Change Of Plans For CWU Human Rights Celebration
The annual Church Women United Human Rights Celebration, this year following the theme “Journey Toward Peace,” will be held in the Community Room at Nunnawauk Meadows on Saturday, March 7, from 1:30 to 3 pm.
The guest speaker for the local celebration being hosted by the CWU/Newtown-Danbury unit will be Elizabeth Ricci.
Mrs Ricci is stepping in for the local unit after the unexpected death on February 27 of Jeanette Mayer, who had been planning to serve as the program’s keynote.
“Church Women United was her life,” Mrs Ricci said Tuesday afternoon. “She was celebrations chair for all of her years involved in the Danbury unit of CWU.”
It was during a CWU celebration that the two women met, in fact. St Edward the Confessor Roman Catholic Church in New Fairfield, where Mrs Ricci is a member, hosted a May Friendship Day celebration, one of three annual events presented by CWU chapters. It was during that celebration, 32 years ago, that Mrs Ricci and Mrs Mayer met. The two decade age difference was not a concern.
“I considered her my mentor as well as my friend,” Mrs Ricci said. With Mrs Mayer having health issues in recent years, the two women often traveled to CWU/Newtown-Danbury meetings together. Mrs Ricci, like her late friend, is a longtime member of Church Women United.
The two had been working on Mrs Mayer’s presentation last Wednesday, the day before she died.
“She had a beautiful attitude. To me, she lived the way God wanted her to live,” said Mrs Ricci. “She had been asked to talk about how she was involved with peace. The thing is, her whole life — and this is why I’ll talk about her — was about being peaceful. She lived the way God wanted her to live. She really was in tune with God.”
Darlene Jackson, president of the CWU/Newtown-Danbury unit, said it was a few things that led to Ms Mayer being invited to keynote this weekend’s program.
“She’s been lifelong member of CWU. Her mother was also a member,” Mrs Jackson said this week. “We felt that she had been concerned with human rights all of her life.”
As part of the annual celebration, Mrs Mayer was to be presented with a CWU Human Rights Award on Saturday. Mrs Jackson has that award, she said, and plans to have it framed and then presented during a celebration of Mrs Mayer’s life being planned for April at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Brookfield, where Mrs Mayer was a member.
In addition to the address about Mrs Mayer, guests on Saturday will also view a video from youthforhumanrights.org, about the history of the human rights movement.
Scripture readings will be from James (3:13–18) and Psalms 139:1–10, and music will include the hymns “On Our Journey” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Light refreshments will be served, and all are welcome.
There will be a freewill offering, which will be shared with National CWU; and Fellowship of the Least Coin (FLC), an offering that asks guests to donate their country’s smallest denominational coin while also praying. FLC is an international ecumenical movement of prayer for peace and reconciliation in the world.
“FLC had become very important to Jeanette,” Mrs Ricci said Tuesday afternoon. “In the spirit of Jeanette’s enthusiasm for Fellowship of the Least Coin, I will offer background information about the movement.”
Guests will then be asked to share any pennies they have with them.
The Community Building at Nunnawauk Meadows is at 3 Nunnawauk Road.
For additional information or to register contact Unit President Darlene Jackson at 203-426-5192 or Celebrations Chair Linda Manganaro, 203-417-2701.
(This story has been updated to reflect the correct date that Jeanette Mayer died.)