Sarah Salmon, President
Gale Haley, Vice-President
Julie Wehmeyer, Secretary
Nancy Kirner, Treasurer
Members: Laurie Maxwell, Sheila Kerr, Mary McHugh, Alicia Brown, Abby Brousseau, Wannita Knox
Welcome to our Altar Society information page!
St. Genevieve Altar Society was organized on Wednesday, October 25, 1922 at the request of Father Fritz. The first Officers were: Mrs. P.B, Shonafelt, President, Mrs. J.P. Stokes, Vice President and Mrs. G.E. Grant, Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive Committees were headed by: Mrs. Shonafelt, Mrs. Grant, and Mrs. Nick Peters.
There is not much information about the origins of the Altar Society in Catholic Churches. It has been known to be an important group of laypersons (often women) who maintained the ceremonial objects used in worship and ensured the cleanliness and beauty of God’s house. It was, in the past, an offshoot of the duties of the sacristan. Our group has dedicated ourselves to Mary at the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
The first members chose the following as their Mission Statement:
We the members of St. Genevieve Altar Society commit ourselves to promote true Christian charity, the love of God and our neighbor, and Christian family life; to foster love for the house of God, and to labor for its proper adornment and cleanliness.
For 98 years, our parish has been trying to fulfill those goals. We encourage the participation by as many women as possible and meet, once a month (with a Potluck dinner) in the fall, winter and spring months. It is then that we determine the needs and the implementation of the Parish for the year.
Some of these needs include: responsibility for weekly cleaning of the Church, laundering of the Mass linens, beautifying the inside and outside of the Church, hosting receptions and celebrations, charitable outreach to the community and promoting the spiritual and corporal works of mercy in our Parish and community.
We invite and urge all the women in our Parish to join us at our meetings and discover ways to be involved in this important and rewarding ministry. We need lots of help! You will find that it is a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners, contribute to the Parish, grow in spirituality and to have a joyful time doing so. Present officers in 2020-2021: Sarah Salmon, President, Gale Haley, Vice-President, Julie Wehmeyer, Secretary and Nancy Kirner, Treasurer.
March 6, 2023
Happy Feast Day to these two brave women. This is the diary of St. Perpetua that I told you about at our Altar Society meeting. It’s much longer than I remember but it’s amazing that it’s been preserved for such a long time. ~ Sarah
Click on the image below to learn more about this incredible story.
