Catholic Women’s League of Canada | BC and Yukon Council

Submitted by: Evelyn R.

With over four thousand members, our diocese was delighted to welcome our 51st council, the re-activated  St. Anthony of Padua, Vancouver, and start work on another. Several councils used  new display boards in their individual campaigns, while one council president designed a set of promotional cards to deflate the arguments of those women who offer the same old excuses for not joining our wonderful League. Four thousand cards were shared evenly among our parish councils (click the photo for a larger view of one of the cards).

Another success story involved our Diocesan League Development team. Led by our Past President  it draws from a talented pool of  Diocesan Officers, Past Diocesan Presidents and Life Members and uses a Power Point presentation to stress the importance of Standing Committees, and the necessity for members to step forward to chair them.  This is ongoing work because a third of our councils have difficulty in  finding members to take on leadership roles either as presidents or chairpersons of committees, and while we offer instruction at four General Meetings each year, not all can attend.

There were three further highlights. Our Priests’ Appreciation Dinner  was organized by our President Elect. I must say I enjoyed this unique opportunity to deliver “half a homily” to two archbishops and sixty-six  priests. We held one regional conference  which dealt with end of life issues.  One council applied for and received a $4000 grant for Domestic Abuse Services.

Our presence in Vancouver Whistler Games Network which aims  to put a Christian face on the Olympics, impels us to write letters to educate government and the public, that the legalization of brothels increases Human Trafficking, and that other constructive ways of helping women caught up in this abuse  are needed. At our convention  Major Winn Blackman of the  Salvation Army and Sister Deborah Isaacs RGS paired up to give a moving presentation on the harsh realities of trafficking.

In the Fall our new Spiritual Advisor will surely inspire us with his Carmelite spirituality to reach for the higher things. We look forward to the completion of our Diocesan website, a weekend  retreat, (only 29 places left), and a  replenishment drive for the Men’s Clothing store in East Vancouver. We also need to continue exercising and insisting upon parental rights in education.

At Convention we bade farewell to our retiring Spiritual Advisor with a trip down memory lane and a presentation of a dancing water buffalo. If our Diocesan funds should ever run out, I know we can quickly restore them, by hiring out at a reasonable cost, for any occasion requiring a four legged beast, our President Elect and Resolutions Chairperson. But I warn you. The dance is extra.