Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Madonna #148 in Springfield will celebrate its 100th anniversary June 11 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.
The Centennial celebration of the signing of the Court Charter on June 11, 1911, will begin with Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki at 6 p.m., with dinner following in the Cathedral atrium. Dinner tickets must be purchased in advance.
CDA dignitaries and members of the national, state, and local courts will be in attendance. Knights of Columbus will provide an honor guard, and the CDA West Chicago Court will provide the color guard. Banner bearers from Court Madonna will carry the CDA Unity and Charity Banner as well as the Court Madonna centennial banner.
Family members of current and deceased Court Madonna members are encouraged to attend the Mass, celebrating the 100 years of faith, service and support CDA members have given in the Springfield diocese and beyond.
Catholic Daughters of the Americas (originally called Daughters of Isabella) was founded by the Knights of Columbus in 1903. It is now one of the largest Catholic women’s organizations with members within and outside of the United States.
Biennial conventions are held at the national and state levels. The most recent national convention was held in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2010, and the state recently celebrated its 100 years at a convention in Urbana. Court Madonna members attended as delegates.
Court Madonna received its charter in 1911 as one of five courts that were necessary to establish the State of Illinois Court. Court Madonna is the only surviving court of those five original courts, although now there are many more CDA courts throughout the state, including nearby ones in Pawnee, Jacksonville and Taylorville. Other CDA councils in the Springfield diocese are in Effingham and Carrollton, and at one time Paris also had a CDA council.
In the 1950s, Court Madonna had more than 1,000 members, and was the largest court in Illinois. One of its members, Vivian Clark from Little Flower Parish, was National Director of CDA.
The CDA motto is Unity and Charity. As a Catholic women’s organization, Catholic Daughters of the Americas strives to embrace the principle of faith working through love in the promotion of justice, equality and the advancement of human rights and human dignity for all.
Court Madonna officers and members welcome other Catholic women to the Centennial Celebration at the Cathedral. Membership is open year round for Catholic women of the area to join in spiritual and social activities with others who share common interests and pursuits.
For further information, or to make a reservation, contact Regent Lois Jurgel, Court Madonna regent, at (217) 523-2908 to purchase a ticket.