St. Jude Church in Fredericksburg marked a milestone Sept. 12 with the official installation of its new Columbiettes Auxiliary, No. 13599. The event welcomed an inaugural class of 23 members.
The newly minted auxiliary is open to Catholic women 18 and older who are in full communion with the church, offering them a dedicated framework to live out their faith through acts of service, charity and fellowship. While dating back to 1939, when the Columbiettes were originally conceived by then-Msgr. J. Francis McIntyre alongside founders John Leo Coyle, Charles Maruca and Judge Margaret Mary J. Mangan, this is only the second auxiliary in Virginia, the other being the Potomac Auxiliary at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Triangle.
Auxiliary members rally under the guidance of their patronesses — the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Joan of Arc — to address charitable, religious and social needs within the parish and the broader community. The women of the St. Jude auxiliary will begin by supporting the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council.
This new auxiliary was made possible due to the efforts of Catherine Weeks, president and previously a member of the Potomac Auxiliary, and guidance from the Columbiettes Supreme organization. Weeks is joined on the auxiliary board by Mary Miller, vice president; Darlene Kopp, secretary; Mary Ann Ante-Amburgey, financial secretary; Linda Tarabek, treasurer; and Teresa Pitts, sentinel . Father Mark Moretti, parochial vicar of St. Jude, is the auxiliary’s chaplain.
Find out more
If you are interested in joining Auxiliary No. 13599 or starting your own parish auxiliary, email columbiettesstjude13599@gmail.com.
