Education and Health Communique #3

Submitted by: Jeanne Wilson

Blessing for a New Beginning

Blessings on you
As you take the next steps on your path.
May beauty and strength walk with you.
May the winds and rains anoint you.
May you experience all creation as friend.
And my gratitude
Be your constant companion
In the dance of life.

I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas.  I spent Christmas in Toronto with my daughter and husband.  When I returned, the temperature was -40C in Whitehorse with thick ice fog.  I hope everyone else started the new year warmer.

Reporting

Thank you to Deanne P., Victoria Diocese for submitting her annual report. Please have all the diocesan reports submitted by February 15th.

Catholic Health Association of B.C.

Thank you, to Gloria G. for agreeing to sit as the CWL representation on their committee.

Palliative Care

Cecile Miller in her last communiqué asked that each provincial chairperson of education and health address questions regarding palliative care.  I have attached the questions and would like each diocesan chair to ask their parish chairs to research the information, give the information to their diocesan chairs and then each diocesan chair try to synthesis the information and relay it back to me.  Cecile would like the information by May 31st.  Please get the information back to me by April 31st.

Coady International Institute

Each parish council is asked to donate $10.00 more so that the League would be able to provide a full bursary to each of three women.   Last year, the fund fell short of approximately $11,000.00.  Please encourage each parish council to give more to this very worthy fund.

Education

I received some information from the Catholic Civil Rights League regarding a meeting to push all-day kindergarten in BC for ages 3-5. According to Section 3 of the School Act, British Columbia children must participate in an educational program from the age of five until the age of 16, although a parent may defer enrolment until the age of six.  They are entitled to attend until the end of the school year in which they turn 19.

Kindergarten is not mandatory in BC.  A board of education or school authority will decide in consultation with the parents, whether a new student will begin in Kindergarten or Grade 1.

The new preschool programs, Strong Start BC and Ready, Set, Learn being offered in BC would be voluntary under the School Act for 3 and 4 year old children. Kindergarten is not mandatory in Yukon either.  In some communities kindergarten is offered to 4 year old children and 5 year old children.  In Whitehorse, kindergarten for 5 year olds is all day.

Genetics

The instruction, Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of the Person), was issued Dec. 12 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  It presents teachings, and in many cases moral prohibitions, in areas such as stem-cell research, human cloning, gene therapy and embryo experimentation. The BC Catholic newspaper, December 22 issue, has a good summary of the teaching.  The full instruction and a summary are available on the Vatican website.

Wishing everyone a good start to the New Year and many blessings throughout 2009. May Our Lady of Good Counsel keep you close.