Saint Teresa
- Second Place – Saint Mary’s
- Third Place – Holy Trinity
Art Division Two:
- First Place – Saint Mary’s
- Second Place – Holy Trinity 
- Third Place – Christ the King
Art Division Three:
- First Place – Christ the King
Poetry Division One:
- First Place – Holy Trinity
- Second Place – Christ the King
- Third Place – Saint Mary’s
Poetry Division Two:
- First Place – Saint Teresa
- Second Place – Christ the King
- Third Place – Saint Mary’s
Poetry Division Three:
- First Place – Christ the King
- Second Place – Saint Mary’s 
Poetry Division Four:
- First Place – Christ the King
- Second Place – Saint Mary’s
Essay Division One:
- First Place – Holy Trinity
- Second Place – Saint Mary’s
- Third Place – Saint Jude
Essay Division Two:
- First Place – Holy Trinity
- Second Place – Saint Mary’s
- Third Place – Christ the King
Essay Division Three:
- First Place – Saint Mary’s
- Second Place – Bishop Kelly
Photography Division Two:
 - First Place – Saint Mary’s
 - Second Place – Holy Trinity
 - Third Place – Christ the King
Photography Division Three:
 - First Place – Saint Mary’s
Photography Division Four:
- First Place – Saint Mary’s
- Second Place – Saint Mary’s
- Third Place – Christ the King

Jolene Schonchin is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.