Amen I say to you as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me. This quote from Matthew 25 set the tone for the 64th Annual BC and Yukon Provincial CWL Convention held in Penticton from June 1 – 5.

Velma Harasen, CWL National President, quoted Jesus and reflected on the National theme, Centred on Faith and Justice, and encouraged all 238 attendees at the 64th Provincial convention to be Women against Poverty, an initiative of the National Council and a focus for all CWL members for 2011. Velma presented social justice scenarios and asked attendees to discuss what would Jesus do and what can we do. As CWL members we are asked to work for justice in our communities and in Canada.

Provincial President, Nancy Simms, congratulated the CWL in BC and Yukon for having the courage to reach out and take the challenge to fight as united women against poverty.

The convention carried this theme throughout the two day business meeting with reports from standing chairs and the six diocesan presidents who told what each area was doing to fulfill this initiative.

Evelyn Vollet, Coordinator of Social Justice in the Vancouver Archdiocese, gave an overview of her job which covers the entire social apostolate from social justice issues to human rights advocacy to corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Evelyn asked the CWL to be aware of proposed legislation, which will impact refugees entering Canada.

The Gleaners of the Okanagan provided an excellent example of faith put into action by taking the surplus and imperfect fruits and vegetables of the Okanagan Valley and drying it, bagging it and making the dried surplus available, free of charge, to registered Canadian charities that ship and distribute the food to the poor throughout the world.

Fr. Tien Tran, Provincial CWL Spiritual Advisor, shared his story of coming to Canada in 1980 as a refugee and becoming a priest in 1993. He continued his story on the medical missions to Viet Nam he organizes every year to help the poor by bringing medicine, doctors, nurses and medical services.

Marie Cameron, a past National CWL president, enlightened us on the importance of archiving and ways to do it.

Deacon Paul Simms, our Provincial President’s son, ordained in May, shared the influences in his life that lead him to the priesthood. Deacon Paul gave four ways to encourage children and grandchildren in the faith: pray; set the example – be a witness for Christ, go to confession, talk positively about the church; teach the children – answer their questions about the faith and finally love. Children will develop a lasting relationship with Christ through parents.

Four resolutions were presented, discussed and passed: CWL representation at the United Nations for World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations; respect and protection for human embryos and human reproductive material; mandatory reporting of deliberate termination of pregnancy and prohibition of practices regarding human genetic material. These resolutions will be taken to the National CWL convention in August in Toronto.

The convention began with a mass celebrated by Fr. Tien Tran at St. John Vianney Parish and ended with a closing mass at St. Ann’s Parish with the main celebrant, Bishop Corriveau, Bishop of the Nelson Diocese.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the members who are ending in the middle or just beginning their term of office.

I have had a very adventuresome year.

I traveled with another member to smaller parishes where the priest only says mass once or twice a month.

Our first visit was to Dawson City. We flew up with our local airline, Air North, what is usually a one hour flight, took us two and one half hours due to fog. The pilot had to circle around for that time and finally found a hole in the fog to descend and land at Dawson City airport. We made it to mass for the final blessing.

We spent one, two or three days at each location we attended. It was a very rewarding experience and very encouraging meeting real grass roots people.

We experienced travel in rain, snow, cold weather and sunshine. On our last trip to Dawson City (to install the new St. Mary’s Council) we hit black ice 22 kilometers from our destination, lost control of our vehicle and finally came to a stop in a snow bank. God had his hand on our shoulder. I was badly bruised, my companion was fine and the car was a total write off. We carried on the next day to Mayo with Father Emeodi for mass and introduction to four ladies, one of whom became a member of CWL. Other settlements we visited brought four new CWL members to our diocese. The distance from Dawson City to Mayo is approximately 300 kilometres.

The Walk for Life was held in Whitehorse on May 12th in a snow storm blizzard, with thirty brave souls who faithfully came out.

Change for Change, Women against Poverty, was successful with the proceeds going to Sally and Sisters’ soup kitchen for women and children.

Our diocesan Convention was held at Fort Nelson B.C. It was small but productive. We were pleased to have Doreen Gowans, President Elect, who gave us inspiration with her workshop on, You are the League. Our every supportive Bishop Gary Gordon was on hand to install our new Diocesan Spiritual Director, Father Roger Lavoie.

My recommendation is to instil all members and prospective members to take an active role as chair persons and to hold offices that are left vacant. To realize how valuable we are that each one of us count for God and Canada. My prayer is to share with all Catholic women the value of being a member of the Catholic Women’s League.

What has happened:

Beginning in June, 2010, we held a Diocesan workshop for executive and officers, which proved helpful when starting our new year. In July, a planning meeting was held with brainstorming for the following year. Ideas for workshops and convention guest speakers were presented and all were used either at a mid-term meeting or a convention.

The convention in Ottawa was educational and eye-opening especially when discussing charities that National wished to support. One local council in our diocese supports Matercare International on a regular basis, and it was interesting to note, where their expenses go.

Most exciting of all, in February our diocese inducted a new university council with eleven charter members at the University of Victoria. We have only the second university council in Canada.

It is gratifying to see the League grow with younger members and different goals, while still adhering to League objectives. Two councils celebrated milestones: 25 years at St. Elizabeth’s in Saanich and 60 years at St. Edward’s, Duncan. The smaller councils of St. Elizabeth’s as well as Sacred Heart in Victoria both reported significant increases in their membership, giving renewed hope for council growth in the region.

Upcoming Events:

Seeds have been planted for a possible re-activation of one council in the Mill Bay/Shawnigan Lake region. We hope to start a combined council with members from Our Lady Queen of the World in Mill Bay and St. Francis Xavier in Shawnigan Lake. If successful, we hope to have this council going by the time of the 125th anniversary of St. Francis Xavier Church in Shawnigan Lake. It would make this the oldest council on Vancouver Island. A presentation will be made to these parishes in November.

In keeping with our Provincial focus on the poor, homeless and mentally ill, a Diocesan Retreat is planned for September 10, at Bethlehem Retreat Centre in Nanaimo. The title is: “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit”.

The Vancouver Diocesan council had elections this year and I am very happy to say that we have a full slate of Officers and Chairpersons. A big “Thank you” goes out to Evelyn Rigby, our then past president, who has worked hard to ensure that every eligible member was contacted; and of course to the members that were willing to let their names stand and “Step forward in Faith and Action”.

Our new diocesan theme is “All you need is love”, it ties in with the national theme of “Centred on Faith & Justice” and the provincial theme “Serving with Respect and Compassion”.

We are proud to report that we added 4 new councils last year; this brings the total of parish councils to 56. We have celebrated council anniversaries from 15 to 80 years; attended Papal Honours Celebration at Holy Rosary Cathedral with CWL Elected Officers and Life Members in the procession. In February the president with the president-elect attended the Vigil for Life Celebration at the Cathedral processing with our diocesan CWL banner.

In March we celebrated the Sister’s Appreciation Dinner at the Italian Cultural Centre, attended by 315 members, including 70 Sisters. Among these Sisters were Jubilarians, celebrating anniversaries from 50 to 75 years. This event is coordinated by our Christian Family Life Chairperson and alternates with the Priest’s Appreciation Dinner every other year.

For our Diocesan Lenten Retreat, organized by the Spiritual Development Chairperson, we listened and prayed with Fr. John Horgan, an excellent speaker from our diocese.

In March the Chilliwack CWL council hosted the President’s Tea, a social gathering to honour and thank those who stepped up to the parish president’s position, to put faces to names seen on communiqués and to talk to members encouraging them to stand for diocesan council in upcoming elections.

We had the privilege to bring greetings to the Anglican Church Women as they gathered for their annual general meeting.

A month ago we were busy with our 88th Annual Diocesan Convention, which was held at All Saints Parish in Coquitlam. Nancy Simms, the provincial president, brought greetings at the Opening Mass and was able to stay for half of the next day where she presented the workshop: “You are the League”. This was well received. In the afternoon Evelyn Vollet from the “Service & Justice Office” of the Vancouver chancery provided a slide show outlining her work and a discussion panel with representatives from “REED” re Human Trafficking, Immigration and Migrant Workers. The next day we were enlightened by John Noonan on parliamentary procedures. A few of our members are parliamentarians and belong to the Parliamentarian Association of BC and are well used at our conventions.

The Mental Health Presentation was provided by Dr. Shimi Kang, she is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC, Founder of the Provincial Youth Concurrent Disorders Program at BC Children’s Hospital and works as a Psychiatrist at BC Women’s Hospital. She is a dynamic speaker and certainly gave us a lot of information on mental health issues including addictions. I can see possible resolutions rising from her speech; hopefully we will have resolutions for next year, as we had none this year.

Members participated in the “March for Life” in Victoria. Our Christian Family Life Chairperson attended the “Focus on Life Gala Dinner”. This is a fundraiser for Signal Hill (formerly Pro Life), like ads for T.V., Internet media, bus benches and billboards.

Future plans are to hold a CWL Presentation at Christ the King Seminary in Mission this fall and we are looking into the possibility to have a presentation at St. Mark’s College as well.

During the next two years I am hoping to maintain the momentum and add new councils while assisting those who are struggling with leadership and membership.

The CWL is alive and well in the Diocese of Prince George. We are faith-filled, devoted women, active in our homes, our schools, our parishes, and our League.

We breathe prayer – we pray for the deceased, the sick, the lonely, and the heart broken. We pray for the world. We have prayer sisters, prayer partners, prayer lines, and prayer shawls. We pray alone and together – with our faith members and with the members of other faiths. We pray for healing. We pray the mass, the Way of the Cross, and the rosary. We pray to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Since good works count for something on the way to our Maker, we do good works. Needy children are fostered; funerals are catered to; vestments are purchased; missions, pregnancy centres, hospices, schools, and youth are supported. We work at blood donor clinics, Development and Peace functions, elders groups, cancer walks, and Meals on Wheels. How do we financially support these groups? Well, we donate and then sell baking, plants, and garage sale items. We cater meals, hold our own pancake suppers, and have bazaars.

We have fun! We have parties – barbecues, brunches, installation and reaffirmation ceremonies, pin presentations, Valentine teas, and dessert nights. We agree on legislation and resolutions, and sometimes we disagree. It’s good to hear a different opinion every now and then. We sometimes have elections; but we are more often acclaimed to our positions.

To stay on the good side of our priests, we fill so many ministries that you would think we owned the jobs. Guess what! Our priests love us for this, and we reap the graces of our good deeds so that when we do something a little out of line, they still love us.

We know that we don’t know everything, so we have guests at our meetings: from testimonials, to healing touch, to Alzheimer’s, to nurturing spirituality, to health topics, to meditation. You name it, we listen to it!

We live the League. We study legislation and resolutions. We believe in having our voice heard, so our MPs, MLAs, and senators hear from us. We hold special events to focus on poverty because we are ‘women against poverty’. We complete our reports.

Phew! That’s only three months of activities. At this rate, I think that we could rule the world. Nothing can hold us back! Well, maybe the weather might slow us down a bit, as it did early this year. Many women couldn’t make it to the meetings because the snow and cold clogged our streets and killed our batteries.

The above comments came from the oral reports at our diocesan convention held at the beginning of April. In all seriousness, I believe that every diocesan council membership fits the description that I have just read.

Thank you for your prayers for our success. The Prince George Diocese will remember you when we pray. We are truly centred on faith and justice.

Where do the days go? It seems like yesterday I was giving my first report on the Nelson Diocese. Our parish councils have reported with enthusiasm of the many works they are involved with as they serve their church communities. At our Diocesan Convention, listening to the parish presidents reporting on their activities, I heard the pride and uniqueness of each council.

Many councils have adopted the method of 1/3rd business, 1/3rd spiritual and 1/3rd social. This method for the monthly meetings I see as a tool for growth, I think this will help to increase our membership We say we cannot encourage younger members. Yet if we share prayer and fun, the work is easy and the fear of leadership is less frightening

Having said this, do not think we don’t have struggling councils, we do! There are many things that must happen; we must adhere to change of executive. There is a good reason for executive to stay on in a position for only two years. When I was on council executive I thought being organization chair was the best position anyone could have, two years went by quickly, time to move on to President. To my wonder that became the best position ever. They are the best if we do them with joy and fulfillment, after two years others want the job because they saw how much fun I had doing it.

Here I am today, happy to be reporting for our Nelson Diocese, telling you I am proud to be serving our councils in the League.

We haven’t had any great lightening bolts strike. However we had a wonderful convention this May. It was packed with spiritual, with fun and lots of laughter and we all learned a lot through experience and presentations, our Nelson Diocesan C.W.L. is growing in enthusiasm and love for the League and slowly our membership is growing.

Change for Change was received well in our Diocese, most of the councils celebrated mass for Our Lady of Good Counsel with having a collection and the money going to a local charity to help the poor and homeless in their community.

Yes, the year has gone by too fast. This has been a year of learning and growing within the League. I have achieved my goal, that communication is a way to success. Without communication we live in a cocoon, we do not see the light of day. I have had the opportunity to meet many of the ladies of our diocese through workshops and of course, at the convention in Nelson.

This year was our 75th annual convention, along with the Diocese of Nelson also celebrating 75 years as a Diocese. The Bishop celebrated our closing Mass with the church full to capacity.

I have had the pleasure of attending Provincial and National conventions, as well as Provincial and Diocesan mid-term meetings. All this has helped me to reach out to our Parish Councils with strength and guidance to grow in our work for God and Canada.

“A new position of responsibility will usually show a man to be a far stronger creature than was supposed.” William James

Yes, a new position as Kamloops Diocesan President is what I am undertaking as I speak. I ask the Holy Spirit to be with me as I make decisions and carry out new projects.

First, I would like to tell you a bit about myself. I was born in McCreary, Manitoba and am the oldest of thirteen children – six boys and seven girls. We moved to Surrey, BC in 1956. We spoke French at home and I was surprised when I went to school and had to learn English. I married Clem in 1963 and had two boys-Kevin and Trevor. I have four grandchildren-one boy, Matthew and three girls, Jessica, Kirstyn, and Deanna. I taught French-Immersion classes in Chase, BC and Kamloops, BC for 18 years. My husband passed away in 2004. In the fall of 2007, I moved to Orchard’s Walk on the east side of Kamloops.

At this time, I would like to share with you the goals that I have set for the Kamloops Diocesan Council for the coming two years. I have chosen Poverty as my number one priority. I intend to convey to my Councils the need to concentrate on this important aspect of true Christian living. “The Lord hears the cry of the poor” but the reply must come from us- the body of Christ. I will be sending out a communiqué stating the various steps that can be taken to carry out this task. We will make an attempt to find speakers to talk on this subject, recommend that resolutions be undertaken, try to raise understanding of poverty in our parishes and communities, continue to support local causes, perhaps donate money in relative’s names for gifts, etc. If gardening, we might donate some of the produce to food banks and also volunteer our time. We will need to take a good look as to where we spend our disposable income and see where we can cut and give to the poor instead. These are some of the ideas I intend to throw out to our parish councils in the near future.

Following this, my second goal is to act on raising awareness of the dignity of women for the empowerment of our members. I would like to use a number of techniques to achieve self-confidence and self-esteem. First of all at a suggestion from our Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Dale Normandeau, I would like to undertake the study of “Mulieris Dignitatem”, an encyclical which deals with the dignity of women. With this document in mind, I intend to work on empowering our members by using a variety of methods so that each member has a feeling of uniqueness and value.

In order to achieve these goals, we will keep in mind that prayer and self-sacrifice must accompany us on this journey. With God as our leader we can accomplish much! Every deed that we do for a neighbour, no matter how small, adds up enormously in the big picture. So “If you think you are too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” Anita Roddick

Founded a century ago, WUCWO now represents 100 Catholic women’s organizations in 60 countries and today has over 5 million members worldwide. In 2006 it was erected by the Holy See as a Public International Association of the Faithful. WUCWO has consultative status at the United Nations*, and is present at the Council of Europe. Through our membership in the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, we are all members.

WUCWO’s primary focus is to network with other international organisations and faith communities for the respect of human rights, especially for women and to present the positions of WUCWO and represent the member organisations to international bodies.

At the General Assembly, in Jerusalem, last October we were represented at the table by our National President, Velma Harasen. At that time Agnes Bedard completed her term as vice-president for North America. I sincerely urge anyone who did not read the account of the Centenary Assembly in the Winter issue of the League Magazine to find a copy and give yourself a treat. Each article made their experience, steeped in history, come alive and made me wish I had been there. Elections were held with Maria Giovanna Ruggieri of Italy chosen by the newly elected board as the President-General for 2010 – 2014 replacing Karen M. Hurley of the United States. Luba Kowalchyk of Edmonton was elected to the board to represent all member organization in Canada for the next four years.

The new theme is “Love in Action” and I look forward to seeing how this will unfold.

The WUCWO magazine called Women’s Voice is published 3 times a year and is worth every penny. I suggest your council take out a subscription and share this worthwhile magazine.

In her address to the General Assembly in Rome Karen Hurley, stated: “We look forward to a future full of hope where the opportunities for women to promote the culture of life and peace exceed any challenges. Increased collaboration with the Holy See, other catholic-inspired Non-Governmental Organization, other organizations of good will, as well as the media, can lead to a cultural and societal transformation which respects and promotes human dignity.

On the CWL Website, it’s interesting to note that The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations Monthly Message for May 2011 reads….”On the occasion of the 45th World Day of Social Communications (entitled) “Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age” (June 5, 2011), the Holy Father asks us to pray especially for those working in the media to be respectful in truth, solidarity and dignity of each person, addressing the spreading of communication through the Internet and thus continuing a reflection begun in previous years: “The task of witnessing to the Gospel in the digital era calls for everyone to be particularly attentive to the aspects of that message which can challenge some of the ways of thinking typical of the web.”

Please keep the Holy Father’s intentions in your prayers that it may be so. Keep also in your prayers the intentions of the newly elected WUCWO Board that they may be strong and effective leaders.

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*ECOSOC (Economic & Social Council), UNESCO (United Nations |Educational, “Scientific & Cultural Organization), FAO (Food & Agricultural Organization), ILO (International Labour) and HRC (Human Rights Council)

Well, here you are. After two years of having fingers in all the pies, the phone demanding your attention and for some running interference, you can finally just sit back and relax. Just kidding! Your new role calls upon the Past-President to assist the new President in a consultative capacity, be responsible for the archives and history of her council and to encourage study and implementation of the Constitution and Bylaws.

With all your experience and expertise, you have become a precious resource for your council and your new President. I was particularly blessed to have the past presidents before me always ready to assist in any way they could and, of course, I am fortunate to have a president that keeps me in the picture as well. Sadly, in some councils, this is not always the case.

Getting to know the Constitution and Bylaws, believe it or not, can be very interesting and a lot of fun. This is an excellent resource for members to learn how our organization works. Read a small section at each meeting or have a question period. Try using the Jeopardy Game, if a copy can still be found. Use your imagination. We did, and played an enthusiastic rendition at the Spring Provincial Midterm Meeting.

Are your archives up to date? Do you know where they are? In someone’s basement perhaps? Every council has to keep a record of their own minutes and their own membership lists because this information is not stored at another level of the League. With so many photos being taken with digital cameras, are there hard copies for the files with names and dates for the council’s scrapbook? Every council is unique in what they preserve in their archives, but what I discovered in reading through the annual reports was that very few councils maintain an Archival Index. This is simply one page that lists everything in your archives and where it is located with a copy of the list in each location if there is more than one. Ideally, your precious history should be kept in a neutral location but, of course, that is not always possible.

I would like to read a quote that has been attributed to Nelson Mandela but it was actually written by Marianne Williamson. (A Return to Love l992 Jack C Wilson & J Cooke)

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same. ………….”

Congratulations for having the courage to step up to the plate and carry the banner for your council – for letting your light shine. May Our Lady of Good Counsel bless you as you mentor your League sisters and grow in the knowledge and love of God.

It is my pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of all our provincial life members and to share with you that those who are unable to be with us to-day for various reasons are with us in spirit as they offer prayers for the success of this convention.

Congratulations are in order to all 18 newly nominated life members from across Canada which includes three well deserving members currently serving on our provincial executive- Sandra Stadjuhar, Nelson Diocese, Doreen Gowans, Kamloops Diocese, Lois Charlebois, Vancouver Diocese, making a total of 6 life members on our provincial executive. Wow, impressive or what?

Thank you for your commitment to the League and welcome as you join our ‘ranks’ bringing our provincial total to 45.

Sadly, we lost five life members from our province since our convention last year. Two of them were former BC & Yukon provincial presidents, Jackie Lendaruzzi and Rose Kamm but we rejoice and give thanks as we remember the dedicated service all of them gave to the League and are grateful that they shared their stories in ”A Journey of Memories’. Do you suppose they have a formed a CWL council in heaven?

Prayer requests for life members and their families are channeled between national, provincial and diocesan liaisons who then forward them to life members in their dioceses. Awesome – a prayer chain across Canada you might say! Cards and condolences were mailed out as required.

I am honored to be presenting at the banquet the Life Members’ Arts & Culture Award to the third recipient and delighted to share with you the exciting news that the winner of last years award, Lucille Schaubroeck, who is currently attending the University of Victoria, is president-elect of the newly formed campus CWL Council, the first of its kind in our province. How good does that get?

Life members who are still active continue to be involved in various League levels. Invite them to share their gifts; they are just a phone call away. Communicating is vital in this position so as another year begins thank you to my counterparts for keeping me informed. May your League journey be one of faith, joy, sharing & caring.

Christian Family Life Standing Committee Responsibilities are:

• Marriage and Family
• Sanctity of Life
• Ministry to Youth, Disabled, Seniors, Widowed, Separated, Divorced
• Vocations

Christian Family Life Chairpersons have a great deal of work to do—to serve such a large part of our Church communities. Many different people make up the families in these Church communities. There are:

• Children—usually happy, joyful, busy
• Teens—wanting to be older and often seem unable to wait to be older
• Adults—often wishing they were younger—with fewer responsibilities
• Seniors—many happy with where they are—some wishing they were younger

We all learn from one another. As we go through life we experience many things: happiness and sadness, difficulties and pleasures, sickness and health etc.

We encounter many different people and many different kinds of families— some prosperous and some living in poverty.

Our National Executive have asked us to focus on poverty in our communities and our world. We are asked to be “Women Against Poverty”. We must try to help to eliminate poverty—with its lack of human rights, food, clean water, health, safe places to live, etc.

Chairpersons of Christian Family Life are asked to focus on:

• single parent family needs of affordable housing, safe cradles, and mental health services and networking opportunities
• seniors needs
• youth needs

The Provincial Executive has been asked to focus on homelessness and mental illness. In most of our larger cities, these are two main problems. We must hope, pray, and encourage our governments at all levels to take action to help families with these problems so that these families become more independent—and help them to be able to meet their daily needs with a sense of basic dignity.

Our province has one the highest rates of child poverty. Across our country, one in ten children and their families live in poverty. The plight of single parents, aboriginal families, victims of violence, people with physical and mental disabilities – many of whom are living in inadequate housing – need to be addressed.

We must try to reach out to our sisters and brothers in our churches and communities who are living in poverty and try to help them. In my parish much of this work is being done by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. I support them in my parish with donations and verbal support.

My report in our Convention booklet is just a sound bite of all the great works that are being done across BC and the Yukon. Please take the time to read it.

We have a winner for the 2011 Molly Boucher Bursary; her name will be brought forward at our evening banquet. This bursary was established to provide some financial assistance to a member of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada in BC & Yukon who wishes to further her education.

I ask that you please support Catholic Schools in your area. I was pleased to find out that those who don’t have Catholic schools helped out in whatever way they could in their public schools. Our new minister of education for BC is Honorable George Abbott and Yukon minister Honorable Patrick Rouble. Go to the government web sites for more information on this portfolio.

Although the teachers are doing a great job with our children, we as parents must be on top of what our children are up to these days. In the news we hear about bullying still being strong in schools. We must be firm with our own children at home first, about the non acceptance of bullying anywhere, be it home, public or in the school. The BC Government has on their web site a program called “Call it Safe”, a parent’s guide for dealing with bullying in elementary and secondary schools. I highly recommend this read especially if you are having problems in this area, or if you are a volunteer at your local school, church or community.

Our Provincial sub-theme “Serving with Respect & Compassion” calls us to action. We have been asked to focus on “Mental Illness and Homelessness”. I would like to share a few interesting thoughts with you today on Mental Health which I found on our provincial government web site.

As I am sure you know that mental illnesses affect people in all occupations, educational and income levels and cultures. No one is immune, and at some point in our lives, we are likely to be affected through a mental illness in a family member, friend or colleague. The “Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health” has identified that the stigma of mental illnesses and preventing discrimination against people with mental illnesses, as one of the most pressing priorities for improving the mental health of Canadians. Educating the public about mental illness is the first step toward reducing the stigma and encouraging greater acceptance and understanding of mental illness. Developing and enforcing policies that address discrimination and human rights violations provides incentives. Dispelling the myths surrounding mental illness, requires community education programs, and including programs in our schools. Such programs can help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and improve the early recognition of a problem. They may also be instrumental not only in encouraging people to seek care but also in creating a supportive environment for the individual.

The BC Government has released “Healthy Mind, Healthy People: A 10 Year Plan to Address Mental Health and Substance Use in British Columbia,” which focuses on prevention, early intervention, treatment and sustainability.

It is my suggestion that you go to your local Mental Health Association in your area and see what is happening and ask what you can do to help. Also see if you can get a guest speaker on this subject at one of your meetings and open it up to the parish, and go from there.

For more in-depth information on Mental Health issues check our government web site for the minister of health for BC ; Honorable Michael de Jong ,as well as Minister of Health and Social Services for the Yukon, Honorable Glenn Hart.

In closing I ask that you check you CWL national web site for resolutions pertaining to this chair.

I would like to thank all the newest Resolutions chairpersons, for saying YES to taking on this standing committee. How many members in this room have been or are now resolutions chairpersons?

This year I am looking forward to working with: Diane from the Kamloops Diocese, Angelina from the Vancouver Diocese and, Betty from the Prince George Diocese

Along with those who have already served one year: Therese from the Victoria Diocese, Gloria from the Nelson Diocese and Edna from the Whitehorse Diocese

I also extend a huge thank you to the members of the Kamloops diocese who prepared four Resolutions to come before this convention! What great work you have done! CWL Representative at UN for WUCWO, Prohibition of Practices Re Human Genetic Material, Stats Canada Abortion Reporting, National Standards for Human Reproductive Material.

Thanks also to all of you that attended our Resolutions Dialogue prior to the convention. It is such a great way to learn more about how to write resolutions, and I do hope to receive many more next year!

Out of the 75 of 132 annual reports I received I was very pleased to note that you are making attempts to write letters to your local MLA’s and MP’s regarding our issues and also that you are endeavouring to have workshops and are hosting presentations regarding our issues. Our National Resolutions Chairperson, Ann Gorman, is requesting that you also keep track of how many letters you write and how many responses you get back from our elected officials. You may pass this information through your annual reports or your Diocesan Resolutions Chairperson and then on to me.

For those councils not submitting any Resolutions, I do hope you will embrace the ones presented at this convention and participate enthusiastically in the recommended actions.

This year, what with all the changes in government elections, etc., it was extremely difficult – even impossible to book a meeting with the government in Victoria. Now that our Premier has been sworn in, it should make it a bit easier. I am making every attempt to put together a fall meeting and will certainly keep you informed.

As Catholic Women’s League members we are fortunate to receive opportunities to develop spiritually and are able to grow in our faith, we receive 95,000 prayers daily, we are provided with leadership workshops that give us confidence in public speaking and self esteem building which enable us to take leadership roles in the Catholic Women’s League, at home and possibly at our place of work. We are women who affirm one another. We form friendships with other sisters in the League and are given many opportunities to use our God given gifts and talents to make our world a better place for everyone. We are educated on current issues facing women and our families today with chances to make changes through participation in the Resolution and Legislation processes. If we truly want to make a difference we need our numbers to increase so our voice can be heard especially when we meet annually with our Provincial, Territorial and Federal Governments.

As Organization Standing Committee Chairs we are entrusted with the responsibility of increasing and maintaining our membership numbers. Our BC & Yukon Provincial Council is one of three Provincial Councils in all of Canada that has seen an increase in our membership. At the end of 2010 we had 9,808 members only 192 from our goal of 10,000 members. Thank you to those of you who have invited a new person to join the League. Membership is not only the responsibility of the Organization chairs but also the responsibility of each member of every council. How many new members have you brought to a meeting?

Do you see the League as starving, feeling hunger pains due to the lack of food and nourishment? Personally – I do! You see until we have every woman in our parish join us as members in the League – we are starving and lacking nourishment. Each one of us has been given gifts and talents from God and we are going to be held accountable for our actions or lack thereof. If we are not openly inviting the lady next to us in the pew, or the lady washing dishes at the parish pot luck dinner to become a member we are not accepting our responsibility to grow the League. If we are not reaching out and asking her to join us, we are potentially passing up an opportunity to give the new member a chance to use her gifts and talents to enrich our lives and to feed us spiritually. How do we know what we are missing unless we invite and ask each woman to join us? How does the non-member know what she may be missing if we do not reach out to her and give her the opportunity to join us?

May I suggest you purchase small cards from the dollar store and print on the inside the details of your next meeting with a contact person’s phone number. The next time you see a non-member present her with the card and personally invite her to join. You may choose to offer the lady a ride to the meeting. Perhaps your council could hold a contest to see which member could hand out the most invitation cards. Let’s see what we can do to achieve the goal of 10,000 members by the end of 2011.

Enrich your parish councils by bringing in new members and inviting them to share their gifts and talents with all of us for the success of the League.

What does community mean to you? When you hear the word community what comes to your mind? Becoming a community life chairperson can be an awesome task. So many challenges, topic’s and concerns to choose from, how do you do justice to all these issues/problems. The temptation might be to despair and think what we do is so small and useless!

We could just throw up our hands in despair OR we can join hands in prayer, light a candle, write to MP”s or MLA”s, OR give of our time and talent to solve one issue little by little, and at the same time move forward with positive passion in all that the League holds dear. Who are we? We are women of peace and hope, looking ahead centred on faith and justice.

We declared April 26th “Day of Action” how has this helped councils to focus on poverty and all its ramifications. Did you know poverty is not only being hungry, naked or homeless? The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, abused, uncared for this is the greatest poverty! All of us need to focus on how to remedy this kind of poverty in our homes, schools, parishes and communities.

So how can you and I help, or change these issues? How many times have you listened or sang the hymn “Here I am Lord” did you feel the Lord speaking directly to you? Did you feel or hear his presence in your life? I have several times. In the past year I have focused my communiqués to my counterparts on what concerns are most important in their own parish and community. Zoning in on issues one by one seems to work best and prevents one from feeling overwhelmed. I have made contact with the diocesan community life chairs in five communiqués:

Information on Bill C474 Genetically altered foods; poverty in our communities and around the world; challenge to declare April 26th A Day of Action; information on resolution 2009-01 asbestos manufacturing and sales in Canada and recommendation to members on what they can do to keep resolution 2009-01 Exit strategies for prosecuted women up front.

Two letters were sent by mail to diocesan community life chairs welcoming them to their positions and introducing myself, and what I expect to accomplish with their help and a directive on issues that arose in their annual reports on how to focus in on one issue at a time, and how to let their councils know how to do reports and why they are so important.

How have councils in BC participated re Day of Action on anti poverty issues?

What some councils reported:

• Some went without lunch and donated the money to a poor family.
• Some did the change to change and donated the money to local charities.
• Some members volunteered at St Vincent de Paul
• Some invited neighbouring councils to lunch were a collection was held for D&P
• Some had collections at mass to alleviate poverty and make a change.
• Some councils let members choose something they wanted to do to help the poor.
• One council paid registration fees for students in there parish to attend youth net ministries.
• Some built a mountain with food donations for St Vincent de Paul.

In closing let me end with words from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta!

The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love,

The fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace.

In Richmond, one year ago I accepted appointment to the CWL provincial executive.

At the Post Convention Meeting, as Nancy appointed positions – I suddenly realized that there was one name and one standing committee position left to be called and both began with L. They were Legislation and Lorrilee. I had never served as Legislation Standing Committee chairperson at any level! What could I do? – “Let Go and Let God!” And so began my exciting, challenging and inspiring first year as Legislation Chairperson!

As stated in Leading the League Manual, legislation is social justice in action. It is the carrying out of League resolutions to influence government policy. We must be aware, analyze and evaluate issues and legislation and then either actively support or oppose them.

Over the years there have been many resolutions pertaining to many kinds of justice – social, global, criminal etc. Your sisters in the League have worked diligently to research and formulate resolutions that have been presented to all levels of governments to address many kinds of injustice.

Our National theme – Centred in Faith and Justice clearly speaks to us saying – “Love Your Neighbour – in FAITH help those in need.”

The BC and Yukon Council, during this term, is concentrating on mental illness and homelessness. Valuable information regarding this can be accessed on the government or other websites in the HUMA report. (Standing Committee of Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities). The report draws out links to poverty and mental health and sets out sixty detailed recommendations.

The BC Ministry of Social Development, through the Community Assistance Program, helps community groups provide services to people who experience multiple barriers to independence – such as mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness. Also, the Provincial Government has a ten year plan to address Mental Health and Substance Use in BC. The plan addresses fetal alcohol syndrome, youth transition planning, community based treatment services with mental illness and problematic substance use.

Federally, watch for Bill C-559 to be reintroduced in Parliament – A proposed Amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination and to protect people who are experiencing social and economic disadvantage – eg. homelessness or similar circumstance.

Legislation Chairpersons: Always present a Legislation report at your General Meeting. Continue to monitor and study legislation as it is being processed. Review resolutions and their Action Plans. A tsunami of change, both federally and provincially, is probable on issues of health care, natural resources, education, environment and major justice issues. Encourage letter writing to elected officials so they know we want THEM to support and uphold our Christian values and effect change for society at large. PRAY that all legislators will receive the wisdom to see the value and dignity of each human being.

I recently attended a funeral where Fr. Dale Normandeau referred to the BEATITUDES as the “CONSTITUTION OF GOD”. This befits our National and Provincial themes perfectly. The highest law of God portrays Jesus’ charity; it requires our response and describes for us the paths that lead to heaven, step by step by our everyday actions.

Each one of us, by our actions, can and must ignite and pass on a light to speak for those who are ill and/or underprivileged. May we all be passionate and dedicated to make this world a better place, respecting the dignity and rights of all people.

Every level of the CWL whether it is national, provincial, diocesan or parish relies on communication to get its message across to each member and to other Catholics.

At the National level -the League Magazine published three times a year ensures that the policies and views of the CWL are circulated to each member. Everyone is invited to submit articles and read it from cover to cover.

National operates a website which contains all the information about the CWL. All the forms and national standing chair communiqués are on the website. The Policy and Procedure, the ceremonies manual, the secretary’s handbook, all the resolutions etc. are available on the website.

National has a monthly e-newsletter, BeLeague. Again, everyone is invited to submit pictures, council news, and read about what our sisters across Canada are doing.

Provincial also operates a website where members can find all the provincial standing committee communiqués, provincial forms and the newsletter. The newsletter is publish twice a year and is available on the website. Please contribute your council news and read and share the newsletter.

Communication standing chairs are required to promote media for evangelization. We are blessed with excellent media for evangelization. Salt + Light television has produced some excellent videos that can be used at the parish level such as the recent video on Saint Brother Andre’. Catholic Organization for Life and Family has excellent publications for use at meetings and for workshops. Our own diocesan newspapers have excellent articles that can be shared at meetings. The League produced an excellent booklet last year on Prayers and Workshops for Women of Peace and Hope- great inspirational ideas.

We are also called to promote the League using media. Use the church bulletin, your diocesan newspapers and the local newspapers and inform the community on the work of the CWL.

Our world is full of media – television, the internet and print. Some is good and some is biased and distorted. We are called to monitor media content. If the content is not acceptable, write a letter or phone the source of the media and state your objections. Remember to praise good media.

Communications is concerned with pornography. Many councils support the work of CASE which is working toward eliminating child pornography on the internet. Many councils take part in the WRAP campaign and take their white ribbons to their MPs. Always be vigilant – pornography is degrading to women and children and should not be tolerated.

As individual members of the CWL we are asked to communicate to other members and to the parish the work of the CWL. Remember that face to face contact is what makes or breaks the CWL in your parish. Be a good communicator – a good listener and a good positive example.

The use of the computer has made it possible to connect everyone. Can we use the computer to our advantage and promote the League through use of the computer?

Our Bishop is urging us to use technology to reach out to our rural sisters and spread the good news of the CWL. Recently I met the one practicing Catholic of a rural community and talked to her about becoming a member. She gave me her email address and asked me to forward some CWL information. One member connected to other members is what the CWL is about. Let’s join all our sisters together whether it is in a small rural community or a large urban parish.

WOW! Wonderful Outstanding Women! That is truly what I found in each one of you as I traveled throughout our province attending diocesan conventions. I know at your conventions I told you, but I will say it again, all of you and the work that you do and the stories you hold in your lives, you are my inspiration!

You are doctors, lawyers, teachers, secretaries, and mothers, mothers who have raised, loved and sometimes had to bury your children. You are women who have stood by with love for your husbands or had the courage of self respect to stand alone with God. You have had the courage to reach out and take the challenge to fight as united Women Against Poverty. You fight against human trafficking and the perils of homelessness and mental illness. You feed the hungry and clothe the naked and so much more.

I am so proud and humbled to be representing you at the national table. On your behalf I have attended the 2010 national convention, and two national mid-term meetings. I have chaired two provincial mid-term meetings and attended four of your diocesan conventions. And I thank Doreen Gowans for attending the other two diocesan conventions in my stead.

During my first year as your president I have tried to encourage members to get to know their priests and spiritual advisors for the people that they are their interests, concerns, joys and lives. To not just try to squeeze your spiritual advisors into the same square box with each other, but to recognize their personal gifts and talents and to allow those talents to shine through to your members. So now my question to you is: How is this going? What have you learnt about your spiritual advisor? Have you grown into greater friendships with them? I pray you have and if not there’s no time like the present!

In closing I would like to share with you some of the other amazing men, besides the many priests that I have met in my travels and what they have taught me. Of when my flight was delayed three hours and I had missed all my connecting flights even before I left home and the fourteen year old boy with long hair and ripped blue jeans that I prayed would sit no where near me became my flight companion and was the most articulate, intelligent young man I had ever met, who told me when I asked him what he was going to take for post secondary school, that he did not feel a need for external validation of internal knowledge. Of the man who I sat beside and thought, “he sure looks familiar” and it wasn’t until he was sound asleep on the plane that I realized was Victor Malarek, the renowned reporter and author bringing public attention the travesties of human trafficking. And in that quiet encounter he witnessed to the fact that he is just one human during what he can against evil. Of the man who in polite conversation questioned why I was travelling and coaxed me to share what organization I belonged to, only for him to share that he was a Catholic and for us to continue for hours of wonderful conversation of religion, faith and family. This man was the retired commander general of our Canadian army and as we parted he hugged me and thanked me for all he had learnt. And of the man who sat beside me not knowing why I was travelling, but only that I was late and gave me the friendly encouragement that all would be well.

Because I have had the honour of travelling on your behalf I have had the honour of meeting these men who reminded me to not only reach out in love at conventions, but everywhere I go. Just as each of you wonderful outstanding women do every day of your lives.

There have been no extraordinary expenses in 2011. To June 1st, per capita of $38,960 has been received for 111 members for 2010 and 7681 members for 2011. Funds are being received much quicker than last year. Once our application is processed, the per capita will now be deposited directly into our account.

The interim report shows a profit of almost $11,000, but I estimate that after convention expenses have been paid, that profit will disappear. We will rely on the balance of per capita to carry us through the year.

At present, there is over $11,000 to add to the GIC for the national convention fund in July. Funds will be transferred to the host committee upon presentation and acceptance of a budget.

Interest rates have improved slightly – the two GIC’s renewed in January are earning 1.75% as compared to 1% last year.

The executive are monitoring expenses, and hopefully the bottom line at the end of 2011 will indicate good stewardship.

I will now report on 2010 finances.

The transfer of signing authority was not finalized until mid-August 2010, so the transfer of books, etc. took place at that time. An audit was performed to July 31st. The new auditor is a CWL member and an accountant in a firm in Trail. The review was not performed through the business, but privately at a very reasonable rate.

When setting up accounts in a new computer program, I began to investigate the $1 per capita for hosting a national convention and realized that the financial position of our council was not being reflected accurately using the cash basis system. Please note that there was no error in the reporting – just that the cash basis system is very limited.

After discussion with the auditor, I presented statements using both the cash basis and accrual system at the Fall executive meeting with the recommendation that the change should be made.

To set up the liability accounts, with an accurate opening balance, adjustments were made in the retained earnings – thus giving a true account of operations for 2010.

The 2010 Financial Statement is on pages 24-27 of the convention book. Page 25, the balance sheet, shows the liability accounts that were established and the profit/loss adjustment to retained earnings of previous years. There is an explanation of both the liabilities and the profit/loss adjustment in the notes on page 27.

Page 26 is the statement of operations.

The $1 per capita of $10, 042 is included in the per capita amount as revenue and offset by the national convention host expense of $10,042, thus not affecting the bottom line. Interest income that is restricted to the development fund is also handled this way. (Note – liability is $10043 – this is due to the spreadsheet program rounding the numbers differently – actual liability and expense/revenue is$10042.41)

We had a year end profit of $1945.

I would like to make a motion that the auditor’s review engagement report for 2010 be accepted as presented. (note: The motion was seconded and carried)

Note: The financial statement will not be posted on the website, but is available in the convention book. All presidents will have this book, or may contact me for the statement.

It is said, the strength of the League is directly measured in proportion to the depth of member’s spirituality. And in our provincial family, you have shown that you are spiritually strong and dedicated to this rewarding and important segment of the league.

As members of the League we are asked to be centred on faith & justice and to serve with respect and compasion.

As Catholic Christians we are directed to:

• Pray always,
• Fast sometimes,
• Give alms whenever we can,
• And provide corporal works of mercy as the need arises.

But there is one more requirement that our lord asks of us

That is to live a life of joy…. Sometimes described as: ”mellowness of heart and spirit”.

Now this may be something that you may not quite understand so here’s an example: this story taken from Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s book – The Holy Longing: The Search for Christian Spirituality.

A group was attending a conference at a retreat centre located outside of Brussels, Belgium. In this group was a nun belonging to the order of the Sisters of Charity (the same order as Mother Teresa). On the last day the organizers declared, there would be a free afternoon of’ R & R and the best part, they would visit the city for a leisurely afternoon lunch complete with a bottle of  ’vino’.

As the day approached everyone eagerly looked forward to the anticipated joyful afternoon. Later that evening, assembling for the final gathering each person said what they liked best about the day.

Slowly, the humble nun approached the microphone and said,”I had a conversion today. My conversion began with the announcement of the free afternoon. From the second it was announced something inside of me froze up and I grew extremely angry. I kept thinking – what an insult to the poor, what a waste of time and money! I didn’t want to participate, but i stayed with the group because I didn’t want to get lost.When we entered the cafe I suddenly became nauseated. I just couldn’t go through with it, so I went and sat on the bus. I waited for a long time and many thoughts ran through my head. I asked myself the question, “Would Jesus be in there eating and drinking and having a good time”?

“Then I had the horrible realization that: yes indeed… He would be!

John the baptist – on the other hand, with his leather belt and his grasshoppers would be with me on the bus boycotting all this joy in the name of the poor!

Suddenly, I realized that there was something very wrong with me.

There was something “cold” inside of me. I had become like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son doing all the right things, but having no celebration in my heart!”

Question: are you sometimes lacking in the practice of mellowness of heart and spirit?

Of course, the moral of the story is “balance” in our lives that’s the key.

So let us try to always be aware to make the greatest of efforts to be joyful in all that we do for God and Canada.

Put a smile in your heart and tell your heart to tell your face!

God loves you, you require nothing more.

As Catholic Women’s League members we are fortunate to receive opportunities to develop spiritually and are able to grow in our faith, we receive 95,000 prayers daily, we are provided with leadership workshops that give us confidence in public speaking and self esteem building which enable us to take leadership roles in the Catholic Women’s League, at home and possibly at our place of work. We are women who affirm one another. We form friendships with other sisters in the League and are given many opportunities to use our God given gifts and talents to make our world a better place for everyone. We are educated on current issues facing women and our families today with chances to make changes through participation in the resolution and legislation processes. If we truly want to make a difference we need our numbers to increase so our voice can be heard especially when we meet annually with our Provincial, Territorial and Federal Governments.

As Organization Standing Committee Chairs we are entrusted with the responsibility of increasing and maintaining our membership numbers. Our BC & Yukon Provincial Council is one of three Provincial Councils in all of Canada that has seen an increase in our membership. At the end of 2010 we had 9,808 members only 192 from our goal of 10,000 members. Thank you to those of you who have invited a new person to join the League. Membership is not only the responsibility of the Organization chairs but also the responsibility of each member of every council. How many new members have you brought to a meeting?

Do you see the League as starving, feeling hunger pains due to the lack of food and nourishment? Personally – I do! You see until we have every woman in our parish join us as members in the League – we are starving and lacking nourishment. Each one of us has been given gifts and talents from God and we are going to be held accountable for our actions or lack thereof. If we are not openly inviting the lady next to us in the pew, or the lady washing dishes at the parish pot luck dinner to become a member we are not accepting our responsibility to grow the League. If we are not reaching out and asking her to join us, we are potentially passing up an opportunity to give the new member a chance to use her gifts and talents to enrich our lives and to feed us spiritually. How do we know what we are missing unless we invite and ask each woman to join us? How does the non-member know what she may be missing if we do not reach out to her and give her the opportunity to join us?

May I suggest you purchase small cards from the dollar store and print on the inside the details of your next meeting with a contact person’s phone number. The next time you see a non-member present her with the card and personally invite her to join. You may choose to offer the lady a ride to the meeting. Perhaps your council could hold a contest to see which member could hand out the most invitation cards. Let’s see what we can do to achieve the goal of 10,000 members by the end of 2011.

Enrich your parish councils by bringing in new members and inviting them to share their gifts and talents with all of us for the success of the League.

How many of you here today have served as secretaries? At the parish level? At the diocesan level? Well thank you to those who have done, and to those who presently serve at either level.

As secretaries we are expected to be so many things: It may be the warm voice on the end of the telephone line responding to a distress call about a lost credential; the sender of an email with an answer, immediate and concise; the composer of reports and letters; the resource for addresses and up-to-date lists which never seem to stay the same for more than a month at a time; the one who stocks up on thank-you cards and buys the stamps; and of course, the one receiving most attention now and for posterity, as the compiler of minutes.

In formal terms there is the basic list of responsibilities listed in the Constitution and Bylaws.

• Record minutes of all meetings and conventions and retain as a permanent record.
• Be a signing officer.
• Have charge of all papers and records of the council concerned.
• Be responsible for reports as required.
• If there is no corresponding secretary you may also be asked to attend to correspondence as required.
• Further details appear in the National Manual of Policy and Procedure pages 59-62 .

But for those taking on this position for the first time, or those contemplating it, there are helpful hints just a reading session away, most notably the League publication”Handbook for Secretaries”, and for those who like to read around their subject, a book put out by the National Parliamentarian’s Association in their Pathways to Proficiency series, entitled: What was Done at the Meeting- a Guide to Minutes. Minutes, are not only timely reminders for members preparing for their next meeting, but they also contain the history of your council.

Like many of you I have been struggling to keep up with tasks and technology; not only a new computer program but also a new computer, which doesn’t lie as friendly under the fingers as my own trusty laptop. If you have any questions or concerns, or if there is any way I can help you as a secretary, at whatever level you serve, please seek me out during the convention. I may not have all the answers at my finger tips, but I’ll find one and convey it to you as soon as possible. In closing I would like to commend all our Diocesan Secretaries for submitting their annual reports on time, for keeping me abreast of changes in addresses and positions, and for buying those Christmas religious stamps in bulk (Resolution 2005.1). You are the “wind beneath my wings.”

Good afternoon ladies and clergy! It is an honour to be standing before you as the new BC & Yukon provincial president. Since this year was an election year I am pleased to report that we have a full executive. All positions have been filled including one by appointment.

Each year we strive to reach our provincial goal of 10,000 or more members, and once again we arrived a little closer to our goal. For 2009 we had a membership total of 9,549 which is an increase of 113 members from the year before.

Our Leadership Training Workshop Part II is still being offered throughout the province. This day long workshop focus’ on; Realizing the Beauty within the League, How to Maintain Peace in the League and challenges members to step forward as effective leaders. Participants reported being enthused, energized and equipped with greater knowledge to continue their work in the CWL.

In March, a delegation met with both our provincial government and members of the opposition. We received positive and constructive feedback regarding national resolutions on human trafficking and palliative care and on our provincial resolution Regulating the Use of Personal Electronic Devices On School Premises. We also commended the government for passing a recent law to ban the use of cell phones while driving. This was a provincial resolution passed at our 2009 convention.

March was a very exciting month for us as Vancouver welcomed the world to the Winter Olympics. Many of our members were a part of the More Than Gold campaign which was a group of faith based organizations and church denominations that worked together to create spaces to extend the radical hospitality of Christ. As a provincial council we also welcomed the world through an advertisement in the BC Catholic newspaper and members throughout the province participated in the Buying Sex is Not a Sport campaign which brought to public attention the enormity and travesty of sex trafficking at major sporting events.

This spring we facilitated a workshop at each diocesan convention entitled Leading and Outreaching into our Communities. This less than two hour workshop focused on the different facets of why members are hesitant to take on leadership roles within the League and how to turn these concerns into an enthusiastic response. Members were then reminded how once the League has enthusiastic leaders it can be an incredible outreach to our communities and to the world at large. We are the hands of God!

Our provincial convention was dedicated to the Year of the Priest. A video was compiled of many priests throughout the province and shown at our Friday dinner. We also celebrated the Leagues 90 years by having a day acknowledging our assigned decade, the 1940’s. Members dressed in outfits of the 40’s and great fun was had by all! Yet, amidst our fun we still managed to educate ourselves through incredible guest speakers who motivated us spiritually, intellectually and creatively. Chairpersons presented reports that informed the members on the work of their standing committee while diocesan presidents encouraged us with the wonderful work being done in each diocese. Just a few examples of this is the establishment of two Catholic Girls Leagues, a parish council that had the highest absolute increase in membership across Canada for 2009 and how the Whitehorse diocesan president initiated the first annual “March for Life” in the Yukon with the numbers in attendance far exceeding expectations. These are just a few examples of the wonderful work being done in each of our six dioceses.

Two resolutions were presented and passed at the convention. One of which was directed to our provincial and territorial governments, entitled “Strategies for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias”. The other resolution, “Safe Haven Law” was forwarded on to national for consideration.

Also, the Life Members ‘Arts and Cultural Award’ to recognize Catholic authors/artists was presented for the second time this year to a well deserving student who also received the provincial ‘Molly Boucher Bursary’.

So as you can see The Catholic Women’s League is alive and well in British Columbia & the Yukon. We are Women of Peace and Hope who continue to serve with faith and joy.

Respectfully Submitted,

Nancy Simms

Front Row Left to Right: Marianna Caldwell, Doreen Gowans, Nancy Simms, Pat Deppiesse, Evelyn Rigby, Sandra Stajduhar Back Row Left to Right: Dodie Bond, Lorrilee Jordan, Jeanne Wilson, Caroline Ann-Alter, Betty Hoskins, Lois Charlebois Insert: Fr. Tien Tran, Provincial Spiritual Advisor

RICHMOND – The 63rdAnnual Convention of the BC & Yukon Council of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada was held at St. Monica’s Parish and hosted by Region 1 of the Vancouver Archdiocese, May 27 – 29, 2010.

Most Reverend Michael Miller, CSB Archbishop of the Diocese of Vancouver gave the Keynote addressing the CWL theme “Women of Peace & Hope” and challenging the CWL members to be “Heralds of Hope”. He offered a reflection on how CWL members can be women of hope and witnesses of hope to all the different communities they are associated with by understanding the concept of eternal life, the relationship between purgatory and hope and being able to share that hope with others. Further speakers included: Denis Boyd, M.A. registered Psychologist, who gave a compelling presentation entitled “Communication in a Great Relationship” offering practical tips and proven strategies to enhance listening skills, beat stress and communicate better; Daphne Gray-Grant spoke on “Beating Writer’s Blank” opening our imaginations to ‘mind-mapping’ a concept to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas; and Fr. Tien Tran Provincial Spiritual Advisor gave an enlightening talk explaining many of the nuances that will be coming from “The New Roman Missal” which will affect us all. This workshop format and the many questions and concerns were addressed with clarity. Reports from the Executive, Standing Committees and the 6 Diocesan Presidents were informative as well as educational. Two Resolutions came to the floor and were passed. The resolution entitled “Safe Haven Law” will be forwarded onto the CWL National Council to be considered for presentation at their convention in August, while the other resolution “Strategies for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias” will be sent to our Provincial & Territorial Governments.

Members previewed The Catholic Women’s League of Canada’s 90th Anniversary celebration by dressing in 1940′s attire and by singing and listened to music from that period as together they celebrated the day with fun, faith and fulfillment. At the National convention in Ottawa each Province and the Military Ordinariate will represent a different decade.

The newly elected officers and executive include President Nancy Simms, Kamloops, Past President Marianna Caldwell, President Elect (Organization) Doreen Gowans, Kamloops; 1st Vice President (Education and Health) Dodie Bond, Prince George; 2nd Vice President (Resolutions) Pat Deppiesse, North Vancouver; Secretary, Evelyn Rigby, Powell River; Treasurer, Sandra Stajduhar, Trail; Standing Committee Chairs: Betty Hoskins, Duncan (Spiritual Development); Lois Charlebois; Surrey (Christian Family Life), ; Caroline Ann-Alter, Kelowna (Community Life); Jeanne Wilson, Whitehorse, YK (Communications); Lorrilee Jordan, Armstrong (Legislation); and Sheila Quinn BC & Yukon Life Member Liaison.

The Executive and table officers were installed in the presence of Most Reverend Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, Bishop David Monroe, Bishop of Kamloops, Fr. Tien Tran Provincial Spiritual Advisor, Coquitlam, Fr. Dale Normandeau, Kamloops Diocesan Spiritual Advisor, St. James, Vernon, and Fr. Tony Boniface, St. Monica’s Parish, Richmond.

Life Member Pat Battensby presented the BC & Yukon Life Member’s Arts & Cultural Award to Lucille Schaubroeck, from Williams Lake, BC. She is a talented musician and is studying to become a high school teacher. Lucille also received the Molly Boucher Bursary presented by Jeanne Wilson, Provincial Education & Health Standing Committee Chair.

Both President Nancy Simms and Past President Marianna Caldwell together with the executive are educating members to reach out to their parish and communities in Peace and Hope serving our members with Faith and Joy.

For more information, please visit our web site www.cwl.bc.ca

Respectfully submitted,

Doreen Gowans, BC & Yukon Prov. Communications

Lucille Schaubroeck, Bursary Award Winner

Pictured: Left to right, Jeanne Wilson, Cecilia Schaubroeck, Lucille Schaubroeck, Pat Battensby,

Lucille Schaubroeck, from Williams Lake, was awarded two awards from the BC & Yukon Council of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, the first being the Molly Boucher Bursary for $500.00 presented by Jeanne Wilson, Provincial Education & Health Chairperson, and the second was the BC & Yukon Provincial Life Members Arts and Culture Award for $500.00, presented by Pat Battensby, Life Member Liason. She received these awards as she is interested in furthering her education, is talented in music, and drama, and exemplifies the need to take part in the community, helping to educate others. As well as being a member of the Catholic Women’s League, Lucille attended Sacred Heart Catholic School, in Williams Lake, Williams Lake Secondary School and Maranatha Christian School. Lucille has been accepted at The University of Victoria where she will work on her Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in writing with a goal to become a High School teacher. Congratulations Lucille.

• Archbishop Miller – Trinity Sunday
• Archbishop Miller – Women of Hope

A few years ago at a convention one of the speakers stated that “God has given us many gifts at birth and it is up to us to unwrap them.” I believe that as members of the CWL we help each other unwrapping some of these gifts, and at convention time we show how well we have done this through our reports and by affirming each other.

In January we celebrated the Priest Appreciation Dinner, it was a beautiful event where we thanked and affirmed our Spiritual Advisors along with other priests in our diocese. Each Priest received a bookmark with the Priest’s Logo and a Spiritual Bouquet of many masses, rosaries and adoration hours. Over 400 members and guests attended this celebration.

February brought us the Olympic Games and as true women of “Peace and Hope” we greeted over 4000 visitors at the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Welcome Centre. A total of 30 councils were involved providing volunteers and donating refreshments. Our diocesan council shared the cost of a special CWL ad in the Olympic edition of the B.C. Catholic with the provincial council.

Four weeks ago we were busy with our 87th Archdiocesan Convention, which was held at Christ the Redeemer Parish in West Vancouver and hosted by Region 3. Our theme of “Tell His Glory among the Nations” was well represented by flags from various countries and I was amazed how the theme was incorporated in the homilies and spiritual presentations. We were able to show Fr. Tad’s DVD “Cutting Through the Spin” on stem cell research and cloning and Fr. Scott enlightened us about Jesus’ parables about “leadership without fear”.

Other presenters were: Dr. Romayne Gallagher from Providence Healthcare on “Palliative Care”, Stephanie Gray from the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) on Reaching Hearts & Minds on Abortion, Mrs. Bonnie Glassford on the “Holy Land” with a Slide Presentation, Michele Smillie from Domestic Abuse Services – Our Lady of Good Council Society as well as Kamal Dhillon, sharing her experiences as an abused woman, the Panel Discussion on “Human Trafficking” followed by the “Way of the Cross” a power point show. Our Provincial President Marianna Caldwell had members in lively discussions in her presentation on “Leading and Reaching out into our Communities”.

We were delighted to learn that Star of the Sea Parish Council in White Rock recorded the highest absolute increase in membership out of 1,294 councils across Canada for the year 2009. The president is very excited, as she will be attending the National Convention in Ottawa to receive a special award from the National Chairperson of Organization Velma Harasen.

Can it get any better? You bet, Fr. Thompson, Spiritual Advisor from “Our Lady of Assumption Church ” in Port Coquitlam was one of the two Priests that were awarded an all expenses trip to the upcoming National Convention in Ottawa, paid for by National.

Through our Leadership Development Team we have shown CWL presentations at deanery meetings, have mentored councils, formed new ones, and delivered workshops. This team is headed by our immediate past president Evelyn Rigby and assisted by other past presidents, diocesan officers and Life Members. In the past year we had several applications to our Archdiocesan League Development Fund.

This year I was able to participate in the 3rd annual “March for Life” in Victoria on May 13th. The Bishops from Kamloops, Vancouver and Victoria celebrated Mass at St. Andrews Cathedral, along with many Priests. It was estimated that 2000 people marched from Centennial Square to the Legislative Buildings, where we listened to various speakers. It was good to see so many younger people as well as school groups in the crowd and of course so many CWL members.

I can’t believe that my first year as president has passed by so fast and I am looking forward to the next year. There is a lot of work to do, we are establishing new CWL councils but we have to be available to councils that need leadership promotion. Our city is becoming more diverse with different cultures, our parishes have more small communities, and some people believe that there is a lack of interest in the League. But look around you, when we come together at conventions and are celebrating our Catholic Women’s League by being fulfilled, motivated and inspired don’t you want to tell every catholic woman to be a part of this awesome organization? I know I do. We all are different and bring different talents to the League as we serve with faith and joy. If we remember to see each other as sisters in Christ, there is always a solution.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide us as we “Tell His Glory among the Nations”.

Learning is an experience, or is it experience in learning. What I have learned as diocesan president is an experience that has enriched my life. It has taught me many things that has made this part of my journey wanting more. Age has no limits, never stops finding something new in each day, and CWL has done this for me. I can’t imagine why all Catholic women are not members of our wonderful organization.

This year has brought speakers and guests to a parish council. Dr. Clem Persaud, spoke to us on stem cell research, local experts on palliative care, peace and development., living wills and the importance of this. We were blessed with a visit from our national president Danielle McNeil- Hessian. This is probably for next years report but I have to share this with you. Our right to life group had their first walk for life on May 13th. We thought maybe 15 to 20 people at the most would come out. Incredible we had 50 walkers Join our group. We were impressed with all the denominations present. What a wonderful show of ecumenical fellowship.

Our two councils are working together even though a distance of 1200 kilometers is between them. Thank the lord for modern communications. I could write volumes on the incredible support, love, and faith we have for each other. This I pray will continue and with the help of Our Lady of Good Council spread to each and every one we meet.

Congratulations are in order for the members of the Victoria Diocese. We have once again experienced growth amongst our member councils this year and continue to strive for unity of purpose as we look to the future.

2010 Highlights include:

• A Commitment to continue to strive for excellence and are encouraged by the fact that we have a full slate of officers chosen to serve. Our new executive will consist of both experienced members and newcomers to the Council. All were confirmed at our 82nd Annual Convention held in Port Alberni earlier this month.
• A revised – more comprehensive Victoria Diocesan Policy Manual was instituted in March. With the hope that by having a clear stated course of action and policy, we will become more streamlined and efficient.
• We continue to keep League issues to the forefront in our Diocese policy.
• We continue to encourage councils to improve and reinvent interesting topics to keep meetings upbeat and attractive.
• We continue to remember at all times our Diocesan motto: We Are Family!

Our future is bright, provided we remember our League experience should always adopt the three principals at meetings: Faith / Fun / Fulfillment

Our first order of business will be an educational workshop (as defined in our Diocesan Policy and Procedure manual) to familiarize the Diocesan Executive with their duties. This workshop will take place in mid-June, followed in mid July by a business/social gathering in part to get to know one another better and to follow up the June workshop with an opportunity for officers to ask any questions they may have arising from the information gathered.

Before the Fall interim meeting, parish presidents have been advised to review with their councils the newly revised Policy & Procedure manual discussed above and to familiarize the membership with Diocesan Policies.

It has been recommended that each parish council consider implement their own Policy and Procedures manuals to supplement the Diocesan Policy & Procedure manual as well as the National manual of Policy & Procedure.

The Nelson Diocesan Council reports for 2009 indicated that most parish councils are doing quite well. Some Standing Committee Chairs are not filled. However, most councils submit reports of activities in all committees. The challenge for all councils is to attract younger women to join and take responsibility on the executive level.

There has been an increase in our membership in the past two years and we hope that this trend continues. A majority of councils divide the meetings in the business/spiritual/ social components and this leads to better attendance and interest in league work. The best notes about parish councils were the ones which stated the camaraderie among the members is great, as is the love for one another.

We honored two women for their exceptional service to the League with the Bellelle Guerin Award. Perhaps, we could honor more of our deserving members with this award.

Nelson Diocese will host the 2011 B.C.& Yukon Provincial Convention in Penticton. Sharon Vaillancourt, of St. Ann’s Council is Convention Chair; she reports the convention is now a work in progress.

Our Past-President, Alice Hallgren, attended the Provincial Midterm meetings, and presided at the diocesan meetings, finding this a rewarding experience.

The Nelson Diocesan 74th Annual Convention was held in Osoyoos, April 29-May 2, 2010. It was well attended, 25 out of 28 councils were represented. We were very pleased to have a resolution brought forward which was approved for presentation to Provincial Council.

Our new Spiritual Adviser, Fr. Rex Velmonte was installed last September. At convention, Fr. Rex gave us a presentation on the Year of the Priest, by giving us his journey of his decision to become a Priest and his life as a priest today.

The Provincial Workshop presented by Provincial President-Elect, Nancy Simms, assisted by the Organization and Community Life Chairpersons, was well received. We were taught how good leadership helps to encourage members to participate, to take responsibilities and duties which uses their gifts and talents.

Agnes Bedard, 1st Vice-President for North America, of WUCWO widened our vision of the world scene; she gave us an insight to Catholic Women’s Organizations and WUCWO. It is all about connecting with the women of the world, being the voice for our sisters, who have no voice; it is about doing what we can do, because we can.

We did indeed have a wonderful convention.

As for my hopes and expectations for this year I would like to reach out to every Council in the Diocese by visiting the outlying areas, especially the small councils who have problems recruiting any members, let alone younger members. I believe personal contact with the councils fosters growth.

I hope to increase the locations of doing workshops, reaching out to some of the smaller communities. In the past we have had four workshops each fall. I would like to increase this to six.

It has been a wonderful, learning experience year. Each new chair I take on I learn so much more about our League and why I choose to “Belong”. I admire those ladies who have taken these positions on before me and I am so grateful for their willingness to be mentors and help me whenever I ask.

I was grateful that our Diocese had a full slate of officers to begin this 2-year term. The past Life Member Liaison, Diana Mackenzie, passed away in December and our Treasurer, Sandra Silberberger, passed away in February. We miss both of these wonderful members. I am grateful to past treasurer, Pauline for taking on this job until convention and then I appointed a new treasurer, Dodie’s daughter, Jennifer Foster. In the 2 weeks prior to convention 2 more of the executive resigned due to one moving, and one being unable to continue due to ill health. I am grateful that with a phone call, 2 prior executive members will fill in until elections.

I started this year in hopes of visiting each area and attending their regional meetings. I visited 3 of 4 and so enjoyed their meetings. Susan Steiner, past Diocesan President, and I went to Fort St. John in October for their meeting and we had a wonderful time and I attended one in Prince George and one in the western region. All were very well attended. I will attempt to attend all regions this fall {that is a lot of miles}. I have tried to aid and encourage those councils, which are struggling and will continue to do so.

The other thing I have tried very hard to do is get all councils to submit reports, which 13 of 16 did. We will have a workshop on communiqués and reporting at our mid-term in September.

I had the honour of having Nancy Simms at our convention in April and to award Life membership to Dodie Bond. She is a very deserving member and continues to help with Spiritual and mentoring at the local level and is always willing and gracious in answering all questions for any members.

Thank you and may Our Lady of Good Counsel guide all our endeavors in the coming year.

I stand her before you, wondering where my year as Diocesan president has gone so quickly! Did I begin to accomplish my goals that I set out to do for my term? I wanted to help members grow more spiritually, learn more about CWL, make new friends, and laugh a little.

Our Diocesan council has grown by one more Parish council, which is Our Lady of the Valley in Cold Stream. It is exciting to have a new council with a lot of young women as members.

We now have two councils, which have started the Catholic Girls League, these are exciting times. The Kamloops Diocesan members enjoyed having the Vernon Catholic Girls League participate at our convention.

How many of you know about the lives of St. Frances Cabrini, St. Dymphna, St. Marguerite Bourgeois, St. Anthony of Padua or Saint Josephine Bakhita?

At our Fall meeting I held a short workshop on Saint’s and asked the Parish councils to choose a Saint and learn about their lives. They also played a game in which they had to connect the Saints to what they were the patron Saint of. Now the councils have been teaching the rest of the members of the Diocese about these Saints at our Spring and Fall meetings and at the convention. This has been quite a learning experience.

At our Diocesan convention we were honored to have Marianna Caldwell in attendance. She held a workshop on Leading and Outreaching into our Communities with the help of Marilyn Van Dongen, which was wonderful.

How many of you know what L’ Arche is? Our guest speaker at the convention was Nathan Ball Executive director of L’Arche Canada Foundation, (who tried to convince us that he was Harrison Ford). At the end of his presentation we all new what L’Arche was and had a new respect for mentally challenged adults who live there. For those who don’t know L’Arche was founded by Jean Vanier and L’Arche has homes in all parts of the world.

A resolution was passed at our Diocesan convention and I am excited about this resolution because it came from my own parish and it is called the Safe Haven Law.

I had the pleasure of helping Nancy Simms present a leadership workshop in Vernon in the Fall. It was a great learning experience for me and hopefully the members learned more about themselves and the CWL. This same workshop was presented by Nancy Simms and Doreen Gowans in Kamloops.

As I visit different councils, I am meeting many new ladies and seeing the variety of struggles that councils are having. I also see how parish councils are coping with their struggles and how much they are doing for their parish, community and nation. Many members are also using and sharing their gifts with other members and other people.

The Catholic Women’s League is a wonderful organization to belong to – look how many of you are here renewing friendships, making new friends, learning more and having fun. May our Lady of Good Counsel guide our good works for God and Canada as we Serve with Faith and Joy and become Women of Peace and Hope.

How many of you know when WUCWO, World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations was founded? It was in 1910. How many members does it have? Almost 100 organizations active in over 60 countries including all continents and representing missions of Catholic women from every walk of life. Do you know when the League became affiliated with the International Union of Catholic Women, now known as the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO)? It was in 1921 and is an affiliation still enjoyed today.

All paid up members of the CWL are counted in this number and are represented at that international table by our own national President, Danielle McNeil-Hessian.

The mission of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO) is to promote the presence, participation and co-responsibility of Catholic women in Church and society in order to fulfill their mission of evangelization and to work for human development. The priority for 2006-2010 was Building a Culture of Peace through the alleviation of poverty.

A new priority should come out of this upcoming centenary assembly, a meeting that is held only every five years, this Oct. 5-11, 2010 in the Holy Land, that will focus on the theme, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1-8). Agnes Bedard, Honorary Life Member currently sits on the WUCWO Executive Board as Vice President for North America.

The WUCWO 2010 Centenary Assembly is going to be a once in a lifetime experience. There are opportunities to attend as part of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with options to tour Galilee. I have a copy of the brochure and registration forms, but all are available as well on the WUCWO website.

Members of our National Executive will be in attendance at the Assembly. And just like our conventions at all levels, there is a place for resolutions. You may recall that we had a resolution on Religious Freedom (2006.01) a few years ago which included a resolve clause to take it to WUCWO. Now, just like the various levels in our League, we need to wait and see if the resolution is accepted for presentation to the Assembly!

Here is one recent news item that will give you an idea of the scope of WUCWO’s work:

From Nov. 14-18, 2009 in Rome, at the close of the unions meeting of the Board, representatives of Catholic women’s organizations from 25 countries informed the secretary-general of the United Nations that they do not support the international body’s convention against the discrimination of women.

Karen Hurley, President General of WUCSO urged the international body to “take concrete actions to protect women and children, innocent victims of violence,” while noting that it does not support the U.N’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Mrs. Hurley explained: “CEDAW is being misused as a tool to promote violence [against] women and girls, mothers and babies, in the form of legal access to abortion on demand to put pressure on countries worldwide to legalize and fund abortion, promote contraception, medically assisted reproduction for same sex unions and other immoral acts in defiance of God’s natural law.”

She added that WUCWO “challenges and will expose ambiguous language especially related to such topics as ‘gender, reproductive health, choice, or rights” and further stated “There must be a global increase in the respect for the dignity with which women have been endowed by their Creator.”

The WUCWO magazine called Women’s Voice latest edition has just arrived. There is an article in the latest “Women’s Voice” by Agnes about the WUCWO resolution on abolishing the death penalty and includes some startling statistics as well as actions we can take.

You can subscribe to this wonderful book or get more information on line. In fact the WUCWO website has monthly reflections leading up to the Assembly in October. They are beautifully written and something we could share with our councils.

Keep your eyes on WUCWO – it is the vehicle for peace in the world and we are a big part of it!

Thank you to all who sent in their annual reports. An amazing amount of work is done at the Parish levels and considerable funds are donated to support people at home and abroad. It is clear members are sharing the “good things we have been given.” I am sure with 100% reporting the amount would be even more impressive.

An area of congratulations is increased membership. Although we hear that long roster of deceased members each year, we continue to grow in membership. That is a very positive and assuring statistic.

Interest rates are a matter of concern. We rely on the interest earned in most of our terms to supplement our annual income. Luckily we had invested a couple of terms for a 2-year period, so missed the low interest rates last year, but sadly they do renew this year.

Slow per capita payments are another concern – by May 2009 we had received $7,415, by May 2010 we have received $3,452. Not sure if they are late going in from councils, or slow at getting posted at National. We cannot do much about the later, but we can do something about the first – please go back to your parishes & assure your per capita fees are sent in.

Our account for 2015 National Convention in Vancouver continues to grow, we are quite hopeful that we will have the extra funds needed to host this great event.

We had our Spring Meeting in Rosemary Heights in Kelowna again this year. While this meeting increases costs, your executive feel this meeting is necessary to help plan for convention as well as take some pressure off the pre-convention & the fall mid term meetings.

As per our Constitution & Bylaws, councils at each level should have the financial records appropriately audited or examined annually. I had the books examined by an accountant; that report is in the Convention Booklet

We had a great response for the Development Fund #1 this year, with 49 members applying and $4,077.64 awarded. Development Fund #2 had two applicants with $2,000 awarded.

Councils should prepare and monitor an annual budget. This helps with planning and with corrections and balances to spending. While some expenses remain fairly constant, others fluctuate – a budget is a guideline to help us with the fluctuating expenses.

I would encourage parish councils when you are preparing your annual budgets, to consider setting aside funds or possibly a separate fundraiser to encourage & enable as many members as possible to attend conventions. I think we would all agree that members are more likely to get enthused and energized at conventions and that may be the answer to some of our problems with getting members to stand for office.

I would consider this to be a wise use of some of your funds.

Of course all councils should have 2 signatures required on all cheques.

Above all – be good stewards of your council’s money. Keep members informed, make joint decisions on money matters with your members and continue in the great work that you do.

Four years has flown by – I am very grateful for your confidence in me & the privilege to serve as your Treasurer. I have done a number of books in the past, manually & on one other computer programs, but Simply Accounting is a great program to work with. I feel I have learned a new skill and hopefully have served this council in my best capacity.

Madam President What a joyful standing committee to chair, One that draws our hearts and minds closer to God our Father, Jesus, and Mary his Mother. Spiritual growth is the very heart of the League and the essence of its existence. It’s an essential part of a meeting. Before I began writing this report I prayed the chairpersons prayer asking that I might say the right words. We have an interesting concept this year to make our reports meaningful to you. I will outline the duties of the Chairperson and give an example taken from the reports I received from Diocesan.

Everyone kept spiritual growth of members at the forefront at their meetings. The National Theme “Women of Peace and Hope” was utilized through song, prayer and deeds. The National webpage as well as Provincial webpage are becoming popular sites to visit for information. Some councils attributed attending conventions at all levels as a great way to enhance spiritual growth. In this year of the priest, councils are being extra supportive of their priests. And during this convention you will have the opportunity to have your very own priest to pray for.

In one diocese they have a spiritual spa, a way to surround yourself with God and provide relaxation for your soul. Speak to the Kamloops Diocese to get more information.  Acts of Kindness in giving assistance to caregivers coping with a terminally ill family member can easily be given. Simple gestures of helping are much appreciated. Suggestions are in the Activities Kit. If you have the inclination there are Palliative care and Hospice courses so you can be properly trained in this compassionate work. Extend a Hand in friendship to someone new in the parish and gain a new friend.

Study of Catholic teachings is a wonderful way to learn more about your faith. There are many courses available to contribute to faith enrichment. Retreats, bible study groups, reading and discussion of papal encyclicals are a good place to start. Promote EWTN and Salt and Light TV.

Role of Women in the Church Chairpersons need to read the handbook for this category, it is not to describe all the work we do in our parishes but rather a study of Women in the Church. For instance, read the story of Dorothy Day a modern Saint. , Read books that speak about women in the scriptures, take a leadership role in your parish and become a member of the parish liturgy team.

Evangelization and Mission Assistance We are called to share our talents and bounty and are very generous, some councils band together to support a group of Catholic high school students who go to Mexico each year to build houses for the poor. Catholic Missions in Canada is in great need. We must care for our priests ,sisters and laypersons helping out in the northern missions of our own country.

Who do you say are the greatest support for the parishes in lay ministries?? Right, its us, the members of the CWL We serve in all the ministries available to us. Lay formation classes have been attended by a number of members. This is a commitment as its weekly sessions over a period of time.

Ecumenism and interfaith endeavours. Most report hosting and attending “World day of Prayer’ services. Taking part in the prayer for Christian Unity is important as well. Some took part in Easter sunrise Celebrations. Fun things were having a prayer breakfast, ecumenical lunches, pancake suppers and fun nights.

Reporting Deceased Members was better this year. Most reported their deceased correctly. A few councils thought that crossing the name off the Membership list when submitting the current year’s dues and writing deceased beside it would suffice in notifying National. NOT! By now everyone should know to send one copy of the deceased members form to National, including name, address, membership number, council code and signed by the President or Spiritual Chairperson and their phone number. National has installed a new program whereby councils can access the membership system to check Deceased members reports. Members no longer in the database will not be reflected in the report.

Praying for our deceased members is a charitable thing to do. We have promised these ladies our prayers when they became members and quite often this is why they retain membership in declining years as there will be someone praying for them and their name will be inscribed in the Book of Life.

In closing I thank Marianna for gifting me with Spiritual Development, I have enjoyed it very much. I thank my team, the Diocesan Spiritual development chairpersons.