DCCW recognizes the first Golden Rose Award recipients at centennial anniversary Mass
By Jeff Kurowski | On Mission
GREEN BAY — Paula Freimuth kept an eye on the time on Sunday morning, Nov. 17. She wanted to mark the very moment the Green Bay Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) began.
“I looked at the clock at 9:40 a.m.” she said. “I thought to myself, ‘This is when we were born.’ We are here on that day 100 years later.”
On Monday, Nov. 17, 1924, at 9:40 a.m., Bishop Paul Rhode celebrated Mass for 228 women who gathered at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay. A meeting followed.
Bishop Rhode had requested that each pastor in the diocese send two delegates to the meeting because he wanted the Diocese of Green Bay to have a membership bond with the newly formed National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW), which was founded in 1920 as part of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, a predecessor to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
According to the DCCW, its mission is to invite “all the women of the diocese to work together to make a difference in a spiritual group of dedicated, caring and compassionate women to make a difference in our communities.”
Bishop David Ricken celebrated a 100-year DCCW anniversary Mass at 1 p.m. Nov. 17 at the cathedral. Fr. Mathew Simonar, moderator (spiritual director) for the council since 2021, concelebrated.
Freimuth, past DCCW president and a member of Holy Family Parish, Brillion, served as the chair for the anniversary celebration, which featured a reception after Mass.
Bishop Ricken shared significant highlights from the DCCW’s history during his homily.
They included organizing a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) in 1941, forming a Social Action Committee in 1948 to assist with the needs of migrant workers and, in 1926, establishing and managing the Catholic Girls Camp on Loon Lake in Shawano, which later became Camp Tekakwitha.
Bishop Ricken also pointed to the DCCW’s Catholic media influence. In 1958, the women began sponsoring the “Sacred Heart” television show, produced in St. Louis, Mo., on WBAY-TV. The purpose of the program was to promote the apostleship of prayer. The DCCW was also able to include some local content in the broadcasts.
Another media venture for the DCCW was utilizing The Green Bay Register, the first newspaper for the Diocese of Green Bay, founded in 1956. Activities of the council were shared in a weekly column in the newspaper in exchange for helping to sell subscriptions.
The DCCW later sponsored subscriptions of The Register to ministers of other denominations within the diocese.
In 1969, the DCCW began participating in the Look-Listen TV Opinion Poll for ABC, NBC and CBS. Respondents listed their top and bottom choices for best programs, and the kinds of programs they would like best to see. The Green Bay Council was cited for its efforts by the American Council for Better Broadcasting.
Projects throughout the years also included collecting donations for clean water systems in Third World countries, raising funds and collecting items for the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse in New Holstein, and joining with NCCW to raise money for the Maria Garden, a meditation area at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Among the continuous projects for the DCCW is the “Let’s Lick Family Violence Campaign,” founded in 2001. Parish women collect financial donations for domestic violence shelters in exchange for lollipops. The campaign is held in October in recognition of National Domestic Violence Month.
According to Roxanne Dyzak, current DCCW president and a member of St. Peter the Fisherman Parish, Two Rivers, the campaign has raised nearly $300,000 since its inception.
In 2023 and 2024, the organization offered the Barb Kimme Memorial Traveling Rosary for Vocations. Events were held across the diocese and featured song, a rosary for vocations, intentions, a speaker and refreshments.
“It’s to help raise awareness for prayer for our seminarians, to inspire those young men who are discerning,” said Dyzak. “Fr. Mark (Mleziva, Vocation director for the Diocese of Green Bay) came to one of our assemblies and helped us become aware of the need for more seminarians.”
Julie Radosavljevic, president-elect for DCCW and a member of St. Bernard Parish, Green Bay, said she hopes the traveling rosary continues in 2025.
“It might be in a different format, but I think there’s a need for it,” she said.
Radosavljevic added that being a council member has allowed her to meet “amazing people” and see “the different churches with the traveling rosary.”
DCCW members have gathered annually since 1985 for a Marian Day on the third Thursday of May. The celebration was held at different diocesan churches for many years, but has permanently been moved to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
For the first time in 2024, DCCW sponsored the Golden Rose Award and honored five high school age young women for outstanding leadership, spirituality and service. The award winners, honored at the anniversary Mass (pictured below), were Carson Arkens from Mishicot, Joelle Jefferson from Seymour, Emilia Livingstone from Luxemburg, Sadie Ostrowski from Wittenberg and McKenna Wavrunek from Kewaunee. Dyzak said that candidates for the award were nominated by pastors, religious education coordinators and women from parish organizations. A committee selected the award recipients. Ann Schmidt, current DCCW treasurer, chaired the Golden Rose Award selection process.
“It’s so nice to see these faith-filled families and to know there are these young women out there that live their faith so fully,” said Dyzak.
The Golden Rose Award will be presented annually moving forward, she added. She said DCCW members hope it provides a springboard for new members in the future.
“I definitely would like to see the mission carried on,” said Freimuth. “I would like us to continue the good works. These women have a voice. I want people to hear it.
“We want somebody to replace us,” said Radosavljevic with a laugh. “At one time, they had so many ladies that they used to meet at the Brown County (Veterans Memorial) Arena. Younger ladies today have so many things to be active in. I hope we can bring in some new women.”
Fr. Simonar said that he appreciates the humility of the women of DCCW in their service.
“That’s what I think is the beauty about it. It’s almost all behind the scenes work,” he said. “They don’t want all this recognition. They realize that their mission is to serve the church and basically live the Gospel message in all that they do. Every meeting I go to, I tell them, ‘God loves you. Keep up the good work.’”
For more information about the Green Bay Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, visit Green Bay Diocesan Council of Catholic Women – Forestville, WI.
