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

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.

What profound themes we as members have, but to use them as tools and become more like our Lord through the example that has been set by our blessed Mother Mary.

The year of 2008 was a little bumpy for me as I stepped into the Diocesan Presidency in September.

Is any one ever prepared for the unexpected even if you know it is going to happen?  With two Parish Councils in our Diocese and 1200 kilometers; the Ladies were so supportive and quick to give all the help I needed.  One Council of six works with the parish to prepare for Holy Communion and Reconciliation, and Confirmation. The Council also helps with Parish functions, Pot luck Suppers, Pancake Breakfasts, Layettes for the newborn, and talks to everyone about encouraging the leagues growth.

One Parish with twenty-nine members has a greater opportunity to get into Educational Topics, with the Government, being in the same location as that Parish Council.  Three members of one Council have been elected to the Catholic School Board. Members are promoting Pro Life, and one member went to the Pro Life Healing the Culture Conference in Seattle One member attended the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City. Three members attended the Provincial Convention at Williams Lake B.C. Two members attended the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organization, and the national Convention in Winnipeg.

Our two Councils contributed financially, and encouraged with prayers, the World Youth Day delegates, who went to Australia. All Parishes helped by giving information for development and world missions, in the third world countries. Councils contributed to matercare development and peace. Members were encouraged to look into the Coudert Bursary. All members participate as readers and Eucharistic Ministers, greeters, gift bearers, and after the mass coffee hosts.

One Council had speakers and videos on child Pornography, and trafficking to make all members aware of the situation especially with the 2010 Olympics approaching in British Columbia. I urge all members to be conscious of the bill that is being discussed about the Right to Die with Dignity, and Assisted Suicide. We are living in a society that sometimes forgets to think of others as you would think of yourselves.

May our Lady of Good Counsel bless us as we continue with our Convention and through out the year.

This year our Council celebrates its 83rd BIRTHDAY! The richness of faith and the varied cultures of our Council members blend to present a beautiful mosaic of brightly coloured Wild flowers and we are spread throughout Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Although few in number, (just under 1100 members), we continue to do our best to serve God and Canada making a difference in our respective parishes, communities and our world.

I am pleased to report the Salt Spring Council, has recovered from their potential crisis of disbanding and hopefully will emerge stronger in future because of that experience. This recovery was due, (in no small way), to the efforts of our 90 years young / matriarch and Life Member – Elsa Drummond. Without her determination, and the determination of the members, I am sure the outcome may have been disastrous. Extremely sad for a council tracing its roots back to 1945! They did it their way…. The only way!

We are encouraged that most councils in our diocese have reported a significant increase in membership. A most hopeful and encouraging sign!

Together, we have worked to form a closer bond, exchanging ideas and support for each other and will continue to foster and promote the importance of service to the League through Leadership.

Our members’ tireless works of charity and dedication serve to re-affirm that we truly are:

“Women of Peace and Hope”

“Serving with Faith and Joy”

We eagerly endorse and anticipate the exciting changes that are and have been forthcoming from our National Council. We look forward in future to our League reinventing itself to become more attractive to present and future members. At the same time of course, maintaining the prestigious reputation our C.W.L. has enjoyed over the past 89 years!

Our Diocesan family is blessed to enjoy enthusiastic support and ongoing encouragement from our Diocesan Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Frank Franz,Our 4 Life Members -Sheila Quinn, Margaret Beardon, Elsa Drummond and Ruth Hazlett

- and -

Thankful that we are ably reinforced by the ongoing support of our Provincial President & Council.

My sincere appreciation & gratitude to all who come together to complete the declaration of our Diocesan Theme:  We Are Family!

God Bless You All!

The Vancouver Archdiocesan council had elections this year and I am very happy to say that we have a full slate of Officers and Chairpersons. We even have a 1st and 2nd vice presidents. This all happened after the” Leadership Workshop” presentation this past year by Provincial Council, but I think I have to give a lot of credit to our great election team, and of course the willingness of members to let their names stand and “Step forward in Faith and Action”.

Our new diocesan theme is from Psalm 96 verse 3: “Tell His Glory among the Nations”. In our troubled times it is good to know that God is the King of the universe and we are to tell among all peoples of his wondrous deeds.

Celebrations were held in January for retiring Archbishop Raymond Roussin and for the new Archbishop Michael Miller,CSB, the 9th Archbishop of Vancouver.

With the Olympics only months away we were represented at meetings almost every week in the campaign against Human Trafficking. These groups, including our own, compiled and signed a Declaration focussing on Prevention, Protection and Prosecution to be presented to our government representatives.

Other projects include wearing different kinds of pins and buttons: the Salvation Army Sparkle of Hope Campaign, and Buying Sex is not a Sport.

We are approaching various hotels to see if they have signed the Code of Conduct. (but have not had much luck so far). If anyone is interested I have more information on the code.

We circulated a petition in support of Joy Smith’s Bill 268 to increase the minimum sentence to 5 years for human Traffickers of victims under eighteen.

Other ongoing meetings that we are attending in reference to the Olympics (More than Gold) deal with Hospitality, Catholic Services, and Athlete Family Homestay. Interesting for me was to find out that Whistler belongs to the diocese of Kamloops, so our diocese covers the area as far as Squamish.

This year our Diocesan Convention was attended by over 300 members and guests, featured speakers were Mr. Alex Schadenberg on “End of Life” issues (a total of three hours), Mr. Benjamin Perrin, Assistant Professor at UBC on Human Trafficking, including the video “Not my Life”. Monica Murphy spoke about “Life on Campus”, a real eye opener on the issue of Pro Life Groups on campus.

As in the last year our membership continues to increase. New councils “Holy Spirit” in New Westminster, and “Our Lady of Lourdes” in Coquitlam, are up and running and being mentored by Diocesan Officers. These bring our numbers now to 53 councils.

To continue our link with UBC one of our members sponsored a UBC student to attend our Convention. We are hoping she will act as a liaison in the promotion of various CWL projects.

The Archdiocesan Banner was carried in the Victoria March for Life on May 14th. It started with Mass being celebrated with three Bishops and about 20 priests concelebrating. Other denominations also held services, and the one day of summer weather made it a pleasurable event. The speakers were great, including our own Archbishop, a Rabbi and a Baptist Minister.

On the same day the Focus On Life Gala Dinner took place in Vancouver, with more great speakers and entertainment. This is a fundraiser for the life-affirming media initiatives of Signal Hill (formerly Pro Life), like ads for T.V., Internet media, bus benches and billboards.

Last year, our now immediate past President Evelyn Rigby showed you promotional cards for the CWL that one of our members designed. These cards are used by national office now and are available on the CWL website. You might even have received them for any non-renewed members.

As a new president I am looking forward to the challenges and pray that Our Lady of Good Council will guide us in our all our endeavours.

I have come to the end of my two-year term as President-elect and am now Prince George Diocesan President with a full slate of Officers. With a lot of prayer and encouragement, our ladies came forward and took leadership in each of our Standing Committees. I am very grateful for each one who has taken on this responsibility and pray that each one gets the wonderful benefits of the deeper understanding of each new experience. I attended Conventions at all three levels this past year, Diocesan, Provincial and National, a very enjoyable and great learning experience.

The goal of our past Diocesan President, Susa`n, was 100% reports from the Parish Presidents. She received 15 out of 16, 94%. That was fantastic. I also will attempt to do the same. We had hoped to visit all the councils in our Diocese, especially those who are struggling. We never managed that mostly due to winter conditions in the North but Susan was diligent in maintaining contact through e-mails and is fantastic at returning an answer to any questions we had. I pray I will do the same.

Our Diocesan membership for 2008 was 641. Service pins were, 10 year pins-10, 25 year pins- 9, 40 year pins-2, 50 year pins- 8, and 1- 75 year pin was handed out along with 14 Maple Leaf Service pin were presented to our members. Giving out pins and awards shows our membership we recognize and appreciate their service to the League.

Our Annual Diocesan Convention was held in Kitimat this spring. What a wonderful convention the ladies hosted. Everything was so beautifully done and nothing was left out. We asked for and received most of the beautiful decorations you see around you. I am grateful to Vanderhoof for offering to host the convention in 2010.

Our Diocese has been busy preparing for this Convention, with the hard work of the ladies from St. Mary’s, and the direction of the Provincial Executive. We have had great support from the Parishes of the Diocese and the ladies from the Parishes in Prince George. I hope you all enjoy this convention and your stay in the City of Prince George.

All the Councils are aware of pornography on the Internet and television and during the Olympics. There has been workshops and videos shown on Trafficking. Our National President sends us this message, “Perhaps, we should take time in our Parish Communities to get together in prayer and celebration with the other women’s church groups in the area. There may be many items such as the elimination of pornography and poverty that we could work on together. Who knows what the Spirit could bring to our collective activities”. I hope many of our CWL councils will consider making this a project for the coming year.

Enjoy a wonderful, spirit-filled convention and at it’s close may we all go home to our Parishes and councils with the renewed enthusiasm that attendance at a Convention always brings. May God and Our Lady Of Good Counsel richly Bless each of us in the work we do For God and Canada.

Our Diocesan convention held at Holy Cross in Creston, went well and was well organized. I received many positive comments regarding the convention as a good social and learning experience. We said our goodbyes to Fr. Jim Ratcliffe; our Spiritual Advisor who has retired after ten years of giving us much valued guidance. Fr. Rex Velmonte is our newly appointed Diocesan Spiritual Advisor; he will be officially installed in September.

We had the honour of having Marianna Caldwell, Provincial President attend our convention, and, assisted by Sandra Stajduhar presented a workshop “Changing the World” a how-to do a resolution. This was well received and I might add a pleasant experience as we went through the process. Let us pray it bears much fruit next year and in years to come with Resolutions from our Diocese.

Last year at this time the Diocesan Council did not have a full slate of officers, however, the positions were filled by the time of our Fall Executive Meeting in September. I am pleased to say we have a competent and enthusiastic executive working together in a cooperative and loving manner.

Since becoming President I have attended Council Anniversary celebrations and most of the Executive meetings required and Conventions, thus great experiences with wonderful women.

The Diocesan Policy and Procedure Manual is to be updated/ revised. There is a need to have practices reviewed to be current and easily understood.

The Nelson Diocesan convention format was challenged. A survey was produced and sent to parish presidents for responses and suggestions on ways to improve the format and to reduce attendance costs.

In future we hope to have resolutions submitted, as currently we do not do well in that area.

The concerns are mainly ongoing issues of filling executive positions at the parish level. Most councils are doing well and carrying on with our work “For God and Canada”. We have increased our membership in 2008.

The Bishop of Nelson John Corriveau outlined three challenges we can work on in our local Diocesan Church: the faith development of our youth, a culture of Catholic family life, reaching out to alienated members of our Catholic community and to those, who profess no formal religious affiliation. He wrote: Women of hope and peace, serving with faith and joy can make a qualified and irreplaceable contribution to each of these challenges.

We have been given a job to do and with God’s help, and the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel we shall do good!

To begin, turn back the pages to last year’s convention in Williams Lake. Did you all complete your “CWL Life in a Jar”? We hope you enjoyed going down memory lane as you answered your questions.

Members sharing gifts, talents, inspiring and encouraging each other resulted in Kamloops Diocese recording another year of challenges and successes including an increase in membership.

Hosting the 2008 Provincial Convention proved both challenging and rewarding. It instilled awareness that communicating and working together results in success – and confirmed conventions are a wonderful learning tool and offer a variety of opportunities for growth.

Promoting active leadership became a priority in most councils. Members used reference material for direction, clarification, guidance and inspiration as they encouraged growth of members both individually and collectively.

Noted accomplishments were the founding of a Catholic Girls League in one council, the praying of the Novena for Struggling Councils and one struggling council actually deciding not to disband after sincere prayer and reflection.

We chose a new Diocesan theme: “Rooted in Love”. It seemed a natural conclusion to “Women of Peace & Hope” and “Serving with Faith and Joy”.

Highlights of the convention included an excellent workshop on Resolutions that was presented by Marianna Caldwell and Nancy Simms, our guest speaker was Agnes Bedard who spoke on “CWL and the World” and constantly had the members in stitches. Many presentations were also made including Nancy Simms becoming a Life member and our first Bellelle Guerin award, which went to Marguerite Leblanc of St. John Vianney, Kamloops.

At our ‘Day of Spiritual Reflection’ guest speaker -Archbishop Emeritus Adam Exner – confirmed that we must encourage spiritual growth, support and affirm one another and remain ‘Rooted in Love’.

The dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of each member has once again confirmed that councils are bearing ‘fruit’ as they continue their CWL journeys.

Future plans include a big learning curve for me as I grow in my leadership role as President of the Kamloops Diocese as well as developing and building upon the Public speaking workshop that we had last year. Also having a workshop presented by BC & Yukon Provincial Council on “Realizing the Beauty Within, Maintaining Peace”.

My goals for the next two years would be the continuing communication of our members. In order for members to be involved they need to know what the League is about and that they need to be excited about a fantastic organization.

Another goal would be to continue with the Spiritual growth in our Diocese. Even though there is a lot of Spiritual development happening, there is a lot more to accomplish. We would not be able to achieve all that the Catholic Women’s League has done and I would not be standing here before you if it wasn’t for pray and Spiritual growth.

As this is my first communiqué, with the help of every one, thank you for your patience. 

At our recent diocesan executive meeting in Whitehorse, we made a motion to increase our membership due’s from $4.00 t0 $9.00.  This will allow an increase of $5.00 to the diocese. Our membership is very small and distances to travel are great, thus our operational costs are great. 

At the territorial (provincial ) level we met with the Yukon Minister of Transportation and the Yukon Minister of Health. We requested the Minister of Transportation look  into the use of cell phones while driving vehicles.  The Minister assured us the use of cell phones while driving would come to the floor of the House during the spring sitting. The Minister of Health  listened to our resolution on palliative care, and explained there are many areas of the health care system, in the Yukon, that address this issue, in a different way than the provinces, to which we were comparing palliative care. For instance they are being cared for under the hospital system in the Yukon. We still feel this is not the answer, because the hospital has no wards or staff dedicated to palliative care.  We feel this issue has yet to be resolved. 

We would like to bring up again, that each parish council promote the Courdert Bursary.

Our next Diocesan Convention will be held May 1^st and 2^nd 2009, hosted by Our Lady of Sorrows Council in Fort Nelson, all councils are urged to contribute to the diocesan travel fund.

As we enter into the Advent Season and look forward to celebrate the birth of Christ, let me wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and may our Lady of Good Council guide us into the new year.

The Whitehorse Diocesan CWL Councils have had a fairly busy year and as I write this report the Diocesan Convention has just been held in Whitehorse and was a tremendous success.  We were pleased to have been joined by 3 members from Fort Nelson who made the long journey as well as Barb Dowding from Vancouver.  I would like to touch on a few highlights from the two Parish Presidents’ reports for the past year.

Our Lady of Sorrows Council in Fort Nelson remains a small but intact group.  They were saddened to have to say goodbye to Fr. Dave Daws last fall as he needed to go south for medical care and prayers are with him for improving health.  They have enjoyed having Father Gary in their parish since October, but he is leaving this spring and so they are hopeful that prayers for a permanent priest will be answered soon.

They were unable to organize some of their annual activities this year as the group is just too small, but they did, however, support their charities which include the Esk OMI Missions in northern Canada and Mary our Help Mission in India.  They collected again for their annual Baby Layette, and as usual members were very generous.  The council also supports the First Communion and Confirmation classes each year with a small gift and cake to help celebrate their day.

Sacred Heart Parish Council in Whitehorse saw the installation of a new executive and their membership remains the same at 25 members.  This year they enjoyed active participation in parish life and also enjoyed working with other parish groups such as the Knights of Columbus at their yard sale and the annual “Welcome to Winter Ball” as well as assisting the World Youth Day group in their fundraising.
In followup to an earlier resolution to educate women on the risk of ovarian cancer, an open information session was held with an invited healthcare professional.

This year the council’s goal was to present themselves to various levels of government and make themselves known and to be involved in decision making to uphold Christian values.  Two members met with the Minister responsible for the Women’s Directorate and also with the Justice Minister.  These meetings resulted in invitations to participate in consultations on the Protection of Children Act and the Corrections Act.  The CWL was present at a meeting about a food bank in Whitehorse and two members were invited to a meeting of Yukon Advisory Council on Women’s Issues.  This was a great opportunity to inform other groups of the CWL’s role in the community and find out how they can support other women’s groups in Whitehorse.
At one meeting, Ione Christianson, former Senator for the Yukon, spoke about how we can influence government decisions and how to become informed voters.

All in all a very successful year was reported.  I am proud of our members in such a large, but sparsely populated Diocese and I look forward to the coming year.

Madam President, Reverend Fathers & Sisters of the League,

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Hoskins, President of the Victoria Diocesan Council 2008 / 2010. I present this report on behalf of our Past President – Agnes Geiger, as well as myself.

The Victoria Diocesan Council has enjoyed a productive year which included Education, Clergy Meetings Workshops, Social Events, & National Conventions, culminating this past May 5/6 with our 80th Diocesan Convention held in Courtenay.

Our Convention Theme:  “Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, In League With God and Canada”, an appropriate theme for this special year.

“YESTERDAY IS GONE”
…  but it is prudent to take stock of our past success stories & perhaps examine our  not so  successful stories.   80 years is a lifetime.  We salute our predecessors who gave much to insure our Diocesan League continues to be strong & vibrant today….   through hard times of great depression & war, and good times of growth & prosperity. We have endured and will continue to do so, because we are Women of Faith & Women of Action.

It is said:

” TODAY IS OBSOLETE”
…..  well perhaps, but the present is wonderful to savor for the moment, to enjoy meeting & interacting with everyone here today gathered to enjoy this convention.  Today’s moments will be savored and eventually fade to happy memories.

” TOMORROW IS INCONCEIVABLE”
… .. we know this to be true, but some things are a given,   for example our choices.  The choice to serve in a leadership capacity  is a vital choice to our C.W.L.’s  future success.  Serving the League must be addressed today to insure success  tomorrow.

I will continue to work toward building confidence in our Victoria Diocesan Council.  We can always point to others we think may be more qualified, but such comparisons are not the point.   The Holy Spirit makes up the difference between our abilities and our call! Rather than comparisons, we should gain strength from others examples.

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the American President said:

“You MUST always strive to do the very thing you think you MOST cannot do!”

Our Diocesan Council is unique and has many gifted members.  We are not without difficulties  shared by other regions.  The journey is never easy, it wasn’t meant to be !    My goals of raising the internal profile of our Council and improvement in finances will be challenging.

WE DARE TO DREAM OF THE FUTURE! ARE WE UP TO IT?  WE CERTAINLY ARE !

Please pray for the Victoria Diocesan Council and all members of the C.W.L. as we embark on our exciting journey to the future.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madame  President

We are a Diocese of 18 Parishes of which there is 16 active. Two are inactive at present. I am working on getting one going again at present. My Parish Council has offered to help. I am hoping that with an invitation to our CWL parish council meeting in Fraser Lake some of the ladies from that parish will attend and we can sister with them and get Burns Lake active again. That is my goal for this year.

The membership in our Diocese was down in 2007 by 25 members compared to 2006. Membership is a struggle but we keep working at it. Hopefully it willl be back up in 2008. I was pleased  that 16 ten year, 3 forty year, 3 sixty year, 2 twenty-five year, 3 fifty year, 2 sixty-five, and 8 Maple Leaf pins were presented to members throughout the Diocese last year. I encourage the parishes in our Diocese the give out the pins and recognize the ladies that work tirelessly for the Catholic Women’s League as the pins are there for that purpose let’s use them. It is a small token of thanks to our ladies who work for God and Canada.

Our Annual Diocesan Convention was hosted by Notre Dame in Dawson Creek April 11th to 13th this year with approximately 60 participants including our Bishop, Gerald Wiesner, and Provincial President, Barbara Dowding.  The spiritual programs were ably led by Dodie Bond. There were two interesting Workshops presented. A two hour workshop on Communication given by Barb Dowding and a fun workshop given by Betty R…… on forming resolutions using the “whereas” and  “therefore” in a resolution. Betty is our Diocesan Resolution Chairperson. There were many encouraging comments made on the Workshops.

We continue to work on the resolutions and legislation with a lot of interest. We are happy that “Age of Consent” C-2 was passed and the age of consent raised from 14 to 16. We must keep a watch on the renewed debate on euthanasia which is in the works, and keep on top of the Legalization of Prostitution.
Our members continue to work on Committees and many are in the Ministries of the Church. Funds are being raised to support  Development  and Peace, Catholic Civil Rights, Matercare, Coady Institute, Catechism, Pro-Life, Catholic Missions in Canada and many local needs.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide us as we work for God and Canada.

We are an amazing group of women whose accomplishments are many and diverse. Most councils report working on basic duties in the parishes.  Councils use whatever means necessary to keep councils active. Co-operation among members is evident as the League meets the needs of individual parish councils in ways which are  productive and positive. To improve communication in parish councils various means to relay messages and/or information may be explored as only the Bulletin is used by most.  Councils which do not have Resolution & Legislation Chairpersons report the members have interest in resolutions presented at Provincial and National levels. The Standing Committee Chairpersons have done a good job delivering their designated duties.

Five workshops were presented and, it would seem, well received last fall in the Diocese.  Topics discussed were: Chairperson’s Responsibilities, Dying and End of Life issues.

The Diocesan Convention in Kelowna at St. Charles Garnier was inspiring and informative. The spiritual enrichment sessions consisted of music and awesome presentations by Paulette W….. and Fr. Jim Ratcliffe on cultures very foreign to ours. These sessions were educational and interesting, and so riveting that we did not want the “Out of Africa” and Fr. Jim’s recollections to end. It showed us how ordinary people could do a lot of good for others. Our world view widened.

The  Nelson Diocesan  CWL Council does not have a full slate of officers. Motivating our membership to serve enthusiastically at Parish, and  Diocesan level is a challenge. A challenge to achieve the ideal which is to increase our membership numbers, encourage younger women to become active participants in our parish councils; fostering enthusiasm for and dedication to working for our great organization, The League.

We do need to work at revitalizing our councils. We ,of the Catholic Women’s League must remember our heritage and be proud members. We must remember how much good has been done by our predecessors. The resolutions which have been presented to governments at Provincial and National levels indicate how many times CWL has been on track long before the rest of Canada. CWL members are  pioneers, front-runners, groundbreakers, in issues which have impacted many Canadians for good.

My hope is we will grow in numbers to become more powerful for influence on governments.  Women in the League have been ingenious in their ability to create projects at the parish level that can and will make a difference in our communities, in Canada and beyond. Attendance at conventions teaches and inspires us to continue in the League, to persevere in our works ‘For God and Canada’.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel intercede for us.

Madame President, Special Guest National President Lorette Noble, Your Excellency, Spiritual Advisors and Sisters in the League:

The CWL membership of the Kamloops Diocese has been a hum-drum of activity the past few months. I would like to acknowledge and thank our very dedicated members of Sacred Heart Council, Williams Lake for their hard work and tireless effort in preparing to host this convention. Thank you ladies.

Our Diocesan Council has been challenged to function with revolving secretaries this past year as our Diocesan Secretary, Diane P….., has struggled with breast cancer.  We are pleased to announce that she is here today.   Diane’s illness has been a stark reminder that our spiritual commitment and Trust in God is most important in life’s journey.

Three CWL parish councils celebrated significant anniversaries this spring. Sacred Heart Merritt – 50 years; Holy Family Kamloops 25 years and St. Ann’s Quesnel 60 years. Charter presidents of Merritt and Holy Family attended their milestone celebrations.

In January, 2008 we began the ‘Novena for Struggling Councils’ (which are included in your convention packages) throughout the Kamloops Diocese. Each council was asked to pray the prayers at their general meetings each month with members continuing to pray the prayers in private for the following eight days. We continue to implore the intercession of Our Lady in a united effort as so many councils are struggling.

The Leadership Development Workshop, facilitated by Barb Dowding and Marilyn Van Dongen was deemed  a definite success.

Many members attended a CWL Spiritual Retreat in March.   The theme was “Risking the Sacred Journey”. It challenged attendees to journey into their hearts, God’s Heart, into Creation and into the Heart of the World.

Prov. President, Barb, presented a workshop on Communications at the Diocesan Convention. Her suggestions brought a new awareness of communicating within the League.

Our guest speaker, Dr. Clem Persaud, a retired professor of biotechnology, spoke on ‘Ethical Stem Cell Research’. Dr. Persaud helped us to examine the dignity of life and stem cells in regenerative  medicine. He asked us to write letters requesting that only embryos to be implanted be frozen – and  that only adult stem cells (not embryonic stem cells) be used for research purposes.

Members are sharing their gifts and talents and reported support, inspiration and encouragement from their League sisters. A few success stories were monthly themes for meetings; promoting awareness on environmental issues  and making meetings fun.

Plans for Kamloops Diocesan Council:

• Promoting Catholic Girls League. Purchasing “Turning the Tide” video  and developing an information session  to raise awareness  of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
• Continuing promotion of sub committees – purpose to include all members.
• Implementing the Communication suggestions by Velma Harasen in the League Magazine – emphasizing spending more time promoting the good – eliminating the bad and destroying the ugly when communicating. To recognize the positives of the Catholic Women’s League.

We will encourage spiritual growth, support, affirm and Love One Another as we  answer our personal and united ‘call’ to Walk Humbly with Our God on our CWL journey.

CWL has once again realized a fulfilling year in all our endeavors. With an ongoing increase in membership we continue to be able to contribute to the vision of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada through our service to God and Canada. We are so blessed to be a part of the largest national organization of Catholic women in Canada. We were present in the community with many of our known activities such as Hot Dog & Muffin Sundays, Bake Sales, Knights of Columbus Yard Sale, WRAP Campaign, Welcome to Winter Ball & Talent Auction, Baskets of Baking Raffles to name but a few.

The most exciting task that was fulfilled over the past year was that of hosting our CWL sisters at the B.C./Yukon Provincial Convention which was held last June here in Whitehorse. Over 140 ladies and their families made the trek north to visit our beautiful city and I can honestly say that they were not disappointed – the event was more successful than we had even planned it to be!

Our membership supports various organizations throughout Whitehorse and we continue to be mindful of the causes and situations that are arising in our seemingly uncertain world. One of our goals for the coming year is to present ourselves more frequently to the different levels of government in order to bring forward resolutions that are researched and written by CWL councils around the country and then approved at national conventions. This is a learning curve for all of us but we are committed to learning the “ropes” of our political system to further the fight against the issues which we identify as being important to us as individuals, important to the League and, ultimately, important to the Church.

Our monthly meetings are a time of reflection through our spiritual programs, a chance to volunteer our services for our community and an opportunity to meet for friendship as we take a break from our busy lives to come together for socializing.

We are blessed to be a part of such a rich Catholic community. We are thankful for our friends and family, priests and bishop, parish workers and those in the missions for all the work they do and will continue to support them in any way that we can.

Nicole G…..

Your Excellency, Madame President, Spiritual Advisors, Sisters in the League:

We, in the Kamloops Diocese recently celebrated our 60th Anniversary as a Diocesan Council. At our recent convention many accomplishments were noted, the power of prayer was recognized and the ongoing commitment of members was appreciated. I would just like to note a few of these:

We enjoyed Dr. Walley as our guest speaker who once again reiterated the challenges to educate the public of the MaterCare program and urged us, as CWL members, to raise the awareness of the dignity of women. Anna May presented the idea of “buying a dress” (a $10.00 donation and something we could relate to). This idea took off and within minutes a total of nearly $300.00 was collected for “new dresses”. Friday Mass collection and winnings of the 50/50 draw were also donated to Matercare – a total of over $2000.00 from the convention.

Our first Diocesan Catholic Women’s League Bursary was presented in the amount of $500.00. This bursary will be awarded annually to a student within the Kamloops Diocese.Our 90+ Members Binder has been displayed and appreciated at all Diocesan meetings. Parish council’s are now active in submitting information on their 90+ members. A Novena for struggling Councils was initiated to begin on the Feast of Our Lady of Good Council. We do have a phenomenal success story of a reactivated council which you can find in Anna May’s report in the convention book.

Sheila Q…. attended our Diocesan Convention and her workshop on Standing Committees was well received. She also presented a Life Membership to Marilyn V…….. – 2nd Vice Pres. of Provincial Council.To celebrate our 60th Anniversary we had a draw for a diamond. After many anxious hours of anticipation the winner of the draw was Margaret D…….. An update on Lucy S….. – a Life Member in our Diocese and whom many of you know. Lucy had a quadruple by-pass on March 9th. I spoke with her recently and she is now back to Sunday Mass, singing in the choir and going for walks. She should be back to her old self within six months. She sends regards to all and a big THANK YOU for all the prayers.

PLANS FOR KAMLOOPS DIOCESAN COUNCIL:
First and foremost we hope to promote Spiritual Growth with the emphasis on devotion to “Our Lady of Good Counsel” asking for her intercession and guidance to make us courageous and loving women of faith. We will plan a Spiritual Retreat at a central location in the diocese. Present workshops on Standing Committees and CWL information to help us learn and grow together. Tap into our Life Members experiences. I will ask each life member to do a presentation at our Diocesan meetings so we can reap the benefits of this wealth of information we have among us. As Diocesan President I will try and visit each parish council during my term and stress the importance of sharing the information in the communiques received from the next level. Regrettably, this information is not always passed on to the general membership where the information should be circulated and action taken. Also, I hope to emphasize the importance of attending conventions and encourage our general membership to make use of the best training tool we have and celebrate the League beyond the Parish Council level.

And last but not least to raise awareness of the special gifts each member has been given from God. To recognize that we are precious gifts to each other and that we must affirm, inspire, encourage and support all members to better understand our Mission as members of the Catholic Women’s League. It is very gratifying to be a part of this wonderful group of sharing and caring women who work so tirelessly for God and Canada.

Respectfully submitted,
Lorrilee J…..
Kamloops Diocesan President

Rev. Fathers, Madame President Sisters in the League:

Well it is just over one year now, since my elevation to Nelson Diocesan President! It has been an interesting year, one of learning, listening and supporting!

Many councils in my diocese have or are having problems filling positions on there councils. But the amount of accomplishments in each parish council are huge, totally overwhelming in fact! Councils continue to achieve the impossible with fewer and older members! Report forms at year end were a huge problem – yes and no questions do not complement a report for a report book. Our diocesan newsletter which we started in Sept. is very successful and well received by all.

On April 26th to 29th we held our annual convention in Trail. B.C. What a great time it was, we had over 120 ladies attend. We were thrilled to have National President Lorette Nobel with us! The National theme Love One Another became so very real! Her workshop on the national theme was very powerful, spiritually enriching and thought provoking. Dr. Walley with Matercare gave us a one and a half hour presentation on all the great works of Matercare and inspired my councils to donate $2,518.oo that day. Very Impressive! Our Spiritual Advisor Fr. Jim did an enrichment on Our Lady of Good Counsel; we learned so much about this history, we heard much more than any of us knew about this special feast day! Our provincial representative Elaine A…. guided us through the workshop on realignment of chairpersons; it seemed like the ladies really enjoyed going through this process, and were happy to be asked for their input! We also did not use any Styrofoam table ware at this convention. We received many compliments for a well run convention, for the wonderful speakers and programs that we listened to, learned from – all were terrific.

We were blessed to have a 90 year old member with us at convention, a very active and busy lady. One council reported a 90 year old lady joined the league for the first time. A member who had taken time off for a very serious illness, is back after four years, and is once again president of her council, where they had no president for 4 years. Just an example of the patience and positive attitudes we need and a reminder to keep focused!

We are planning four workshops this fall in the diocese, all will have Love One Another for the spiritual component, two will have responsibility of chairpersons as their 2nd part and two will have End of Life, Death and Dying for their 2nd part. All members of my team will be involved in these workshops. Two councils are celebrating anniversaries. We look forward to welcoming a new bishop to the Nelson Diocese this fall. We move in to the next year with love, humility and the gift of amazing grace. Thank you!

Respectfully submitted: Caroline A..-…..

My past year as Victoria Diocesan President has been a learning year for me, for the upcoming year I would like to focus on education of members.

2006 – Starting with our summer meeting, our executive studied their workbooks with information on writing communiques and each person’s job description. For the three Diocesan Newsletter I have done an educational component on MaterCare International, Coady Institute and Trafficking.

In the fall, we started our year with a Diocesan retreat to refocus our CWL life on the one thing that distinguishes us from other groups – SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Our Diocese has three retreats during the year, the Fall Retreat in Nanaimo and two in Victoria – one in Advent and one in Lent.

At the 58^th Annual Provincial Convention, May 28^th, 2005, with a Declaration on Trafficking we pledged “to implement resolutions that hold our governments accountable, to work with likeminded organizations, in particular religious communities of Sisters, to stop the trafficking of children and women and to be personally responsible for adhering to Church teaching in regard to the dignity of all persons.”

Continuing at Prov. Convention in Whitehorse in 2006, we learned more about the international problem of trafficking of women & children from Sister Pierrette Boissé, Social Justice Coordinator of The Congregation of Notre Dame.

On March 30 & 31, 2007, I attended the Workshop “Reusable Commodities – Trafficking of Human Beings” at Ascension Parish in Parksville facilitated by Sister Marie Zarowny ssa, a member of UNAMIA International, a UN NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) comprised of Roman Catholic Religious Women (nuns) that works towards understanding the causes of the increasing poverty in our world and in particular how that contributes to Human Trafficking, and Victor Malarek, author of “The Natashas – Inside The New Global Sex Trade” and senior investigative reporter for W5.

On Sat. afternoon we were challenged to come up with an action plan. The CWL members present joined as a group and came up with three actions.

1. Produce postcards to send to local, provincial and national politicians with the message “STOP – do not legalize prostitution”, with a supporting statement on the back. At our Diocesan Convention May 7 & 8, 550 postcards were distributed to the Parish Councils to sign and send.
2. Draw up a letter commending Air Canada for showing videos on international flights Against Sex Tourism. Letters were written to Air Canada and Air France thanking them for their initiative.
3. Speak to the Knights of Columbus and youth groups about the growing sex trade. Information has been passed to our local K of C Councils. Video presentations on the workshop will be available shortly and we will share this information with the other dioceses, the K of C and our youth groups.

At our Diocesan Convention we had a hands on presentation from one of our smaller councils, Our Lady of the Rosary on “Prayer Shawls”. This is a fast growing ministry – where shawls are made, blessed by the members of the Councils and then taken to those suffering from loneliness, loss or illness and presented by CWL members with a prayer ceremony. There are many websites devoted to this ministry, the best one being shawlministry.com

The highlight of our Diocesan Convention was the presentation of Sheila Q….’s Life Membership.

Parish Councils are encouraged to promote the four categories of membership, and to gift their daughters with a membership to the CWL – Port Alberni signed up 21 new members. Past Diocesan Pres., Mary L……. formatted an application form, which was passed on to the Parish Councils.

For our upcoming year we will continue to focus on education and our spiritual growth. At our summer meeting we will implement an education program for our Fall & Spring Interim Meetings rather than repetitive reporting. We have a very knowledgeable new member from St. Peter’s in Nanaimo who has offered to give us workshops on Parliamentary Procedure and Running Effective Meetings; we have accepted her offer to share her expertise at our upcoming Diocesan Meetings.

My goals for the Victoria Diocesan Catholic Women’s League continue to be:

1. Increased education with workshops & mentoring
2. Increase of members
3. Spiritual development

I renew my commitment to working with my team to achieve these goals!

Our Diocesan theme “Live With the Spirit” will be our guide as we “Love One Another” and “Walk Humbly With Our God”!

Respectively submitted, Agnes G…..

Madam President,

We are a Diocese spread for many miles with 18 parish councils of which 16 are active. Our membership is up 6% or 39 members.

We had a very good Diocesan Convention April 13th to 15th. Our National President attended as the guest speaker at the Banquet. She was at the convention from start to finish. What a spiritual, enthusiastic and inspirational person. She attended all the meetings so that she could experience CWL in our part of the woods. Mind you, we picked her brain lots and she was just one of us. Our Provincial Spiritual Advisor, Father Terry Brock attended and gave a presentation on Saint Gianna Molla. Marilyn V………., provincial 2nd vice was also in attendance and gave a workshop on Restructuring of Standing Committees. Another two hours went by fast. Our convention ended on an enthusiastic note.

Our members continue to work on the committees and many are in the ministries of the church. Funds are being raised to support Development and Peace, Catholic Civil Rights, Matercare, Cody Institute, Catechism, Pro-Life, Missions Canada and many local needs. There are letters written to the MLA’s & MP’s supporting the resolutions. There were no styrofoam cups or plates at our Diocesan Convention in Smithers this year. We support White Ribbon Campaign, Life Chain, World Day of Prayer, work with palliative care, and many more CWL things. I must also mention one of our youngest CWL Members has left us to enter the Cistersian Monastery as a postulant. She is from the Fraser Lake Parish.

I emailed or faxed every parish pastor and parish CWL president regarding Canada Apologizing to the World–re– Definition of Marriage as directed by Barb Dowding.

I received this position in April, six weeks ago and haven’t made many plans yet although we are planning a workshop on writing reports and/or a workshop on elections at our mid-term meeting.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide us as we work for God and Canada.

Respectfully Submitted

Susan S……., Prince George Diocesan President

Under the strong leadership of my predecessor, Pat Deppiesse, the Catholic Women’s League in the Vancouver Archdiocese continued to grow. Our four joy-filled General Meetings featuring topical presentations were regularly well attended. Members and priests enjoyed the Priests’ Appreciation Dinner with many councils generously sponsoring guest priests. Although on that night we were supposed to be the hosts, we received our fair share of appreciation in the gracious words of Monsignor Lopez- Gallo.

During her term Pat had installed two extra councils and witnessed the start up of a third. Two other councils were re-invigorated and gained full executives. A League Development Team was formed to be available on request for the training of councils, whether new, experienced or struggling. One of its first presentations dealt with Standing Committees, demonstrating their potential to bring alive and continually restate the mission of our League. By October we had aroused enough interest in our members to hold a two day Training Workshop with a Registered Parliamentarian, John Noonan, who took the fear out of Robert’s Rules of Order. Those present became better educated about efficient ways to run meetings and had a lot of fun doing so. Several council presidents began applying these principles in their own councils to good effect. In the New Year we anxiously awaited the return of the revamped annual report forms. While the number of reports did not improve dramatically, the quality and organization of the contents did. More recently we learned that we could add one more name to our list of Life Members, that of Marianna Caldwell.

These concerns about the well-being of our League did not overshadow our concerns about the needs of those at home and abroad. We responded generously to a request from the Sisters of Atonement for sheets and clothing for the homeless in Vancouver. We helped promote the play Lost In Traffic, an attempt to educate the Canadian public about the trafficking of women and children. We supplied the orphan children of Uganda with dolls and balls, and also expanded this collection with school and church supplies.

Three weeks ago when I was installed as Diocesan President at Westminster Abbey, Mission, B.C. some of my goals were clear, and since meeting with my talented new executive I have been able to devise a fourfold plan. First and foremost I aim to encourage my executive and our fifty councils in all their endeavours for God and Canada. Second, I will support and promote the work of the League Development Team entrusted to the capable leadership of its founder, now contentedly equipped with our recently purchased power point projector and happy in the knowledge that the funds returned to us from Vancouver’s 2005 National Convention may be accessed for the furtherance of this project. Third we intend to persuade the thirty+ pastors without CWL councils in their parishes, that the presence of our League in their parish will not only ensure that our synod’s proposition # 34 will be truly adopted, for the CWL has an strong tradition of time, talent and treasure stewardship, but also that legislative concerns will be addressed. And finally, we need to investigate better ways of serving our smaller councils e.g. by reducing the paper trail.

Inspired by the example of our Archbishop, Raymond Roussin, the care of our Spiritual Advisor, Father Craig Scott, and fortified by our new Diocesan theme, “Let Your Heart Take Courage”, Vancouver Archdiocesan CWL can face the future with much hope.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide us.

Evelyn R…. (Vancouver Archdiocesan President)

Madame President, Reverend Fathers and members of the Catholic Women’s League:

My name is Carol R., and I am the newly elected president of the Nelson Diocesan Council. I am from Holy Spirit Parish in Kelowna, the smallest of the five parishes there. We currently have 29 councils with 1960 paid up members.

The table officers enjoyed a spring retreat at Marywood Prayer House in Cranbrook , with much praying and planning for the diocesan convention, which took place May 4th to 7th in Oliver, B.C. This was a great time and our theme of Companions on the Journey was incorporated throughout the convention. We were delighted to have our Provincial President-Elect, Barb D. with us. She provided us with much food for thought with the Discerning Workshop, and she was also guest speaker at our banquet.

Our Spiritual Advisor is Father Jim R. from St. Theresa’s Parish in Kelowna. This is his second term as the Spiritual Advisor for the Nelson Diocese. I am proud to have with me here in Whitehorse: Father Jim, Alice H. – diocesan president-elect from Kimberley, Jean F. – Life member from Kelowna, Doreen R. – my Education and Health chairperson from Creston, Pollyanna K. – Life Member Liaison from Oliver, Jan K. – President of Holy Cross council in Creston, Carol P. – Provincial Treasurer from Golden, and Elaine A. – Provincial Chairperson of Community Life from Castlegar.

I am also proud to have a full slate of table officers. My goals for the coming year: to listen, to study, to be a mentor to my executive. I am happily looking forward to the challenge of being Nelson Diocesan President. Thank-you.

Carol R.

St. Peter’s hosted our Diocesan Convention on May 1 & 2 where it was especially gratifying to be installed as Diocesan President in my home Parish with my family and my League sisters – my friends, present and supportive!

My goals for the Victoria Diocese Catholic Women’s League are:

1. Increased education with workshops & mentoring – In our Parish we started monthly “Journeying” Sessions where we have a gathering from 9:30 – 11:30am the third Saturday of the month. Topics varied from “Women of Faith”, “Body Language”, Crafts – “Angels, Butterflies & Flowers”, “Uncorrupted, The Story of Rose Prince”, “Development & Peace – Clean Water a Right”, “Listen to the Whispers” – Video on Ovarian Cancer & an Exercise Class, “Education on Standing Committees” and “Sisters & Daughters Betrayed: The Trafficking of Women & Girls and the Fight to End It” followed by the Trafficking Prayer Service. One of our most enthusiastic participants is a member of two years, an 85 year old professed “Hug Bug” who wouldn’t miss a session.
2. Increase of members – Having a Spiritual component at all meetings, enthusiasm, personal contact and fun, so members want to attend and be an active part of the League.
3. Spiritual development – Encouraging Diocesan retreats and Guest Speakers. Our Annual Diocesan Retreat is at Bethlehem Retreat Centre in Nanaimo on Sat., Sept. 9 with the theme “New Life”; Fr. Frank & Deanna Pilchak facilitating. Cost – $ 20.00.

I look forward to working with my team to achieve these goals.

With Our Lady of Good Counsel as my guide and the ladies from the Victoria Council as my mentors, I know we will be successful.

I’d like to close with a prayer from St. Augustine of Hippo:

“Don’t let your life misrepresent your song.
Sing with your voice.
Sing with your heart.
Sing with your mouth.
But especially sing with your whole life”.

Respectfully submitted,
Agnes G.