Lumen Gentium Award Winner Profile

With strong friendships and dedication to parish service, Ladies Guild thrives

Posted

COVENTRY — The Ladies Guild of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Coventry, who have been honored with a Lumen Gentium Award in Parish Service, is a group of faith-filled women who come together to pray, to plan and to carry out charitable parish programs. Longtime member of the Ladies Guild, Denise Wolf, shared that with a commitment to service and spirit of community, the women are always putting their parish first, supporting it in every way.

“When you look around at how much these ladies are involved in and how much gets done without ever asking, it’s amazing,” said Wolf. “The faith has always been strong for them. They are very religious ladies and they care about their parish. You can’t instill that, it’s who they are.”

The Saint Vincent de Paul Ladies Guild began more than 50 years ago and was originally known as the Ladies of Saint Anne. Currently, the Ladies Guild has approximately 25 members with several honorary members, those who can no longer physically participate in group activities. One of the group’s most distinguished honorary members is 97-year-old Della Marsocci, who is also the only living original member.

Father Jacek Ploch, pastor, explained that the Ladies Guild quietly works behind the scenes to provide for the physical needs of the parish, funding many items over the years such as choir music stands, gifts for First Communicants, various church and rectory repairs and much more. They most recently purchased a thurible and incensor to enhance the liturgies at Saint Vincent de Paul Church.

“This humble and dedicated group of women have been quietly providing for corporal and spiritual needs of the parish and outlying community for over half a century,” said Father Ploch. They continually demonstrate their love and dedication to the parish as well as love for the Lord in all that they do.”

Always looking to the needs of the parish, Father Ploch added that, the Ladies Guild organizes fundraisers such as bake sales twice a year, auctions and a large yard sale each spring. Along with the fundraising and purchases for the parish, they also volunteer for many other parish events such as the annual Harvest Bazaar and parish picnics and visit local shut-ins through the Friendly Visitor Program.

Wolf shared that the friendship and support she has found in the Ladies Guild has been invaluable, recalling that when she received that call that her mother had passed away, the ladies stopped the meeting to comfort and pray with her.

With members ranging from ages 38 to 97, Wolf added that they hope to get young women involved in the guild, a community that promotes friendship and Christian service to the parish.
“There are a lot of friendships here,” she said. “They always back you up.”