Diocese of Belleville Bishop Godfrey Mullen, OSB, enjoys a laugh with Jo Mayer, outgoing president of the Belleville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, at the organization’s 100th annual convention Oct. 21 in Pinckneyville. Mayer has completed her three-year term and will turn over the role to Pat Butler, who will serve as president for the next two years (David Wilhelm photo).

By David Wilhelm
Messenger Editor

Bishop Godfrey Mullen, OSB, helped the Belleville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women celebrate its 100th anniversary Oct. 21.

A record 235 women attended the organization’s convention, held at the Columbian Club Hall and St. Bruno in Pinckneyville. Because he had to return to the metro-east for a funeral, Bishop Godfrey made his keynote address in the opening minutes of the event.

One of Bishop Godfrey’s points focused on the importance of discipleship among Catholics, a topic he said is discussed by Church leaders more regularly than in the past.

“What I’m looking for is a diocese of 99 parishes where faith is alive and our work as disciples is made clear,” he said. “Our work as disciples builds that kingdom that has been handed to us, or we wouldn’t be sitting in Pinckneyville today.

“To be a Christian is to be a person of change. That means I strive to enter into that work of conversion every day so I can be a holier disciple of Jesus — and so I can help others be holier disciples of Jesus.”

Growing up in Salem, overwhelmingly comprised of Baptists, Bishop Godfrey said discipleship was seldom mentioned by Catholics. Now it’s a stated objective.

“If we’re going to call ourselves disciples, it’s more than, ‘(Jesus) is my pal,’” Bishop Godfrey said. “He ought to be our pal, but there’s more to it than that. It’s about following him and doing what he commands us to do.”

Bishop Godfrey said women were an integral component of Jesus’ ministry.

“Even though artist after artist has depicted The Last Supper as Jesus and his 12 disciples, there were women who were walking with Him every day,” Bishop Godfrey said. “There were women who equally had invested their lives. And let’s face it, some of them (invested) their wealth for the sake of the Gospel. It was the generosity of the people, particularly the wealthy women who were following Him, that allowed Him to do the ministry He was called to do.”

Bishop Godfrey said Catholics should be more accepting of their own shortcomings, even as they strive to become better disciples. He reminded them that God doesn’t expect the faithful to be perfect.

“I don’t believe it is helpful for us to be more harshly judgmental of ourselves than Christ crucified is toward us,” he said. “I think many of us believe, ‘If I judge myself really harshly, there’s something implicitly holy about that.’ False. There’s something implicitly proud about that.

“If I wanted to judge another person, or myself, more harshly than Jesus Christ crucified, who’s wrong, Him or me? Clearly, it’s me. But we’ve been taught that if we look at ourselves as (flawed) people, somehow that’s really holy. Stop it. Just stop it. I’m going to try to stop it, too.”

Continuing on that topic, Bishop Godfrey said: “What I think we have to start doing is seeing the way Jesus sees (us) from the cross. He came for sinners, not for the righteous. So I admit my sin and keep that constantly companioned with my hope. I’m a sinner who has hope.”

Even in difficult times when people are facing challenges, Bishop Godfrey emphasized the importance of being grateful.

“It is our salvation, always and everywhere, to give (God) thanks,” Bishop Godfrey said. “Do you want to be set free? Do you want to be saved? Give thanks to God. Thank God even when you’re not thrilled.

“Most of us believe we are grateful when we like what we receive. That’s normal. (But) God never stops giving and giving and giving. A new day. A new understanding. A new answer to prayer. A new breath of fresh air in our lives. A new hope. A new experience. A new reason for trusting.

“God never stops giving, and the appropriate response from a disciple is gratitude that happens always and everywhere. He gives gifts, and we become grateful. If I say, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ and never put that gift to use, is the gratitude authentic? No. Genuine gratitude in the life of the Christian disciple leads to generosity.”

Bishop Godfrey reflected on Jesus overcoming the disappoinment of being denied by his disciple, Peter, three times after The Last Supper.

“No one was a greater gift to the world than Jesus Christ,” Bishop Godfrey said. “No one more readily showed us the wisdom of gratitude than the one who on the night He was betrayed by one He had chosen for friendship … took bread and gave thanks. Not because he was being turned over to the authorities, but precisely because his people had been set free from slavery in Egypt so many decades and centuries before. There was still reason to give thanks.

“We can say, ‘When Jesus finally makes sense of this situation in my life, then I will be grateful.’ Nope. We have reason to be grateful today.”

Other highlights from the Pinckneyville convention:

• Marilyn Athmer, a parishioner at St. Teresa of Avila in Marydale, north of Carlyle, shared a story of thankfulness.

Athmer was diagnosed with lung cancer in April and underwent surgery May 13. She had asked the faithful to remember her in their prayers.

Athmer told the gathering that she recently received a clean bill of health. God’s hands, and the hands of her doctors, successfully removed the cancer, which had not spread to lymph nodes.

• Fr. Godfrey was the winner of the quilt raffle.

“I still kind of wonder if that drawing wasn’t rigged. But listen, I’m going to take it either way,” Fr. Godfrey said during his address, which was sprinkled with humor throughout its 40 minutes.

• Mass and lunch followed Fr. Godfrey’s remarks. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Tom Barrett, the spiritual moderator of the BDCCW. The afternoon presentation, “The One Thing Necessary,” was made by Catholic singer, songwriter and speaker Donna Cori.

• BDCCW officers through 2028 will be: Pat Butler (president); Jennifer Richards (president elect); Joan Derringer (treasurer); Jo Mayer (secretary); and Joyce Hrabusicky (parliamentarian).

• The 2027 convention will be held at St. Mary in Valmeyer.