President’s Pen: June 2023

I recently saw a young man walking in downtown Philadelphia wearing his pants peg-legged and rolled in the style we wore in the late 80s. It was one of several times recently when I have noticed an old phrase or style being recycled. Even the movies of my childhood are back on the big screen, notably the return of Indiana Jones at the end of June. This made me think about the phenomenon of how what is old is new again.

This may be a common cycle in the circle of life, but what about new fads of faith? Luckily, for us as Catholics, the tenets of our beliefs are built upon a rock that is solid, steady, and never changing. We do not have to worry about our core creeds changing with the wind. Wherever we go to Mass, we are united in a common liturgy that supersedes language or geography. This provides us tremendous confidence and reassurance. It is also the basis for how MCCW’s Christ-focused mission is rooted in the common principles of our faith as we work with purpose to connect, unite, and inspire Catholic military affiliated women around the world.  

For many years, we operated under a model that focused on being present in each of our seven regions. In 2014, when we became a 501(c)3 under the AMS, we had to learn how to wrangle programs and events in a decentralized way through a centralized governance structure. COVID caused a substantial hiccup and requisite pivot to provide virtual engagement when we couldn’t be together in person. Now we strive for creative, new ways to reengage personally and face-to-face – wherever and everywhere – you and your military family are stationed.  The board is working hard to create an environment where our connection to you is sustained through PCSs and unites our regions with bonds stronger than ever.  We also want to develop opportunities for us to be inspired by the amazing women’s ministry work happening in chapels at over 220 global military locations and guided in ways to grow vibrant ministry in your circle of faith.

As we increase momentum toward Forum 2024, we continue to review the right size for the leadership team in order to accomplish the necessary work, while being fiscally conservative and good stewards of our resources. This means we will be discerning some new roles in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for those opportunities. We are excited to see who God will call to volunteer with us.

The board is also very excited to roll out new ways of operating and engaging with women from east to west. We are restructuring our regions and social media channels in a way that we believe will promote cross pollination of ideas, elevate and share best practices between regions, and provide new ways to connect CWOC leaders in meaningful ways. Please share your feedback for the team with me at president@mccw.og. 

The only constant in this crazy military life is change, but our faith is rock solid. As we enjoy the peak of summer, I pray that you and your family experience the joy and fulfillment of relying on an unchanging God. His graces are new every day and that’s all we need.

All my best,

Bevin