September 2001 Call to Action News

Benton, Byczek join CTA national board

Two women, one each from the Vatican II Wisdom Generation and from CTA's Next Generation, joined the CTA board this month. Mary Jayne Benton of Scottsdale, Ariz., mother of five and grandmother of eight, formerly managed the bookstore of the Franciscan Renewal Center, and now operates her own store, "Essentially Books," known throughout the Phoenix area as a mecca for the spiritually inquiring.

From her childhood in Denver she has cared about the poor and oppressed, especially Native Americans. After attending her first CTA national conference in Chicago in 1994, Mary Jayne hosted a few dozen like-minded progressive Catholics at her store. CTA Arizona was born, with 80-100 active members, a mailing list of 400, and meetings at the bookstore. "CTA is full of the Spirit," she says. "Instead of boundaries, now I see visions of diversity and growth. What an enriching experience!" Tamar Byczek grew up in Atlanta but came to Louisville, Ky., attended Bellarmine College, did a hitch as a VISTA volunteer, and never left. She is marketing and development manager for House of Ruth, a provider of wholistic services to AIDS patients and their families. Tamar for 18 years has belonged to St. William's Parish, a social justice powerhouse with its own $5 million affordable housing program and a range of other outreach services to the urban population. Tamar has worked on all of them - and is currently active with the Third World Crafts store and the adult day care center. St. William's also bankrolls contingents of parishioners to attend CTA national conferences (22 came last fall to Milwaukee). Tamar is a regular among them, has attended three CTA Next Generation summer retreats, coordinates CTA Kentuckiana (both Louisville and southern Indiana), and is an avid participant in CTA=HOPE, the e-mail chat list for younger adults.