South Carolina Council of Catholic Women records

The South Carolina Council of Catholic Women (SCCCW) is an organization of deaneries, affiliate parish clubs, and individual Catholic women from across the Diocese of Charleston. They work together to serve and promote the Roman Catholic Church and to give back to communities across South Carolina through charitable programs. The mission of the SCCCW is to serve as a medium through which the Catholic women of the Diocese of Charleston may speak and act as one unit. It is an affiliate of both the Atlanta Province and the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW). The council has special committees, including Church, Community Concerns, Family Concerns, International Concerns, Legislation, and Organization committees, that comprise a Commission System. This Commission System works to extend the mission and programs of the NCCW in local communities throughout South Carolina. These committees are represented by the Board of Directors and at the deanery and affiliate club levels. Though local Catholic women’s organizations had existed for some years throughout South Carolina, it was not until December 1930 that the idea of uniting these groups to become a true affiliate of the National Council of Catholic Women was promoted by Emmett M. Walsh, the sixth bishop of Charleston. In January of 1931, a constitution was adopted, and the first annual convention of the statewide council was held in April of that same year in Charleston. Originally called the Charleston Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, the group hosted the twelfth annual convention of the National Council of Catholic Women in October of 1932, marking the first time the NCCW held a convention south of Washington D.C. Over the years, membership grew as more affiliate parish clubs joined the council as part of one of five deaneries. These include the Coastal, Columbia-Midlands, Lowcountry, Pee Dee, and Piedmont deaneries. As member organizations grew throughout the state, John J. Russell, the seventh bishop of Charleston, felt it was important to establish a spiritual moderator for the council. In 1951, he appointed Reverend Richard C. Madden as the first official moderator of the council. In 1979, Mrs. Helen Merritt was elected vice president of the NCCW, making her the first SCCCW member to become a board member of the National Council. The SCCCW holds an annual convention, hosted by one of the five deaneries, where members connect and participate in programs that further the mission of the SCCCW and NCCCW, which is to empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service by responding to the needs of the Roman Catholic Church and society.

Note written by