International organization has chapter in Metairie

Decked out in their finest frocks and hats, more than 200 women and children enjoyed tea and scones Sept. 11 at St. Francis Xavier’s annual Daughters of Isabella “Royal Tea and Fashion Show.”
Now 100 strong, members of the Catholic women’s organization – St. Joan of Arc Circle 1405 in Metairie – spent days cooking cranberry scones, finger sandwiches and desserts for the sold-out fund-raiser. Ambassadors from Archbishops Chapelle and Rummel high schools were on hand to wait tables.

Members also secured 106 prizes to give away at the event at what Msgr. Andrew Taormina, pastor of St. Francis Xavier, called one of the most coveted events in Old Metairie. It sells out almost as soon as it is announced.

Tea, fashion show took off

Past Regent Sherri Knoepfler, devised the idea of combining a tea with a fashion show four years ago to replace the organization’s former plant and bake sales.

“The first year we learned. The second year we learned. Now, we are up to a maximum of 220 people,” Knoepfler said. “Last year, we netted over $6,000.”

“We never made that in a plant sale,” current regent Jeannie Redmann said about the money raised. “Every year it grows.”

 Knoepfler, a charter member, remembered the chapter’s inception 10 years ago with several wives of Knights of Columbus members uniting to form it. It’s the only circle in Louisiana and part of an international organization based in Connecticut. The group’s motto is unity, friendship and charity.

Members work year-round to support different causes. Among them are the local food bank at St. Francis Xavier Church, providing 25 food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas; organizing Christmas giving trees for St. Francis in Metairie and St. Patrick Church in Port Sulphur; contributing to a tuition scholarship at St. Francis Xavier School; and preparing meals for families experiencing cancer. The group also has worked with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and has helped renovate the local Ronald McDonald House on Canal Street.

“It’s a great organization,” Redmann, a seven-year member, said. “I think it helps the community so much. It’s a way to give what you can give without a lot of pressure. We have so many different aspects.”

Paying it forward

The charitable part of the Daughters of Isabella’s motto was evident after Hurricane Katrina when in 2006, the International Daughters of Isabella organization – through its circles throughout the United States, Canada and Japan – raised more than $29,000 for St. Joan of Arc Circle 1405 to distribute to local families affected by the storm. Local members were overwhelmed by the donation and said they truly felt a sisterhood with other circles.

Veronica Kampen, 81, joined the organization shortly after it began. She was the creative force behind the stage decorations, and she also modeled and acquired 26 prizes for the tea. A lector at St. Francis, she said she enjoys the spiritual aspect and fellowship with the Daughters of Isabella. Many of their social outings, such as a trip to Longue Vue Gardens, involve a spiritual talk.

“We hit on everything – friendship, a bit of social and the ministries,” she said.

She and Redmann mentioned how friendly and hard-working everyone in the group is. “You meet so many people with all talents and gifts,” Redmann said. “It’s a great friendship-making organization.”

 The Daughters of Isabella is open to women, including teenagers, of any parish. The group meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at St. Francis Xavier, 444 Metairie Road. The next meeting is Oct. 25. Call 835-4394 or e-mail [email protected].

            Christine Bordelon can be reached at [email protected].