Serve the Lord with gladness!

—Psalm 100:2

Call to Convention

Catholic Daughters of the Americas®

57th Biennial National ConventionSioux Falls, SD

July 17-22, 2018

Serve the Lord with gladness!

—Psalm 100:2

Meet your Hostesses

The South Dakota State Officers

Left to Right: Brenda Anderson, state regent; Judy Konechne,

1st vice state regent; Michele Sage, 2nd vice state regent; Deb

DeFries, state secretary; and Deborah Burdick, state treasurer.

While at Convention, help South Dakota

celebrate 100 years as a State Court!

The State Officers and Members across South Dakota

are excited to invite you to visit our beautiful state

and the city of Sioux Falls.

December 2017 Convention Information Mailing

Worthy Regent,

The 57th Biennial National Convention of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas will be held in the lovely city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, July 17 to 22, 2018. The convention will be held at the Denny Sanford Convention Center next to the Sheraton Hotel and the Ramada Inn Hotel and Suites.

National Conventions are important to the life of our organization. Conventions give us the opportunity to come together to share liturgy, to elect new leadership, to gain knowledge, and to take care of the business of the National court. You will meet old friends and make new ones. Carefully read the information in this packet as it will help you plan your attendance at the convention.

Chaplains, Deacons Attending National Convention Any priest or deacon attending the convention who plans to participate in any of our liturgical celebrations must forward a Letter of Suitability from his bishop to Bishop Paul Swain, Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. A copy of the letter should also be sent to our National Clergy Consultant, Father Jeffrey Maurer.

Bishop Paul Swain Father Jeffrey Maurer Bishop of Sioux Falls National Clergy Consultant Office of the Bishop St. Mary’s Church 523 N Duluth Avenue 2 Father Tierney Circle Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Washingtonville, NY 10992

Jeffrey.Maurer@archny.org

Enclosed you will find an invitation from the South Dakota State Court inviting you to the convention. You will also find flyers for the Walk/Run for Love, Fun Night, CDA Choir, restaurants in the area for those State Regents wishing to plan a State Dinner off site, and information on Journal ads. There will be a Sioux Falls State Charity Collection for men and women in the service, “Wishes for Heroes.” More information will be shared with you.

Delegates and Alternates You received a National Convention form indicating the number of Delegates and Alternates based on the membership in your court as of September 30, 2017, which indicates the number of delegates and alternates that you are entitled to elect to the Convention. This form must be returned to the National Office. We thank you for your cooperation.

NOTE: Forms for delegates and alternates to the National Convention have been sent to the Local Court Regents only. State Regents will receive specific delegate forms for State Officers. Do NOT include State Officers or Immediate Past State Regents on Local Court delegate forms as they are automatically designated as delegates of your state.

Bylaws Pertaining to Court Delegates

4

Article VII Sec. 5 LOCAL AND CAMPUS COURT DELEGATES A. Local courts shall elect delegates to the National Convention at a business meeting

preceding deadline for submitting delegate registration to the National Office.

B. The number of delegates shall be determined by dues billed by the National Office as of November 15 of the preceding year. 1. Representation shall be:

a. Two delegates for the first 75 or fewer members.b. And one delegate for each additional seventy-five (75) members or major fraction

thereof.c. If she attends, the highest-ranking officer (in office at the time of the convention)

shall automatically be one of the court’s delegates.C. The Local Court may elect up to two (2) times the number of alternates for elected

delegates. D. Expenses to the National Convention may be paid by the Local Court.

Alternates are elected with a designated order in which they will be called to serve, if available, as vacancies arise in the delegation of their court. An elected alternate is not associated with any particular delegate. The vacancy that occurs first in point of time is filled by the first elected alternate or the ranking one available, and so on.

Even though it is unlikely that all alternates would be called upon to serve, we urge that each Court elect the total number of alternates to which it is entitled. Alternates MAY NOT be appointed after elections have taken place.

Running for Office Are you considering running for National Office? Please prayerfully review the information below and plan accordingly. Being on the National Board is a time-consuming but rewarding job. Extensive travel and committee work, as well as the regularly scheduled board meetings, require not only your time and your talent but also your total commitment to the Order. If you are thinking about a position, review the schedule for due dates and materials needed. Please give your state officers time to consider your request for endorsement. It is the responsibility of the state officers to choose the best person to endorse. Get your request in early to your State Board.

Qualifications for National Officers and Directors 1. Be a current and an enthusiastic member of Catholic Daughters of the Americas.2. Be a current or Past National Director, a current or Past State Regent and a Catholic who

publicly obeys the laws of the church and in accordance with these can licitly (in accordancewith Church Law) receive the Eucharist. (Bylaw Article VI, National Court, Sec. 3B)

3. Be supported by her state court with a majority of the state officers giving written approval toendorse her as a candidate for National Officer/National Director.

4. Submit seven copies of a resumé, a picture, an endorsement letter, and a consent to serve to theChairman of the Nominating Committee by March 1, 2018.

5

5. Be able to communicate via email and willing to respond to emails from the NationalBoard/Regent/Office in a timely manner.

6. Be computer literate and able to write reports on a computer.7. Be able and willing to travel to board meetings, state and national conventions, and the State

Officers’ Conference.8. Be able to make a presentation to groups.9. Have thorough knowledge of the Bylaws and the Tools of the Trade.10. It is strongly suggested that at least your first term as State Regent be completed before applying

for a National Director position in the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.11. Write articles for SHARE and the National Quarterly on topics assigned by the National Regent.

The articles must be approved by the National Regent.12. Serve on or chair at least one committee of the national board and/or one area of the Circle of

Love.13. Complete other duties as assigned by the National Regent.14. See National Bylaws for complete requirements for running for office.

Only one (1) Officer and one (1) Director may be elected from any one State.

Nominees from the floor must submit a packet to the Chair prior to the convening of the first meeting of Convention. The packet must include a statement of eligibility, a statement of endorsement signed by a majority of the State Officers, and a written consent to serve signed by the candidate.

The delegate making the nomination shall give a one (1) minute statement of qualifications of the candidate. All members nominated for a position on the National Board shall give a two-minute speech after all nominations for officers and directors are completed.

States with candidates running for office should reserve a table for candidates’ night

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you plan to run for an office on the National Board, please be sure to make your air reservations to return home on July 22nd in the afternoon after two o’clock. The immediate past board members and the newly elected board members will be meeting Sunday morning following the Mass. This will be a brunch meeting. Be sure to allow sufficient time to be at the airport after the meeting.

At the National Convention in Pittsburgh July 2016, the following were elected to serve on the 2018 National Nominating Committee. As stated in Article VIII Sec. 3A, by March 1st, send 7 copies of your resumé to:

Kathy Kennedy 115 West Brewster Street Harvey, ND 58341 701 324 2328 kennedyCDA@hotmail.com

6

Other members of the committee include Le Ann Brand (MD), Melodie Brunt (TX), Shirley Hall (PA), Dawn Fortenberry (LA), Maureen Trainor (MA), Mary Saunders (OR) and Alternates: Judy Smith (VT), Belinda Swager (NC).

Running for 2020 Nominating Committee Have you attended National CDA events where you are familiar with the many qualified members across the Order? Consider running for the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee has the awesome task of reviewing the candidate résumés and choosing the best people to serve this great organization. If you or anyone in your state is considering running for this position, make your plans now. As a member of the 2020 Nominating Committee, you will meet at least once in person or by conference call to consider those names and qualifications submitted for the 2020-2022 National Board. Familiarity with the Tools of the Trade and Bylaws is an essential tool for helping to pick the next leaders of the Order.

Nominating committee candidates are nominated from the floor on the first day of the convention. If you are planning to run, ensure that you bring a resumé with you. Contact your state regent to reserve a table for candidates’ night.

Resolutions and Bylaws See attachment for the proper format for submitting a Resolution or Bylaw change as well as deadline information. This is your opportunity to suggest changes to our rules as well as help direct the actions of our Order.

Hotels Convention Headquarters Hotel You must make your hotel reservations directly with the hotel.

Sheraton Sioux Falls 1211 Northwest Avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57104 (605) 331- 0100 1-888-627-8088

You can make your reservations online at: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/CatholicDaughtersAttendee

Room Rates $116/Night 1-4 people in the room. Complimentary Parking

Secondary Hotel You must make your hotel reservations directly with the hotel.

7

Ramada Hotel & Suites 1301 W. Russell Street I-29 & Exit 81 Sioux Falls, SD 57104-1326 1-800-946-5338

Room Rates $116/Night 1-4 people in the room. Complimentary Parking

All activities will be held in the Convention Center except the Installation Mass which will be at the beautiful Cathedral.

*PLEASE NOTE: These rates CANNOT be guaranteed after the cut-off time and date of 12:01 a.m. onJune 8, 2018, or once the room block is full, whichever comes first. PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY. Please have ONLY ONE person make reservations for you and your group. Please check with the hotel regarding cancellation fees. The hotel will charge an early departure fee if you change your departure date. Any duplicate reservations or non-cancellations will be the responsibility of the person making the reservation. Due to strict attrition rules, National is not responsible for rooms booked but not used.

Meals Information concerning meals will be in the second call to convention. There will be breakfast, lunch and dinner concessions set up at the hotel during the convention. The hotel also has a restaurant. More information will follow in the March mailing.

Pre-Convention Tours Pre-convention tours to local areas of interest are in the Winter issue of Share.

We have made arrangements with All American Travel Agency to be the official CDA agency for this convention. You may contact them at 1-800-732-7075 when booking your flights.

With best wishes, I am looking forward to greeting you in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. God bless you.

In Unity and Charity,

Helene Shepard National Regent

8