BDCCW - Who Are We?

The Belleville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women is the official women’s organization of the diocese, formed in 1926 and sponsored by the Bishop of Belleville.  We are the women of the Catholic Church in the Belleville Diocese. We are the voice of the women of the diocese. Young or old, married or single, we are all BDCCW. We may be members of the parish Sodality, the Daughters of Isabella, Catholic Daughters of America, or simply members of the parish, but, as Catholic women, we are all members of the BDCCW.

The Belleville Diocese is comprised of 28 counties and is divided into 5 vicariates; Metro-East, North Central, East, South, and West.  The BDCCW/Vicariate Board consists of elected officers and appointed commission chairmen, whose duties are to serve and assist the parish organizations.

The BDCCW provides each of us the opportunity to be part of a national voice – the NCCW. The NCCW was founded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1920, and remains affiliated.  The NCCW is represented at the biannual meetings of the USCCB, through the Bishops’ Committee on the Lay Apostolate and the United States Catholic Conference. The NCCW is a member of World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, has representation at the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering which advocates Catholic views to Congress, is a founding member of Religious Alliance Against Pornography, collaborates and partners with other Catholic groups such as Catholic Relief Services, Cross Catholic Outreach, Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Catholic Climate Covenant.

 Impressive? Yes we are. We are a valuable resource of the Catholic Church.

Every Catholic women’s organization, in every parish, is invited to affiliate with the BDCCW.  It is through this affiliation, that every woman of the diocese joins a nation-wide federation, the National Council of Catholic Women. 

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The National Council of Catholic Women acts through its members to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service.  NCCW programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world. 

  Prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel 

God of heavenly wisdom, You have given us Mary, Mother of Jesus, to be our guide and counselor. Grant that we may always seek her motherly help in this life and so enjoy her blessed presence in the life to come. O, Mother of Good Counsel, patroness of the National Council of Catholic Women, intercede for us, that we may be wise, courageous, and loving leaders of the Church. Help us, dear mother, to know the mind of Jesus, your son. May the Holy Spirit fill us with reverence for God's creation, and compassion for all of God's children. May our labors of love on earth enhance the reign of God an may God's gifts of faith and living hope prepare us for the fullness of the world to come.