ACCW to honor four laywomen at 90th convention

By Barb Umberger

The Catholic Spirit

Teena Badzinski has served as vice president and president of her parish’s Council of Catholic Women during her nearly 50 years of membership. For more than 25 years, Badzinski served on her parish’s youth advisory committee, frequently as chair, promoting and supporting meaningful opportunities for worship, formation, service and personal growth and encouraging young people to become leaders in their parish and school, said her nominator. Badzinski also mentored youth volunteers during Vacation Bible School and helped plan and lead confirmation retreats for many years. She attends daily Mass and serves as a greeter, lector, extraordinary minister of holy Communion and “lay presider for Word and Communion services.” She and a team of parishioners lead the Stations of the Cross during Lent. She and her husband participate in the parish Soup Line program, delivering and serving lunches every few months in the Minneapolis area. They delivered Meals on Wheels for several years and volunteered with the parish’s refugee resettlement program. Badzinski is in the Befriender ministry, which pairs a parishioner with someone facing challenges who needs a compassionate listener.

Badzinski has been recognized for outstanding service to the Christian Women’s Club of St. Louis Park where, as chair, she helped plan monthly meetings and invited speakers to share their experience of Christ in their lives. She helped with a parish holiday outreach to families in need for more than 12 years. Badzinski often volunteered with Feed My Starving Children and at the annual CCW blood drive, and volunteers on the parish’s Art and Environment Committee. She served as a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader while raising her three children.

Elaine Monitor has volunteered at her parish since the early 1970s when its only group for women was the Altar and Rosary Society. The society sponsored luncheons and bake sales, and made quilts, using the money raised to fund more events. When Monitor learned about Councils of Catholic Women being formed in 1981, she proposed that the Altar and Rosary Society become a CCW. She formed a task force and later was voted the parish’s first CCW president, a position that she held for seven years, then treasurer for 15 years. In 1988, Monitor became president of the Northeast Deanery and accepted multiple positions within the deanery and ACCW, including ACCW liturgy vice chair, secretary, second vice president and ACCW president from 1994 to 1996, and ACCW Church communications chair, historian (twice), conservation/safety vice chair, treasurer and promotional items vice chair. Monitor coordinated projects for the confirmation candidates and the summer Bible school program. She has served as a leader and worker for funeral luncheons since she joined the parish in 1967. She was involved in many outreach programs, including Bridging — Appalachian Christmas Program and starting Frugal Meal for Ash Wednesday — freewill offerings for Catholic Charities. Her nominator said Monitor brought awareness to ProLife Across America, Bandages for Haiti, Susquehanna Rural Free Clinic, Water for Life, ACCW Legislative Day, Red Cross blood drives, Catholic Relief Services and buying “hard goods” for a local food shelf. She organized a Madonna Luncheon, with proceeds the past 15 years directed to Madonna Mission Plan, and she helped coordinate a parish cookbook with proceeds directed to local charities.

Marge Sehnert, has served as president of her parish CCW and as president, past president, parliamentarian, secretary and newsletter editor for the Minneapolis deanery. She has served on several committees for ACCW and is a member of the National Council of Catholic Women and the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations. Following leadership training for her parish CCW (“On the Road”), Sehnert’s nominator credits her with increasing membership from 18 to more than 50. A Third Order Carmelite, where she served as chapter president and formation director, Sehnert also has belonged to the Legion of Mary (former president of the Presidium and the Curia), Catholic Daughters of America (former secretary, recognized for 35 years of service), Knights of Columbus Auxiliary, and Serra International. Sehnert has led several Bible studies in her home and sponsored three candidates who joined the Catholic Church, with one also joining the Carmelites. She taught CCD classes, gave several talks about the rosary and has made more than 1,000 rosaries (used for missions and for CCD students) and taught others how to make them. Sehnert organized and led a Junior Legion of Mary and pilgrimages to shrines and other religious sites in the United States and Canada, including EWTN, Notre Dame Basilica, shrines of Our Lady of Sorrows and Sainte-Annede-Beaupre, St. Joseph’s Oratory, Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and more. Her volunteer work has included after-school tutor, Volunteers of America, Wilder Foundation, Theatre in the Round, Open Window Theatre, Fringe Festival and Contact, a call-in help line where she was recognized for 1,000 hours of service.

During the approximately 30 years

Tracy Velishek has served as parish secretary, she saw a need for a CCW and helped start one at her parish. She promotes it, and deanery functions, using means such as the parish bulletin and word of mouth, said her nominator. Velishek has served as a secretary and president for her Southwest Deanery, and later served as an ACCW vice chair for liturgy. For days when a priest is unable to serve the outstate parish, Velishek has arranged training for laypeople in a program offered through the archdiocese so that parishioners could fulfill their Sunday Mass obligation and receive Communion. She has also trained lectors and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, and coordinated fundraisers to send local youth to NET Ministries Masses in West St. Paul and Steubenville North retreats in Rochester. Following a fire at St. Patrick, she served on the building committee and helped plan the dedication Mass. Velishek has served as faith formation director “to bring our youth to God,” said her nominator, directed Christmas Eve Nativity plays for 10 years, and Passion plays with adults on Palm Sunday. She also started a food-packing program at the parish and raises funds to buy food by coordinating soup sales and suppers. Velishek leads Stations of the Cross during Lent and, for the parish’s 150th anniversary, helped plan the Mass and reception. A member of the fall festival committee for 20 years, Velishek also helps with the local Memorial Day parade and food stand.