PIERCE COUNTY — When Judy Manza gathers with members of the Catholic Woman’s Club on its annual Day of Recollection Mass, she feels the spirit of each departed club member — from 1922 to present day — as their names are read. 

“The lives those women had is so interesting,” said Manza, a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Tacoma who has been a CWC member for 25 years. “It’s a special model, to be a part of a club that’s been around for 100 years. It’s a blessing.”  

The organization was created by 79 Catholic women in Pierce County who wanted to help the orphaned and widowed. Since then, hundreds of women have been members of CWC (there are 82 active members today) and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for charity. 

A poster shows the charter members of the Catholic Woman’s Club.

“They were a group of women who got together and decided they wanted to make a difference,” said CWC member Diane Stone, a parishioner of Pope St. John XXIII Parish in Tacoma. “And that’s what they’re still doing. These are women who give from their heart.” 

Through the decades, CWC has donated at least $1.8 million in today’s dollars, Manza said. Recently, the club has averaged $23,000 in annual donations. 

Since its founding, CWC’s officially stated goal has been “the spiritual, cultural and social development of its members through charitable and civic works.” 

“For 100 years, the achievement of this goal has depended upon strong leadership, hardworking members, and the ability to adapt with times,” said Manza, the group’s historian. 

Serving where the needs are 

The Catholic Woman’s Club was founded in 1922; about a year later, the Catholic Welfare Bureau was established in Tacoma. (In 1918, the diocese had established the Seattle Council of Catholic Women; these women’s groups focused on helping the poor were the precursor to what is now Catholic Community Services of Western Washington.) 

In the early years of CWC, the women met in homes, bringing their own china and silver. By 1924, they were a fundraising force, hosting card parties, style shows and galas with special guests like the governor. They were also hands-on, sewing first Communion clothes for children who couldn’t afford them and helping the USO at Fort Lewis during World War II.  

Fundraising and social activities have adapted to the times. The annual style show made way for a Christmas brunch featuring vendors who donate a portion of sales. As bridge became a less popular game, the club switched to garden parties. When COVID limited public contact, the women sold and delivered holiday wreaths to raise money for the club’s charitable projects.  

In years past, the club donated money to help complete the north wing of St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, furnished a maternity home and supported St. Ann’s Home for Children, along with smaller projects like well-baby clinics and transportation for foster children. 

Displays catalog some of Catholic Woman's Club members, activities and charitable works over its 100-year history. (Courtesy of Diane Stone)

More recently, the group has established the CWC endowment at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma, providing an annual scholarship for a female student, and furnished a unit at Catholic Community Services’ Nativity House Apartments in Tacoma. CWC supports CCS as a primary obligation, but also has supported the broader community by donating to local arts and culture organizations, according to its website.  

Today, the membership takes the community’s pulse “to see where the needs are, in the framework of faith,” Manza said. They serve those in need by prepping and serving breakfast and lunch at the Nativity House Day Shelter each month, and they have started providing meals at the new CCS safe parking lot on the Holy Rosary Church property. (The church has been closed.) 

Looking forward with faith 

CWC’s membership includes the 82 active members and 83 associate members. Nine women have been members for 50 or more years. New members must be nominated and apply with two sponsors; sometimes there’s a waiting list because the number of active members is capped at 100. 

Nominees must be “in good standing as a Catholic, have integrity, and the willingness and ability to assume club responsibilities,” according to the website. There’s a small fee for new members, plus annual dues. 

Spiritual growth of CWC’s members is just as important as its charitable and civic activities, the website notes. In-person meetings, which can draw up to 70 members, rotate among the members’ parishes. They begin with Mass, usually followed by a speaker and refreshments. A Lenten retreat is held each year. 

For CWC’s first 50 years, a bishop-appointed chaplain attended the meetings. Today’s chaplain (not an appointed position) is Jesuit Father Fred Mayovsky of Bellarmine Prep. 

On April 26, CWC had a centennial celebration Mass and social at St. Patrick Church in Tacoma. 

Some of the longest-tenured members of Catholic Woman's Club were honored at the April 26 centennial event at St. Patrick Church in Tacoma. (Courtesy of Diane Stone) 

“The room was full, and we had everyone there from our 63-year member (who is in her 90s) to our newest, who joined this year,” Manza said.  

Members range in age from the 40s to the 90s, Manza said, adding that she enjoys the age diversity of the members and “the life experiences and wisdom of these women.”   

Stone, who joined CWC five years ago and serves on the centennial committee, has two sisters and a daughter who are CWC members. 

“It’s just natural for us to give back, knowing that what we’re doing is definitely going back into our community,” Stone said, adding that she believes CWC can keep going “another 100 years.” 

“We honor our past, contribute our time, talent and treasure in the present and look forward with faith and hope to the future,” Manza wrote on the website. 

Diane Stone, far right, and her sisters celebrate Catholic Woman’s Club’s centennial on April 26. (Courtesy of Diane Stone)