St. Jude Junior Women’s Club
"There are no strangers here. Only friends we haven't yet met."
Our Club History
The Junior Women’s Club provides spiritual, intellectual and social opportunities for its members in a casual setting. Members also provide support to the Parish with several events and activities each year. Bake sales help the club raise money for craft projects and outside speakers. Membership is open to all women of the Parish, “whether married or single, parents or non-parents, working or non-working.” The St. Jude Junior Women’s Club, as it is presently known, was started in 1976 as the Young Marrieds. The Young Marrieds were a group, which consisted of parish women who met twice a month. They met on a Sunday evening with their husbands and then once a month the women met on a weekday. During the daytime gatherings babysitting was available for the children to provide the moms with a chance to enjoy uninterrupted meetings. In 1978, the group began meeting as the St. Jude Junior Women’s Club. The group no longer gathered on Sunday evenings but the tradition of monthly daytime meetings continued. Another tradition of the group was the annual Christmas cookie exchange which continues today. The membership of the group gradually changes each year but the desire for fellowship with other Christian women continues. In 1998 the membership developed a mission statement which genuinely expresses the goals of the present group: To explore our roles as Catholic Christian women through spiritual, intellectual, and social activities, supporting each other as we extend the love of God to home, work place and community. Each year our club attempts to meet our members’ spiritual needs by planning retreats, organizing church tours, and stations of the cross.
We provide service to our church, community and country by collecting for food pantries, donating children’s religious books to our church, making care packages for our troops, advent wreathes and bake sales to help raise money for outside speakers, craft projects, church projects and the Lenten Mission at St. Jude Church. Our club also arranges for guest speakers to present on topics that our members are interested in, such as ancestry, home organization, and gardening. Our club offers a relaxed friendly environment for all women of the parish, “whether married or single, parents or non-parents, working or non-working.”
Meeting Dates and Times
Meetings are held from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM in Franciscan Hall on the first Tuesday of of every month (except during summer and holidays). Infants and children are always welcome.
Childcare is provided.
For information contact Eileen G. at: 815-485-8049.
Executive Board
2013
President: Kathy Klevorn
Vice President: Barb Widelski
Secretary: Stefanie Zuraitis
Treasurer: Colleen Lucchetti
Program Directors: Lisa Majcher, Debbie Butkus, Eileen Gillstrom, Marcie Yurkanin
2012
President: Eileen Gillstrom,
Vice President: Kari Carp,
Secretary: Stefanie Zuraitis,
Treasurer: Colleen Lucchetti,
Historian: Cheri Hall,
Program Directors: Kathy Klevorn, Debbie Bukas, and Lisa Majcher
Junior Women Officers 2012-2013
Calendar of Events for 2012 to 2013
September 4, 2012 Social: Brunch/Organization Meeting/Team Building Mixer
October 2, 2012 Informational : Women’s Health, 9:15am, to 11am Franciscan Hall
October 23, 2012, Innovative Health and Wellness, 7:00pm, Franciscan Hall
November 6, 2012 Service Project: Support Our Troops/Advent Wreaths
December 4, 2012 Spiritual: Advent Retreat
January 8, 2013 Informational: Protecting Ourselves And Our Children
February 5, 2013 Spiritual: Stations Of The Cross
March 5, 2013 Service Project: Easter Candy Cross
April 9, 2013 Service Project: Grotto Gardening
May 7, 2013 Social: Pot Luck Brunch
May 31, 2013 Social: Picnic (last day of school)
Babysitting is provided free of charge at all monthly meetings
If you have any questions about the Junior Women’s Club, please contact Eileen Gillstrom at: 815-485-8049.