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OLA Women’s Book Club Builds Community and Friendships
Even the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop our OLA Women’s Book Club from meeting. The members gathered, rain or shine, masked and socially distanced, on Mary Anne Campos’ front lawn to share their thoughts on the current book, and most importantly, to share fellowship. Now, the club meets at 10 a.m. on the second Monday of each month in Room 3 of Affinito Hall.
The OLA Women’s Book Club began in 2016 when Mary Anne retired and wanted to become more active in our parish. She had always wanted to start a book club close to home, so with Father’s permission, she placed an announcement in the bulletin.
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“Twenty women responded, and we held our first meeting in November 2016, ” Mary Anne says. “It has been a great way to stay in touch during the pandemic, and we were grateful to be able to continue meeting.”
Currently, there are between 20 to 25 members on the roster, with attendance varying between 10 to 12 members. The members range in age from 50 to 90 years young.
Earlier this summer the club was reading A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.
“We democratically choose the books by voting on titles nominated by the members,” Mary Anne says. “We choose six books at a time.”
The books range across a variety of genres that encourage discussion. The topics are not limited to religious or spiritual themes. Examples of books read are, Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance by Bill Browder, The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa, and Let Us Dream by Pope Francis. The meeting is led by a facilitator. The arrangement is if you nominated the book, you usually volunteer to be the facilitator. Each meeting opens with a prayer, followed by a discussion on the book. The members rate each book on a scale from one to ten, and the facilitator leads the discussion that includes background information that she has researched, including facts about the author and guided questions to begin the discussion.
“We try to relate the books to what’s happening today,” Mary Anne says. “The discussion is lively, very open, and members feel free to express their feelings. The meetings initially were held in the evening, but since most of the members are retired, the meetings were rescheduled for mornings.”
Earlier this summer, the Women’s Book Club read A Spool of Blue Thread, written by Anne Tyler.
During the pandemic, some of the older members stepped back. The group tried having their meetings via Zoom, but this proved unsatisfactory.
“We all agreed that being able to meet on my front lawn helped us to get through COVID,” Mary Anne says.
Her goal of becoming more active in the parish has allowed Women’s Book Club members to build community and strong friendships. Mary Anne recalls one member, when she first signed up, telling her, “I’ve been in the parish for 20 years, and you’re the first person to know my name.”
“The book club is an example of community building beyond the church walls, and building community strengthens our faith,” Mary Anne says.
The club’s activities aren’t limited to discussion meetings. The group enjoys a Christmas Book Party, where members exchange their favorite books. Birthdays are celebrated during Taco Tuesdays at Rey Azteca Cantina.
The Women’s Book Club Christmas gathering
