The Irish standard., 1920-03-20
One Hundred and Twenty.six Dele
gates, Representing Thirteen Prov.
inces Of the Church, Meet at WASH
inaton to Form the National Catholic
Women's Council.

Washington, D. c., March 19.-With
the solemn and inspiring strains of
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name re.
verberating through every soul, to-
gether with the parting words of
Bishop Schrembs to bear in mind the
great and lofty nature of their tasks,
the most momentous assembly of
Catholic laywomen ever called to-
gether> by ecclesiastical authority
closed three days conference here
today on the 7th inst. by electing it's
officers and the directors of the Ma
tional Catholic Women's Council.
The Conference was held under the
auspices Of Right Rev. Joseph
Schrembs, DID,, Bishop of Toledo, O.,
and Chairman Of the Department of
Lay Organizations of the National
Catholic Welfare Council, with which
the National Catholic Women's Coun-
Gil will be directly affiliated. The
Chairman Of the Conference was Rev.
John J. Burke, c. s. p, the Executive
Secretary of the National Catholic
Welfare Council. The Secretary of the
Conference was Rev. John M. Cooper,
Ph.D., Executive Secretary of the Com
mittee on Women's Activities for the
National Catholic War Council.
There were present one hundred
and twenty-six voting delegates, rep
resenting thirteen out of the fourteen
provinces of the United States, and
some twenty visiting delegates. A
large number of interested visitors
was present during all sessions of
the Conference.
In his opening speech, Bishop
Schrembs struck the keynote of the
Conference when he declared that the
Catholic women of the United States
had learned to do big things in a big
way by their many services on behalf
Of the Government and the Church
during and since the war, and that
now they had an opportunity to apply
their knowledge and their enthusi-
asm in manner which would make
their work continually more impor
tant for God and country.
Even as the national Catholic War
Council had been organized to 4 pre-
sent the twenty million Catholics of
the country in the work carried on
for our fighting men and their depend
ents in the camps and overseas, and
as that work had been made perma-
nent in the National Catholic Welfare
Council, formed of all the Archbish-
ops and Bishops of the United States,
even SO, said Bishop Schrembs, was
it the duty Of the Catholic women to
form their central national council
through which the many thousands
of Catholic Women's Societies might
be co-ordinated. No existing So
ciety was to be interfered with. On
the contrary, all these societies were
to be encouraged and strengthened,
but in order that their united efforts
might be employed on a national scale
It was essential to form a central
council.
Father Burke referred to the Holy
Fathers opinion that America is to
play highly important part in the
regeneration of the world. America
was democracy, and democracy de-
manded not only the education of the
conscience but the application of in
telligence to carry on the tasks set
by the conscience. Motive is no good
substitute for action. Efficient union
and cooperation are the secret of
success. These fundamental princi.
pies were not only announced by the
omcials Of the National Catholic Wei
fare Council, but they were unques-
tionably the principles already in the