Dear sisters;

I realize that I sent a communiqué #8 last month. But something has come up, which I have been asked to look at, from one of our sisters in the League and our Provincial President Nancy Simms.

It is in regards to our schools and the programs that are being implemented in some of them. I have gone on the web-sites and had a look at some of the issues. I found it to be very interesting. Not all schools are involved in the implementation of the program in question, “Out in Schools”, among other issues as well.

A web-site to go to is www.cultureguard.com . I feel that as CWL members we should be vigilant on what programs are being offered in our schools around B.C. and Yukon. Check out the schools in your area and see if there are issues that need to be addressed. Write to your local school boards as well as the provincial or territorial government if you find programs that infringe on our religious values or parental rights. Be sure to get all the facts before you write and remember to write your letter as coming from “yourself” not as “we” and not on CWL letterhead as our Provincial President is the only one who may speak on behalf of the CWL.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada has a resolution on Anti Bullying Programs. Bullying can come in many forms. Implementing offensive programs in our schools is one form of bullying.

While writing your letter on a concerned subject, be sure to compliment the school board or government department for the good work that they are doing in other areas.

Resolution – 02.02 Anti-Bullying Programs Submitted by Saskatchewan Provincial Council

Whereas, the federal government has launched an anti-bullying awareness campaign; and

Whereas, Bullying in schools violates the human dignity of both victims and perpetrators and often leads to anti-social behaviours destructive to students, families and communities; and

Whereas, There are many serious, negative, long-term consequences for bullies, such as higher risk of criminal conviction, and for victims, such as depression, suicide and aggressive retaliation; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the national council of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, in 82nd annual national convention assembled, urge League parish councils to encourage their school districts to implement comprehensive anti-bullying programs that involve parents, students, teachers, support staff and the community at large.

Reminder: Feb 15th is the deadline for your annual reports to be sent to me. Thanks go out to the dioceses of Victoria, Kamloops and Nelson for getting their reports into me early. If anyone if having a problem with their report, please contact me and I will endeavour to help you.

World Day of the Sick is Feb. 11th.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II instituted World Day of the Sick on 11th of Feb., the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, for its annual celebration. On this day the sick are encouraged to reflect on the Christian meaning of suffering and to recall God’s health-giving presence. We are also reminded that God often heals and restores life in unexpected ways.

Some parishes in your area may be celebrating a special Mass of Anointing to mark this special day. I encourage all councils to attend and to facilitate in any way they can to help by giving rides etc. to those who can’t get there on their own.

Quote from the Vatican, 20th November 2011, Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King. POPE BENEDICT XVI “To all those who work in the field of health, and to the families who see in their relatives the suffering face of the Lord Jesus, I renew my thanks and that of the Church, because, in their professional expertise and in silence, often without even mentioning the name of Christ, they manifest him in a concrete way. (cf. Homily, Chrism Mass, 21 April 2011)

To Mary, Mother of Mercy and Health of the Sick, we raise our trusting gaze and our prayer; may her maternal compassion, manifested as she stood beside her dying Son on the Cross, accompany and sustain the faith and the hope of every sick and suffering person on the journey of healing for the wounds of body and spirit.

I pray that your Christmas was filled with Wonder, Hope, Faith, Family and Love.

Now that Christmas is over and the New Year is upon us…it is time to start thinking about what is ahead of us for the next year in the Catholic Women’s League.

One of the reasons I am sending this communiqué to you is to let you know that you will find on our provincial web site www.cwl.bc.ca . The new revised “Molly Boucher Award” along with the criteria for the application. Please be sure to inform your counterparts of this fact. I am sending you a hard copy. Also, if you go the National Web site, www.cwl.ca, you will find the new “National Bursary “application form along with its criteria. I am encouraging members in our province to make use of these funds. Chairpersons of all levels should be talking up the bursaries at their general meetings etc. We need to talk them up more…educate, educate…

For information on the bursary for graduation students offered by Catholic Health Association of BC, please contact Susan House at smhouse@shawlink.ca. All diocesan education and health chairs have received a copy of a letter from Susan House, Executive Director, CHABC in regards to information on a very important court case that was launched in November in Vancouver seeking to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, via the court , in Canada in what is being referred to as the Carter/Taylor Case.

Reports to me are due in by February 15th. Here are a few suggestions from my National counterpart, Pearl Bridgwater, to help you with your reports:

In General:

• highlight your activities as the chairperson
• do not include scripture, prayer or poetry
• include information from sub-committees
• do not list every activity from ever report received. Summarize the common activities; e.g., all councils give bursaries to high school students. Highlight one or two that are unique in some way.
• do not include activities that pertain to other chairpersons committees. Activities under education and health include MaterCare, Bursaries, the Coady International Institute. National Manual of Policy and Procedure.

Specifically:

• Catholic Education: Catholic Schools and Catechesis, Rites of Christian Initiation
• Literacy and continuing education
• Scholarships and bursaries
• Wellness and sickness/disease
• Environment
• Genetics

Be sure to check the other communiqués for their exciting information that is happening in their committees.

Please forward this information to your parish council presidents and executives.  May I suggest we write letters to the Prime Minister, and Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda (with a copy to your local MP) to voice concern re the ongoing disregard of government funding.

If you Google Bev Oda website and click on CIDA (then on statement in middle of the page) -next on News Release (to the left) Sept. 27/11 you will find info. from this past week re Canada’s Muskoka Initiative to improve the health of mothers and children in Latin America!!   Let’s support those who are working so hard to make a difference and support the health needs of women around the world (not just economic empowerment).  Most of us are very familiar with the work of Dr. Walley through Matercare International and have supported this cause financially in the past.  Do we have to accept that Dr. Walley was told ’they would never get funding…?)Let your voice be heard – encourage government to support Matercare through much needed funding.  Make sure you keep track of number of letters written - Pat wants totals included in your reports.

Subject: Maternal Health Group Denied Funding Over Catholic Beliefs

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=115777

6-October-2011 — Catholic News Agency

Maternal Health Group Denied Funding Over Catholic Beliefs

ST. JOHN’S, CANADA, October 6 (CNA) – A Catholic maternal health group has been denied Canadian government funding for the eleventh time in nearly a decade, while organizations such as Planned Parenthood receive millions from the country.

“We were told that we would never get funding simply because we wouldn’t provide reproductive health-that we were ‘too Catholic’ and too close to the Pope,” Dr. Robert Walley, president of Matercare International, told CNA.

Walley’s organization, a group of worldwide Catholic gynecologists and obstetricians, works to reduce the over 330,000 preventable maternal deaths that occur each year in developing countries.

The news was confirmed on Oct. 3 that the group was excluded yet again from funding by the Canadian International Development Agency. This time, it happened in the context of Canada’s 2010 Muskoka initiative aimed at providing global maternal health care, immunization and nutrition.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced the 28 projects that will split the $82 million in funding between now and 2016. Groups awarded the money include Planned Parenthood-funded $6 million-the United Nations Population Fund, World Vision and the Canadian Red Cross.

A few Christian organizations such as the Presbyterian World Service and Development and the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada were also given a share.

“Every one of those groups is very large, very wealthy-it means that smaller agencies like us are being frozen out,” Walley said.

He explained that the Canadian development agency “decided some years ago to eliminate smaller NGO’s and especially those with certain faith based backgrounds.”

MaterCare International, which has been operating since 1985, had requested $2.2 million in funding to open a hospital near its thriving clinic in Isiolo, Kenya. “We’ve done all of this work,” Walley said, “it’s existing, it’s standing there.”

Adding insult to injury, Walley-a prominent physician who was appointed by Pope John Paul II to serve on the Pontifical Council for Health-was asked for his input on the Muskoka initiative as it was being organized.

“I was invited to the Prime Minister of Canada’s office to brief and advise about this initiative” before being denied funding, he recalled. “It’s insulting, really.”

Walley also said that MaterCare being refused money based on its Catholic stance against abortion and contraception is a complete non-issue and should have no influence in the agency’s decision.

“Abortion and birth control are irrelevant to solving the problem of maternal mortality,” he underscored.

“All the deaths occur during the last three months of pregnancy during labor and delivery and one week after-so what on earth is a birth control pill or a condom going to do?”

Stressing the urgency of the issue, Walley explained that maternal mortality is “the number one health problem among women of the child bearing age in the world.” A close second is the devastating and socially ostracizing condition of fistulas, which can occur during birth and only be fixed by an operation.

Walley said that in the West, only around 1 in 10,000 women are at risk of death during childbirth, “but in parts of Africa it’s 1 in 7.” To ignore the problem or to obstruct others in their attempt to solve it “is a form of violence to women.”

In response, MaterCare International has called for a new “Marshall Plan” for mothers that would see increased investment in health care for mothers and unborn babies in the developing world. The original Marshall Plan saw billions of U.S. dollars used to rebuild Western Europe after the Second World War, in order to combat the “tyranny” of communism, Walley said.

“What we now need-because we’ve got a tyranny of the culture of death and we’re the only ones who are opposing it-is a Marshall Plan for mothers.”

“Motherhood should be of profound significance to us as a Church,” he emphasized. Not only did “Our Lady, Mary, Mother of God, say ‘yes’” but “none of us would be here if we didn’t have a mother.”

The Marshall Plan for mothers has already received backing by leaders such as Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who gave his support for the effort at a global conference of Catholic health care professionals in Rome Sept. 2.

Rep. Smith argued that abortion advocates are willing to kill off faith-based health care in the developing world, despite the fact that such agencies provide up to 70 percent of all health provision in many of these countries.

May our Lady of Good Counsel guide you all your endeavours.

Greetings;  Welcome back to a new year.  Next week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  We can all be thankful for so much.

National Education and Health Chairperson Pearl Bridgwater has asked me to bring to your attention two resolutions directed to education and health.  She has asked that each one of us must make a pro-active role in our own health and well-being.

Raising awareness of colorectal cancer:  statistics support the fact that early detection of colorectal cancer is directly related to a significant reduction in mortality.  This cancer has few or no symptoms in the early stages, but there are some signs that raise a red flag;

• Blood in stool or stools that are narrower than usual
• Change in bowel movements-diarrhea, constipation or a feeling that the bowel does not empty
• Stomach discomfort and/or vomiting
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue

Action:

• Make an appointment with your doctor or check up if you have these symptoms
• After 50yrs have a colorectal  screening every two years
• If a parent or sibling had colorectal cancer there is an increased risk
• Encourage member to write to members of their provincial legislatures and members of parliament urging them to increase funding for education which would reflect the importance of testing and screening for colorectal cancer.

For more information go to http://www.cancer.ca/ or the Colon Cancer Canada Web site at http://www.coloncancercanada.ca

Limiting the sodium in our food: in order for us to have a normal functioning body we need small amounts of sodium.  The maximum daily intake is 2,300mg. The adequate intake level recommended in 1,500mg per day for persons aged 9-59 and less for those older or younger.  Too much  sodium can cause chronic disease such as high bold pressure, a major cause of cardiovascular disease that are a burden on health care budgets.

The majority of Canadians are aware that too much sodium in foods is a health issue, but still the daily sodium intake exceeds the tolerable Upper Intake Level.  A recent report from the Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Sodium Reduction of Health Canada stated, “The major contributors to dietary sodium intake are commercially prepared foods including those from restaurants and food service establishments”.   Restaurant foods are exempt from mandatory sodium labeling, and sodium reduction by manufacturers is completely voluntary.

Action:

• Read the labels on packaged food.
• Remove salt shaker from the table.
• Request salt free restaurant meals.
• Write letters to the prime minister and federal minister of health with a copy to the local member of parliament urging the federal government to act immediately to impose  regulatory standards governing the amount of sodium manufactures  use in  packaged and processed foods products.
• Write letters asking for improvements to the current nutrition labeling system in Canada to facilitate consumer use, particularly as it relates to sodium.
• Invite dieticians to speak at your regular meetings  with respect to proper amount of sodium intake and how it relates to health issues.

Resolutions Passed at the National Convention:

There were two proposed resolution under the Education and Health Standing Committee passed this year.

• 2011.03 National Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Registry
• 2011.04 Caffeine in Energy Drinks

Education:

I received information from Susan Kovacic (ParentsKnowBest.ca) about what is being done with the pending provincial curriculum changes for schools.  We will discuss this issue at our Mid-Term meeting coming up.  I will endeavor to keep you informed.  For now you are more than welcome to go to the Provincial Government website and look under education for more information as to what is happening in our schools.

Molly Boucher:  we will be tweaking the criteria for Molly Boucher award at our up and coming Mid-Term meeting this month.  I will send out the revised copies to all Provincial  Education and Health Chairpersons and Diocesan Presidents once it has be approved.  Thank you for your patience in regards to this matter.   I hope also to have it posted on our new revised website.  (see here: Molly Boucher Bursary)

Hello to everyone;  I know that you want a break for communiqués ..but I felt that this just had to be sent your way.  The information below was sent to me with reminders about our involvement and how we can support the cause but not support a political party.  So please read this with that in mind.

Here is the information from Suzan Kovacic in regards to a group of concerned parents who have been working to protect freedom of conscience and religion in our public school system.  Please read it over and send it on to your counterparts for information.  Please remind our ladies that “the Cwl cannot support a political party.”  We can however support the cause but that we must remain non-partisan.  Susan understands this and has asked that we circulate her letter which I have placed in the body of this communiqué.

Over the last few months, a group of parents has been working to protect freedom of conscience and religion in our public school system. The stage was set in 2006 when the Provincial Government issued the Corren Agreement which effectively denied parental rights to opt children out of curriculum that is contrary to their beliefs and moral convictions.  Since then, school boards have been instituting policies in line with the Corren Agreement. In our school district of Burnaby, the school board has recently adopted a particularly egregious policy which promotes educating children in the belief that non-heterosexual relations and heterosexual relations within marriage are morally equivalent.  For more information, you may read an analysis of the Burnaby policy written by the Catholic Civil Rights League at the following website:  http://www.ccrl.ca/index.php?id=5185.  Several groups have since written parental directives advising schools that they may not educate children in beliefs contrary to their moral convictions and requesting alternative delivery of such curriculum.  An example of a parental directive letter is available at the following website: http://www.theparentsvoice.org/Parental_Directive.html.

I hope that the Catholic Women’s League may be able to provide some assistance.  Some of the ways that I can imagine the CWL could help would be in providing information, advising parents of groups that can assist them in protecting their children against policies such as Burnaby’s or recommending people that may be able to assist with this cause.

There are two things that we need immediate assistance with:  

1. We are about to set up a political party to run candidates for school trustee in the upcoming Burnaby civic election.  The party will be called ParentsKnowBest.ca.  We have several people who have expressed interest in running as candidates.  We are establishing a solid team of people with political experience to support them.  The expertise, we are lacking, however, are an accountant and a lawyer willing to serve as officers of the party.  If you can suggest anybody who may be interested in assisting us, I would appreciate your help in putting us in contact with them.  We will be having our first meeting of our newly forming party to discuss our draft constitution and steps forwards.  The meeting is on Wednesday, July 6 at 7:30 pm at 9983 Rathburn Drive in Burnaby.  You may forward this information should you know somebody interested in being involved.
2. The Province has just published an editorial dealing with this particular issue (http://www.theprovince.com/life/Misguided+parents+forcing+schools+waste+vital+cash/5042235/story.html).  It is interesting because the article exposes the real intent of the Burnaby School District, and that of other school districts. “Alternative delivery for sexual-orientation issues is impossible. Those matters, a district official told me, can come up spontaneously in classroom discussions of novels, social studies topics, and current events.”  This statement indicates that the district intends to violate parental authority even if issued with a legal directive advising them that this may not be done and demonstrates that discussions about homosexuality will be found throughout the school curriculum (I should add that this will be implemented starting in kindergarten).  Letters to the editor in response to the above editorial would be much appreciated.

The grassroots movement associated with this cause is the Parents’ Voice.  The website is www.theparentsvoice.org.   The website is still in development so there isn’t much information there yet.  Attached you will find a copy of the parental directive letter (the “accommodation of religious freedom” version), the website also has a copy of the letter although this one is different and requests accommodation of deeply-held beliefs.  It would be appropriate for more general use, especially for those who do not hold to particular religious beliefs.

Again, thank you for your offer to help.  I will keep you informed of continuing developments.

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.

Blessings to you! I don

Blessings to you! May the New Year bring you and your family many blessings and health.

As I am just getting into this chair, I am finding it to be very large. Because of that I believe that I will be looking to get some assistance from fellow CWL members who have the desire to help in a sub-committee capacity. If there is anyone out there who would love to help in sharing their expertise. Please feel free to contact me.

National Chairperson of Education & Health, Pearl Bridgwater

“As you may be aware the recent public statement, made by Bev Oda, International Cooperation Minister, regarding Canada’s contribution to the G8 maternal health initiative is in conflict with what taxpayers were promised in April.

At that time many organizations insisted that abortion be excluded from Canada’s G-8 policy on Maternal Health care and the government pledged the funds would be used for only positive assistance to women and children and would not include abortion funding.

This week Ms. Oda stated: “Canada would support abortion infrastructure if asked, ‘as long as it is legal within the country and it’s a legal procedure… if we were asked to help in that way we would do that”.

This is a sudden about face of funding for the killing of unborn children in developing nations. The women of these nations desperately need food, medical care, clean water and other development assistance which is what Canada pledged.

An immediate and strong response to the above is needed.  Please ask your members to write the Prime Minister’s office and insist that the G-8 grant for maternal health not include abortion and that Canadian taxpayers not be forced to fund abortion-providing agencies.

Office of the Prime Minister The Honorable Bev Oda
80 Wellington St., Minister of International Cooperation
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A2 House of Commons

Harper.S@parl.gc.ca

Oda.B@parl.gc.ca

Fee Increase for Care Residents

One other concern that has been brought to my attention is that residents of British Columbia, who require care, had a fee increase of 80% of the individual’s after tax income.

This increase is unjust and causes financial and emotional hardship for the residents and their partners.

A woman from Prince George informed me that her son is in a care home and the cost of his care went up from $1200.00 per month to over $1800.00 per month. She also told me that some couples are separating and divorcing because of the stress this increase has caused.

I ask that your check with your local Senior Citizens Society and see what their response is to the increase fee. You may want to ask if they would be willing to come and give an informational talk at your parish council meeting, on just what it means to citizens who require the extra care. I believe it is a very important matter, especially if it is causing hardships in the family.

I know personally that there is a petition circulating in Prince George opposing this increase.

I urge the Education and Health Chairperson at the parish level to bring this concern to their councils. You can also get in touch with our Provincial Minister of Health, Honorable Kevin Falcon, (www.gov.bc.ca) for more information.

God Bless and please inform your members about applying for the Molly Boucher Bursary .

Good Day to all of you. I pray your summer was a beautiful one, filled with great times with your family, rest, housework and gardening. I know that mine was-except for the smoke from all the forest fires… Let me introduce myself to you. I am your new Provincial Education and Health Chairperson for the BC and Yukon. For those who don’t know me, my name is Dodie Bond and I live in Prince George. This is my first time at this standing chair. I am looking forward to not only educating myself on this chair I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned with you so that you can pass it on to your counterparts. Please, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions.

Please send me copies of your communiqués that you send out to your counterparts.

Notes and dates to keep in mind:

• Reports sent to me by February 15th
• Send me a copy of your communiqués that you send to your councils.
• Applications for Molly Boucher by March 31st (to me) application on the Provincial website

Life Members Art and Culture Award-criteria and application forms available on the Provincial website, www.cwl.bc.ca; completed and returned by March 31st and sent to Shirley Armillotta. National-criteria and application available on national website; www.cwl.ca, under supplies and forms. Completed and returned by May 31st to National office.

Health:

Deputy Ministry of Health of Canada; Ms. Glenda Yeates  www.hc-sc.gc.ca

Health Canada launches “ Not4Me” Facebook fan page dedicated to drug prevention among youth. The campaign involves a web site, TV and cinema ads, transit and shopping mall posters, interactive and internet banners and a ring tone that is aimed to build awareness among youth – that drugs are dangerous and destructive. Look for more information on this..go to “not4me.ca”

Minister of Health for BC; Honorable Kevin Falcon www.gov.bc.ca

Go to this web site and read what is happening within the Minister’s portfolio and report to your councils that which you think is pertinent to their area(s). There is some interesting reading on the web site.

Medical Students Forum;

A medical student forum hosted by the UBC Medical Students for Life and Canadian Physicians for Life is being held at UBC Nov. 12-14th, 2010. The Canadian Physicians for Life CPFL are looking for funding to help them with this project. One of the councils in your diocese may be interested in helping support this project. Contact University of British Columbia for more information. Alex Schadenberg of EPC quotes a disturbing case in Brampton Ontario which might help councils to support this project. His web-site is “Euthanasia Prevention Coalition”.

Education:

Minister of Education & Minister responsible for Early Learning and Literacy; Honorable Margaret MacDiarmid. Check out the Provincial web-site for information on what is happening around our province and country. Check with your local schools/parishes and ask if there is anything that we could be supporting them in some way.

May our Lady of Good Counsel continue to guide you in all you do for God and Canada.

Education and Health is a very active standing committee dealing with education and health in six areas.

First is Catholic Education which includes Catholic schools and catechesis. Our members are very engaged in these two areas -whether it is teaching in the Catholic schools, serving on school councils, advisory committees or school boards or teaching catechism or raising funds for our Catholic schools.

Education and Health chairs also monitor the BC Department of Education website as to developments and changes in curriculum.

Second area is literacy and continuing education.

Under our theme of Peace and Hope, we are asked to reach out to women of other cultures and backgrounds. One ways is help immigrants with reading and writing. The CWL was established in 1920 to provide support for immigrant women and girls and the work is continuing today in parish councils. Members are supporting new Canadians by acting as tutors and assisting adult learners.

Adult faith formation classes are provided in most dioceses and all members are urged to attend classes to strengthen their faith.

Third area is scholarships and bursaries.

Some parish councils, all the diocesan councils and the provincial council and national council give bursaries. Life Members have established a bursary in the area of arts and culture. What a wonderful way for the CWL to promote education of its members and member’s children and grandchildren.

Fourth is wellness and sickness/disease – always a big focus for our members.

Provincial is a member of the Catholic Health Association of British Columbia and I would urge parish councils and individuals to join this organization. Membership supports the protection of Catholic health care in BC.

National has been focusing on palliative care and the National chair has completed her report on palliative care in Canada. In 2008, all the diocesan education and health chairs were asked to do a survey of palliative care in their diocese during 2009.Unfortunately not all provinces responded. Cecil Miller, National Education and Health chair, was able to put together a report summarizing the responses she received. One of her suggestions is to educate our members on palliative care using the DVD, Ethics for the Journey by Fr. Mark Miller, a speaker at last year’s National Convention. One parish council reported that they purchased the DVD and facilitated and hosted an open meeting to view and discuss the information with parishioners, other faith communities and care and respite facility staffs. Good palliative care reduces the demand for euthanasia.

Fifth is the environment.

We are to encourage our members to be good stewards of the earth and show, by example, how to be good stewards of God’s creation.

National has asked us to eliminate the use of Styrofoam especially in our parish activities. Remember that that Styrofoam that you use today will still be in the landfill 500 years from now.

One diocese is urging its members to plant a garden. What a wonderful idea – even a small pot with a tomato plant is a start.

And finally, the sixth area is genetics.

This area has caused concern in some councils as they say they do not have enough information to discuss this matter.

Genetics is based on the scientific study of heredity. Scientists are now able to understand much of the workings of genetic material and breed new organisms with ease. This is the positive side of genetics, which, for example, has led to the development of crops yielding much more grain than was ever possible before or disease resistant plants. On the negative side, we must be vigilant, that genetics is used to protect the dignity of human life and not used in evil ways such as cloning or for new diseases for biological warfare.

One council had a presentation on Genetically Engineered Foods, telling which of our foods have been genetically modified, the pros and cons of this and the Vatican’s stand on genetically modified foods.

Members are to be commended on the great amount of work that has been accomplished in this chair in 2009.

Dear Education and Health chairs, please have all your diocesan education and health reports to me by February 15 and thank you to those who have already submitted their reports.

Matthew – Chapter 13 – 33: “Jesus told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through”. Let us be the leaven.”

Pastoral Care Program

The Fraser Health Authority is cutting the Regional Co-ordinator for Spiritual Care and the hospital-based pastoral care co-ordinator positions. Their responsibilities are to fall to social workers and personnel who maange hospital volunteers in the Fraser Health Authority.

All CWL members need to contact their MLA’s and the Minister of Health Services, Kevin Falcon, and voice their opposition to this decision by the Fraser Health Authority, since this decision will affect all of the Health Authorities of BC.

Bursary Deadlines

Please promote all the bursaries – parish, diocesan, provincial and national.

Provincial: Molly Boucher – application form on provincial website, cwl.bc.ca, completed and returned by March 31st to me. Please remind applicants to print neatly and only include the material requested as everyone is treated equally and extra material will not be forwarded to the selection committee.

Life Members Art and Culture Award – criteria and application forms available on the website, cwl.bc.ca; completed and returned by March 31st and sent to Shirley Armillotta.

National – criteria and application available on national website, cwl.ca, under supplies and forms. Completed and returned by May 31st to National Office.

Weight

At the Provincial Convention in Prince George, a member approached me about doing something about the weight of our members. Many of us are carrying a few or many extra pounds which is not good for our health. A good place to start is with Resolution 03.05 type 2 Diabetes and You, which has three actions for members: 1. Have regular physical examinations and discuss Type 2 Diabetes with your physician; 2. Embrace a healthy active life style and 3. Invite health care professionals to speak to members about diabetes. The Diabetes Association of Canada www.diabetes.ca has many resources to help educate our members as to what is diabetes, how to prevent this illness and how to manage it. Contact the Diabetes Association and have a counselor give a presentation at one of your meetings and encourage parish councils to educate their members about healthy eating. Be an example by ensuring that snacks at meetings are healthy and not calorie laden.

Exercise is very important to maintain a healthy body. Encourage events that require exercise such as Walking to End Cancer. Or, make members aware of exercise programmes in their communities or programmes such as yoga that can be done in church halls and basements.

After attending, a presentation by Fr. Mark Miller, an ethicist, he made me aware of the problems of the obese. We must remember that obesity is not “they are fat because it is their fault.” Obese people must be treated with respect and dignity at all times.

Palliative Care

We have to be advocates for palliative care in our communities. Bill 384 has not yet come before parliament and to defeat this bill we must make everyone aware that good, supportive palliative care is the answer not assisted suicide. Please find out about palliative care in your diocese and be vigilant and protect the programmes that are in your diocese.

Education

The TV news is showing that many school boards in BC will be looking at ways to cut costs and to operate within their budgets. The news suggests that jobs will be cut in many school districts especially for special programmes to special needs children. Be aware of what is happening in your school districts and schools and ensure that special needs children are receiving the education that develops their full potential.

Genetics

When I received the first diocesan report, I read that some parishes do not have enough information on genetics to comment and therefore are not attempting this topic. A good start is to look at Resolution 02.09 Human Stem Cell Research and follow the action plan. Next order copies for each member of Stem Cells – Astonishing promises… but at what cost? from COLF www.colf.ca and study it together or order a copy of the DVD, Cutting through the Spin on Stem Cells and Cloning with Rev. Dr. Tad Pachoiczyk available from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, website www.ncbcenter.org/stemcell.asp

Environment

Encourage all parishes to do one thing a month to help the environment. The action does not have to be huge. If everyone does one small action it will turn into a big action for the earth; such as recycling as much as possible after a parish event.

Remember that we are to be the yeast that leavens the bread by our example and good works.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel keep you close.

Thank you, to the chairs that have sent me copies of their communiqués.

Palliative Care

Last spring I asked the chairs to complete a survey on palliative care in their diocese.

I then made a report and sent it to Cecile Miller, National Chair. At the National convention at our luncheon meeting, Cecile reported that not provinces had sent in their surveys and she was not at that time able to write a full report on the palliative care situation in Canada.

We have to urge our members to take part in palliative care, even in a small way. If you do not feel that you can be a palliative care volunteer, find another way to help a family or person in need. First, start by asking someone from palliative care or hospice to give a talk or presentation at a meeting. Perhaps, have councils brain storm and come up with ways that they can help at hospice or with palliative care. There are a lot of little things that can be done. “We can do no great things – only small things with great love. ” Mother Teresa

Bursary

In the Fall 2009 League Magazine, there was a list of bursary recipients. There was not one recipient from B.C. or Yukon. Out of 29 members who applied, 24 received a bursary. Criteria and application forms are available on the CWL National website. Please make councils aware of the bursary.

Catholic Health Association of BC

I would like to thank Johanna Nethercott for attending the annual convention of the CHABC.

In her communiqués she reported that CHABC staff met with the Privacy Commissioner’s office and both agreed that the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is not meant to deprive the patients of services in the form of access to a chaplain or priest.

If any council is interest, the CHABC is happy to do presentations about the work they do and in particular about Parish Nursing and Advance Care Directives. You can email smhouse@shawlink.ca for more information.

Catholic Health Association of Canada

The CHAC held their annual convention in April. A DVD with the keynote addresses- one from Dr. Margaret Somerville and one from Michael Panicola is available from Catholic Health Alliance of Canada at their website www.chac.ca. I have obtained a DVD of the addresses and I am willing to lend it.

Educate, Educate, Educate

Salt and Light Television, Canada’s Catholic Network, has some excellent DVD at a reasonable cost to help educate members on some topics. For example: Coady’s Dream on Moses Coady and the Coady Institute: Changing Course – A Catholic Project for City Schools; Exodus 09- the National March for Life and Turning the Tide on Euthanasia. Check out their website, www.saltandlighttv.org, and encourage councils to order a DVD to show at their parish meetings. DVD’s could be traded among councils. Throughout the month of December, Salt +Light is offering Christmas Bundles. Choose any 3 Salt + Light documentaries and pay only $50.00.

Literacy

According to the Council of Ministers of Education Canada, about nine million Canadians struggle with low literacy kills, including more that five million who lack the skills necessary to read a newspaper of fill out a job application.

The province of BC and Yukon run literacy programmes for adults and the programmes always need volunteers. In B.C. contact 1-888-READ-234 or info@literacy,bc.ca to find literacy programs that need volunteers in your diocese.

Assisted Suicide

At the Provincial Convention in Prince George, I presented a petition which was signed by all the members present and sent to Harold Albrecht MP for Kitchener – Conestoga.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, Motion 388, the motion to clarify the assisted suicide law in Canada concerning Internet Suicide Predators unanimously passed at second reading on November 18th. The motion will now go to the Justice Committee for further discussion.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Why Not? is a new brochure from the Canadian Organization for Life and Family and can be ordered from www.colf.ca.  COLF has excellent, inexpensive brochures that can be used at the parish level to educate our members.

New chairs

Welcome to Anna May from Kamloops Diocese, Carmen from Prince George diocese and Johanna from Vancouver diocese who are now education and health chairs and join Deanne from Victoria diocese and Mary from Nelson diocese.  Please remember to send me and the other education and health chairs copies of the communiqués that you are sending out to the parish councils.

Palliative Care

At the National Convention in St. Johns Nfld, Fr. Mark Miller gave an excellent talk on palliative care and end of live issues.

The Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan have produced a two-part DVD series with Fr. Mark Miller, entitled” Ethics for the Journey” which explore foundational teachings for faith-based care and for the ministry of care in our parish communities.

The DVD contains the material covered at the convention and can be used at parish meetings. The DVDs can be purchased through the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan website at www.chassk.ca.

I have a copy of Session 1 and Session II and I am willing to lend them to a council that wishes to show them.  Also, the Catholic Health Association of BC has a copy and will loan them to individuals and groups who wish to borrow them at website www.chabc.bc.ca.

Catholic Health Association of BC

The CHABC will be holding their annual general meeting and conference on September 17^th.  The theme this year is Nurturing a Living Mission in Today’s Health Care Culture. Registration deadline is September 10^th.  I have attached information re this conference.  If any education and health chair can attend, please let me know.

Catholic Health Association of Canada

The CHAC held their annual convention in April. A DVD with the keynote addresses- one from Dr. Margaret Somerville and one from Michael Panicola is available from Catholic Health Alliance of Canada at their website www.chac.ca.  Cecile Miller, National Chair of Education and Health, has highly recommended this DVD.

Genetics

Cutting Through the Spin by Father Tadeusz Pascholczyk

This DVD was shown at the Provincial convention.  The DVD deals with stem cell research and cloning.    This DVD can be ordered from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia website www.ncbcenter.org/stemcell.asp.

Please remember when viewing this DVD that the laws re stem cell research and cloning that are presented pertain to the United States and not Canada.

High-Tech Babies Exploring New Challenges to Human Dignity is a new brochure from the Canadian Organization for Life and Family and can be ordered from www.colf.ca.

COLF has excellent, inexpensive brochures that can be used at the parish level to educate our members.

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide- Urgent Questions and Living, Suffering and Dying… what for are excellent brochures from COLF to use when informing our sisters regarding questions around euthanasia and assisted suicide.

I also have the DVD, Turning the Tide, Dignity, Compassion and Euthanasia that is available for any council that wishes to borrow it.

Education

Every Education and Health chair should request, from the Department of Education, to be put on their curriculum updates email and should monitor what curriculum is being introduced or revisions made to existing curriculum.  You can do this by contacting the Department of Education at www.bced.gov.bc.ca

At the National convention, standing chairs hosted lunches.  Cecile Miller, National Chair of Education and Health asked for concerns.  One brought up by Ontario was regarding losing funding for Catholic schools.  This was an issue in 2007 Ontario Provincial election and is sure to surface again.  In Yukon, our Catholic schools are fully funded by the Territorial government; it is the reason that the Yukon is not part of BC.  However, we always have to vigilant that what happens in another part of Canada does not take away the rights in another part.

Catholic Civil Rights League

At the Provincial Convention, Mr. Sean Murphy spoke to us on Protection of Conscience/Religious Freedom.  Mr. Murphy is the Western Region, Regional Director of the Catholic Civil Rights League.

The Catholic Civil Rights League is a national lay Catholic organization committed to:

promoting ongoing dialogue with the media to secure a fair hearing for Catholic positions on issues of public debate;  lobbying government and intervening in court challenges in support of law and policy compatible with a Catholic understanding of human nature and the common good and   countering anti-Catholic defamation.

Their website is http://www.ccrl.ca

May Our Lady of Good Counsel keep you close.

This morning, I would like to introduce the DVD, Cutting Through the Spin on Stem Cells and Cloning.

Rev. Dr. Tad Pacholczyk (Po ho chick) is a priest in Massachusetts. He has degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology and chemistry. He also did laboratory research on hormonal regulation of the immune response. He has a PhD in neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters which are expressed in the brain. He also worked for several years as a molecular biologist.

Fr. Tad studied in Rome where he did advanced work in dogmatic theology and in bioethics examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo.

Fr. Tad has given numerous presentations on stem cell research and cloning. His column appears in the BC Catholic.

In 2002, the CWL passed Resolution 02.09 on Human Stem Cell Research. Part of the action plan was to become aware of stem cell research and the importance of using human adult stem cells.

In 2003, The CWL published a position paper on The Use of Stem Cells for Research Purposes. The paper strongly supports the ethical use of adult stem cells for research purposes and asks the federal government to protect the embryo, the earliest beginnings of human life, by prohibiting research on human embryonic stem cells.

Stem cell research has been in the news recently especially in the United States.

On March 9th, President Obama signed an executive order repealing a Bush era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. The 2001 order barred the National Institute of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time.

On May 19th at Notre Dame University, a Catholic University in the USA, President Barack Obama said at a graduation ceremony, “Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable convictions about the sacredness of life, but so are the parent of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son’s or daughter’s hardships can be relieved”.

What is the law in Canada on stem cell research and human cloning?

In Canada, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act that was adopted in 2004 for bids all forms of human cloning for any reason. However, the Act allows both adult and embryonic stem cell research, and both types are eligible for federal funding. Canada allows embryonic stem cell research, but does not allow embryos to be created solely to be used for this research. It is also illegal to buy or sell human embryos, sperm, ova, human DNA, and other cells that are intended for human reproduction, or to advertise the sale of human embryos.

Scientists can thus obtain embryonic stem cells only from “spare” embryos that were originally created for artificial reproduction, but were later donated by their parents for scientific research, or from aborted fetuses, as long as the mother consents to both the abortion and to the stem cell extraction.

In the DVD, Fr. Tad explores the myths around stem cell research and cloning, explaining what is morally acceptable and what is not ethically acceptable.

Keep in mind as you watch the presentation what the situation is in Canada, what the CWL has asked the Federal Government to do and what can you do?

After the DVD, Fr. Tran will answer questions regarding cloning and stem cell research.

Madame President, Fr. Tran, spiritual advisors, sisters in the League, guests

2008 was a provoking year for education and health. After reading the 2008 diocesan reports regarding education and health, I realized that this chair is a very active and committed chair. Chairs reported on tremendous interest in education and health concerns in their parish councils. One chair reported, “One thing that I am so very impressed with is the enthusiasm of women in the league. Whether the women are new to CWL or members for many years, all the ladies, who chair this committee, want to reach out to their members giving them insightful information, on every strand of this committee. No matter the age of the women, one of the ladies is in her 80′s, she researches constantly on websites, viewing Catholic information and brings the information to her parish meetings.” – A great example of a dedicated education and health chair and an inspiration to the League.

One issue that has arisen, from a request from the National chair of education and health, is to look at the state of palliative care in British Columbia and the Yukon. The excellent reports that I have received from the diocesan chairs have shown the great respect and care that members are showing for the end of life issues. Councils have fundraised to help construct hospice facilities. Members have volunteered many hours for training and work in hospice and palliative care facilities. Members have advocated in their areas for hospice and palliative care facilities.

In Dodie’s Christian Family Life report, she spoke about euthanasia.

What is the answer to those who push for euthanasia of the sick and terminally ill? It is good palliative care.

If your council has not talked or dealt with palliative care and investigated the facilities available to the terminally ill in their parish, I urge them to do so.

Become involved and be an advocate for end of life issues, do not let euthanasia become acceptable in Canada.

Education is always a hot topic. When I began teaching in the 60′s, education involved the 3 R’s. Now schools are being pushed by society to take on the role of the parent. Catholics have to be vigilant and keep aware of what is happening in their schools whether public or Catholic. Monitor the new curriculum that is being developed. You can be on the department of education’s email and receive curriculum updates. Discuss your concerns with the local school board and school advisory councilors.

Dear sisters this chair encompasses the gospel of life whether it is caring for the environment, caring for the education of the young and the old and caring for the health of everyone at all stages of life from the beginning to the end.

If you do not have an education and health chair, I urge you to consider your gifts and interests and take on the interesting job of education and health.

Blessing for a New Beginning

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

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

Reporting

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

Catholic Health Association of B.C.

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

Palliative Care

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

Coady International Institute

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

Education

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

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

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

Genetics

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

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

Dear League Sisters and Father Tran,

December is here and Advent has begun. Let us remember the birth of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and traveled up to Judaea, to the town of David call Bethlehem in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  While they were there the time came for her to have her child and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. How difficult it must have been for Mary -  no hospital, no family only Joseph to help her with the birth.

Let us be thankful for Mary accepting to be Jesus’ mother, for family and health care.

Thank you to the education and health chairs who have sent me their communiqués.  Keep up the good work.  Education and Health is a big chair – lots of action in both areas.Try to keep up to date as best you can.

Education

I wish to thank Sharon C., for attending the Take Back the School Seminar, taking notes and sending me information on BC Parents and Teachers for Life.

The Corren Agreement was back in the news. 

I contacted Nancy Simms, former Education and Health chair, regarding what the CWL had done last year when the Corren agreement was signed and her response was that four members of the CWL provincial executive had met with Mr. Gilbert.  He had listened intently to our concerns and was interested in the concerns of the CWL.  He spent approximately 90 minutes talking with us.  He explained to us that the agreement with the Correns did not necessarily give them any more rights than any of the rest of us.  The CWL is now on the same mailing list as the Correns and every member of the League should have by now been informed of the website where each of us can give our input to the curriculum. 

Sharon brought back some good recommendations from the workshop.  The recommendations are not new.  The recommendations contain suggestion that a parent does if their child is in school or in any organization:

• Be involved in schools – ask questions talk to teachers
• Give children information with Christian influence – live your faith
• Help children to think critically on information that is given to them
• Teach your children to analyze events and other peoples view points
• Encourage your children to be involved in Christian clubs
• Encourage children to think and speak out
• Pray

I encourage all CWL members to connect to the Department of Education’s Website at www.bced.gov.bc.ca and monitor what new curriculum is being developed and what changes are being made to existing curriculum. 

MaterCare

I have mailed out DVDs and material regarding Matercare to each diocesan health and education chair.  I have also forwarded a press release from MaterCare regarding conscientious objections of doctors and health care professionals.  I contacted Catholic Health Association of BC and have received material titled Freedom of Conscience under Attack for Physicians and will attach it with this communiqué.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is back in the news after the American election and Washington State, BC’s neighbour, voting in favour physician assisted suicides. Cecile Miller sent out the results of a Canadian poll that showed that 51% of respondents would choose palliative care and 36% would choose euthanasia. Research shows that good palliative care can reduce the demand for “mercy killing”.

The Whitehorse Diocesan CWL took Resolution 2007.03 on palliative care to the Yukon Minister of Health and Social Services.  Yukon does not have formal palliative care, however the Yukon health system does provide palliative care to patients nearing their end of life and future plans are for palliative care beds at the Whitehorse General Hospital.  When discussing the need for palliative care and why it was important and the fact that good palliative care reduces the requests for “mercy killing” the minister informed me that that was a personal choice.  I left the Minister with a copy of A Catholic Guide to End-of Life Decisions from the National Catholic Bioethics Center www.ncbcenter.org. available on line.

In an update from the Euthanasis Prevention Coalition, Alex Schadenberg reports that Francine Lalonde is intending to bring forth a private members bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada.  In the private members bill lottery, she received #42, meaning that if parliament survives, her bill will come up sometime in April.

May everyone have a blessed and joyful Christmas.

Dear League Sisters and Father Tran,

I hope everyone had a rejuvenating summer and were able to find some sun somewhere.  Fall is definitely here in Yukon.  The leaves are turning, the berries are ripe and the mountain tops are white with fresh snow.

Resolutions:

Three resolutions were passed at the National Convention in Winnipeg under Education and Health:

2008.02 – Restrictions on the Sale of Products Containing Triclosan
2008.03 – Toxic Substances in Household Products
2008.04 – Accurate Food Labelling

Awareness, Prevention and Treatment of Depression, a resolution passed at the B.C. Provincial Convention, was not presented to be voted on as a resolution but has been given to the National Chairperson of Education and Health for further action.

Euthanasia:

I would urge all councils, diocesan and parish to educate their members on this topic. The Keynote Address at the National Convention in Winnipeg was given by Dr. Moira McQueen, Executive Director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute; Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and Senator Sharon Carstairs.  Their presentations were followed by a workshop on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.

All three presenters gave passionate talks on why we should be concerned about end of life issues.  The workshop created lively discussion based on real life experiences.

Dr. Moira McQueen is the author of a book, Bioethics Matters – A Guide for Concerned Catholics.  The book is designed to inform and educate Catholics about vital topics in bioethics. These matters often call for detailed knowledge of Catholic teaching, but many of us do not know enough about what that teaching says on these kinds of issues.  We want to know more about that teaching when we are making moral decisions in these areas, for good conscience decisions call for good information. The book is available from Novalis at www.novalis.ca.

Alex Schadenberg has a website at Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.  Also, available from Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is a DVD and discussion guide, Turning the Tide, Dignity, Compassion and Euthanasia.

Catholic Organization for Life and Family has two publications on this topic, Choose Life! and Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide –Urgent Questions.

The CWL National website has two workshops on euthanasia, on the website under programs – Christian Family Life: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide 1 ¾ hr. and Euthanasia 15 min.  Both can be used for diocesan or parish use.  I have purchased the DVD, Turning the Tide to be used throughout the province.  It is an excellent presentation and can be used in conjunction with the two workshops.   The DVD also has a guide to use with it.  Or using all these resources, you can create your own workshop to fit your individual needs.  If you would like to borrow the DVD, just email me and I will send it out to you.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide is a topic that is back in the news.  Bloc Quebecois MP, Francine Lalonde has reintroduced Bill C-407, a bill that would have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada.  Robert Latimer has been released from prison and has moved to Ottawa to lobby for legalizing euthanasia.  If a federal election is called, CWL members must be educated to ask their federal candidates where they stand on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Senator Sharon Carstairs talked about end of life care.  Palliative care provides dignity and comfort to the dying.  It attends to spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the person. It involves living well to the very end. Resolution 2007.03 Hospice Palliative Care: An Integral Component of the Canadian Health Care System was adopted last year at the National Convention and according to Senator Carstairs still needs addressing as she is concerned that palliative care is not being delivered to every Canadian.  Those in urban centres are more likely to receive palliative care than Canadians in rural areas.

The Catholic Health Association of British Columbia is holding their annual conference on September 18th in Coquitlam on “Best Practices in End of Life Care”.  Registration deadline is September 12th. I encourage Education and Health Standing Chairs to attend this conference if possible and send a report to the other chairs not able to attend and to me since I am too far.

Education:

The children have gone back to school (school starts at the end of August for most children in Yukon). Many parishes do not have Catholic schools and parents and volunteers are starting their catechism classes. Also, Rites of Christian Initiation are beginning.  This is a good time to volunteer to help teach and to volunteer in the Catholic Schools to keep in touch with what is happening in our schools. Please keep abreast of what is happening in curriculum development through the BC government’s website, The new IRP for Social Justice 12 has been released.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel continue to guide you in your work.

Good afternoon ladies and clergy.

We must always remember that a solid foundation for both education and health begins within our homes. We cannot expect to change the world without first making changes within ourselves and in our own homes!

I have a copy of a pastoral letter produced by the CCCB entitled Our Relationship with the Environment: The Need for Conversion (PDF link). I recommend that every parish council throughout BC/Yukon order copies of it for their members. Within this letter it states “Humanity is accountable, not only for managing the domain entrusted to it, but also for the image of God humans reflect by means of their management.” I encourage all of you to order this letter through the CCCB, read it in its entirety, share it with others and if you haven’t already started, take steps to improve your relationship with the environment.

A few suggestions are; instead of using chemicals to kill those weeds in your lawn and garden pour boiling water on them, to make a safe all-purpose cleaner for your home mix one cup of baking soda to one gallon of water or as a degreaser mix vinegar and water. For your summer picnics, instead of Styrofoam dishes there is a new line of dishes called Natureware which are produced from left over materials of rice and corn after all food consumption benefits have been exhausted.  Once finished with these dishes they can be thrown into your compost with the rest of your products that can be turned into fertilizer. These are just a few simple ways that you can do your part, but let’s get creative and share our ideas with one another changing the world one person at a time!

As a means of sustaining a solid foundation of health you can log onto the website for the Centre for Science in the Public Interest where they have a Nutrition Action Healthletter which lists 10 super foods that aid in keeping the body rich in the vitamins and nutrients it needs. It is also important to find time for daily physical exercise and eight hours of sleep, which unfortunately for too many of us in our busy lives we forget to make time for these two very important components of healthy living.

We also need to reach outside our homes and look towards our communities on how we can encourage ethical medical research such as adult stem cell or skin cell research. We must write letters, call or email government urging them to stop embryonic stem cell research which has had no proven success and allocate our tax money towards ethical stem cell research which has had many proven successful results.
Thank you to everyone for all your amazing work in the health and education throughout BC and the Yukon.

Dear Sisters in the League,

BC Ministry of Education

I recently received the following two emails from the BC Ministry of Education. I encourage you to visit these sites and keep members updated.

1. The Curriculum Implementation Schedule is now available on the curriculum website at:  http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/imp_sched.htm
2. The summary to the needs assessment conducted on the Grades 8-12 Social Studies curriculum is now posted and can be found at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/reports/ss8-12_exec_summary.pdf

I am also enclosing an attachment of Review of Making Space, Giving Voice produced by The Catholic Civil Rights League.

Bursaries

(I know I wrote this in my last communiqué, but to date I have only received one Molly Boucher Bursary application from the entire BC/Yukon, SO…) Please encourage members to apply for the National and Provincial bursaries. The National bursary deadline is May 31, 2008 to be postmarked and sent to the National office.  The criteria and application forms are on the national website under form and supplies. The Provincial Molly Boucher Bursary criteria and application forms can be found on our provincial cwl website and the deadline for all applications to be sent directly to me is March 31, 2008.

MaterCare

A reminder to mail your Canadian Tire money to MaterCare International where they can turn it into cash. Some old Canadian Tire money is now collectible and sells on eBay for far more than its face value. Let’s continue to help this worthy cause and send your Canadian Tire money to:

MaterCare (Canada)
c/o Joe Winchester
785 Aztec Ave.
Orleans, ON   K4A 4Y7

Monthly Canadian Health Awareness

A motion is before the House of Commons to officially recognize September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. For the motion to pass it must be accepted by every Member of Parliament. Let’s join in the campaign! Send messages to your MP asking them to support motion M-427. Go to website www.ovariancanada.org to learn more.

March is National Epilepsy Month. Since my husband developed epilepsy in his late thirties, this is a health issue that hits close to home for me and I believe many of us need more education on.   For more info. Visit www.epilepsy.ca

Health & Environment

Our National Education & Health Chairperson, Judy Lewis reminds us in her latest communiqué that scents from shampoos, hairsprays, fabric softeners, etc. can create numerous health problems for people that are sensitive to scents. Judy reminds us that;

“Valuable members, with potential for becoming leaders, are being lost from League meetings and activities. There are reports of members being unable to attend functions due to health related issues from scents.”

“Following are some suggestions for member actions. Be sensitive to members’ needs. Be aware of what ingredients are in the products used. The telephone numbers on the product labels can be called to ask if the product is fragrance free or unscented and if a masking agent has been added to hide scents. Signs need to be posted stating members are sensitive to scents. Never state a room or building is scent free because that is impossible to guarantee and councils can be held legally liable for someone who gets sick from scents.”

Other topics from Judy Lewis are:

Outdated Mixes
A website to check for dangers that may be posed if outdated dry mixes are used is http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp.

Canadian Health Network
Eighty per cent of the 15 million Canadians on-line seek health information on the Internet. Canadian Health Network fulfills the federal government’s commitment to individual engagement and responsibility for health and supports organizations building healthy communities. It is used by 395,000 people monthly, 40 per cent of whom are health professionals sharing information with clients. It has more than 20,000 quality, peer-reviewed resources in English and French, and in-depth information on 25 health topics and population groups.

Environment
The following information was obtained from the Island Waste Management Corporation. For additional information visit their website at www.iwmc.pe.ca.

Glass can be recycled forever! Glass is 100 per cent recyclable. The same glass can be recycled a million times over to produce bottles and jars of the same high quality every time. A jam jar today could be a juice bottle next month, then a salad jar, a ketchup bottle, and so on.

Original glass is made from three main materials: sand, silica, and limestone. These materials are melted in a furnace at a heat of about 1500 degrees Celsius. Once liquefied, the molten form is dropped into moulds; blowing air into the moulds creates the shape of a bottle or jar.

At recycling facilities, glass jars are sorted into colors, and crushed into a product called “cullet”. Cullet is often mixed virgin glass materials to produce new products.

Making new glass from cullet saves energy because recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than virgin raw material. Less heat required means that less energy will be used in manufacturing which helps to conserve the use of resources such as oil and coal. Each glass bottle recycled keeps valuable non-renewable resources such as bauxite, iron-ore and sand in the ground. And above all, saving energy reduces acid rain, global warming and air pollution.

Not all glass products can be recycled. Items such as dishes and mirrors cannot be recycled because they contain material that would contaminate the recycled glass bottles and glass containers and damage the glass making machinery.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel continue to guide you in your work for God and Canada.

Dear Sisters in the League,

I pray everyone had a blessed Christmas! During the Christmas season I received an email from the Ministry of Education regarding new curriculum that is up for review, therefore I am passing it on to you to as per my last communiqué of December 4, 2007.

Dear Colleagues:

The Sustainable Resources 11 and 12 Response Draft (2007) curriculum is currently available for review and response.

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/welcome.htm

The British Columbia Ministry of Education is interested in receiving feedback on the Sustainable Resources 11 and 12 Response Draft (2007) from education and community partners. Please feel free to share this link with anyone you feel would be interested in providing feedback on the draft document. Feedback can be provided to the Ministry of Education by completing the online Response Survey. This Response survey can be used for either individual or group feedback.

Please complete the Sustainable Resources 11 and 12 Response survey BEFORE February 12, 2008.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES 11 and 12 RESPONSE DRAFT

Waël Afifi

Education Officer
Sustainability Programs Unit
Learning Management Division, BC Ministry of Education

wael.afifi@gov.bc.ca
Phone: (250) 387-4428

I believe by reviewing this curriculum we will be not only understand our education system better, but also be learning about our environment.

Bursaries:

Please encourage members to apply for the National and Provincial bursaries. The National bursary deadline is May 31, 2008 to be postmarked and sent to the National office. The criteria and application forms are on the national website under form and supplies. The Provincial Molly Boucher Bursary criteria and application forms can be found on our provincial cwl website and the deadline for all applications to be sent directly to me is March 31, 2008.

Annual Reports:

By now all Diocesan Chairpersons should have received the annual reports from all parish councils. If you have not received a report, just call the council and give them a gentle reminder that you are still in need of their report. I am positive every council in our province has done some work in regards to education & health that is in need of reporting. Once you have received all reports, please compile them and send your report to me as soon as possible. The deadline to have your report into me is February 15, 2008.

January & February:

January is Alzheimer Awareness Month. You will find a treasure of information regarding Alzheimer disease at www.alzheimer.ca. Share this website with everyone as we work together to grow in understanding how to give help for today and hope for tomorrow.

February is Heart & Stroke month. Here is how to recognize if someone is having a stroke and possibly save their life. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. NOTE: Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue… If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

May God Bless you as you continue your work for God and Canada.

Nancy S.

Dear Sisters in the League,

Now that we are into the Advent season it is my prayer that each of us will take time out of our daily busyness to remember the hope, love and joy with which Advent bestows on us.

“Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.” Is. 122

Bioethics: I recently received the below email from our past national president Marie Cameron and found the recommended website to be an excellent source of information on bioethics and the church’s position on these crucial issues.

“This was sent to me from one of my CWL friends and I am forwarding it as I find his articles very informative. Fr. Tad was here in Calgary at St. Mary’s University College this weekend for some seminars. Marie

Fr Tad is a respected and well known US expert ( Ph.D at Yale and post doctoral work at Harvard) on bioethics and an advisor to the American Catholic Bishops. He writes weekly on Bioethics issues. His writing is absolutely consistent with the magisterium of the Catholic Church and is a good source of formation for you and for me on these very topical and important issues That’s why I am sending you his website. Please read some of his articles. They are short and clear. http://www.ncbcenter.org/makingsense.asp

In case you want to know more type Father Tad Pacholczyk into Google.com,  you will get quite a bit to read.”

Ministry of Education: At our provincial fall executive meeting we discussed the fact that the ministry of education will from now on be informing the provincial Education & Health Chairperson on any curriculum that is up for review and requesting possible feedback on each curriculum. It was decided that it would be too extensive a job for the provincial chairperson to review and respond to all curriculum drafts. Therefore, when I receive notice of a new draft up for review I will immediately pass the information on to all diocesan Education & Health Chairpersons who in turn should contact their Catholic School Superintendent requesting if they have been informed of the draft and for any feedback they may have. If the Superintendents see areas in the curriculum that we as a League need to be addressing to the Ministry, the diocesan chairpersons should then be informing me as the provincial chairperson so that I can inform all members of BC/Yukon to take the appropriate action.

I just received the below email late last week. I know that the deadline for feedback does not give us much time, but let’s do what we can.

“To Education Stakeholders:

The British Columbia Ministry of Education has posted two draft Daily Physical Activity documents for public review and response.

The Draft Program Guide for Daily Physical Activity: Kindergarten to Grade 9 and the Draft Daily Physical Activity Resource: Kindergarten to Grade 9 are available on the following Ministry of Education web site:

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/welcome.htm

The Ministry of Education is interested in receiving feedback on these drafts from education and community partners. Please feel free to share this link with anyone you feel would be interested in providing feedback. Feedback can be provided to the Ministry of Education by printing the Response Forms, completing them and then faxing them to the location listed at the bottom of the form. The Response Forms can be used for either individual or group feedback.

Please complete the Response Forms and mail or fax them BEFORE January 15, 2008

To: Daily Physical Activity Project
Ministry of Education
PO Box 9183 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9H9

Fax: (250) 356-2316

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DOCUMENTS.

Thank you.”

Social Justice 12 Curriculum: Thank you to all members that worked so hard to review this curriculum and let their voices be heard. I believe the resounding concern for all members is to continue to find the balance in society to respect our neighbours while still upholding our values that are rooted in Gods Word.

Bursaries: Encourage members to apply for both the Molly Boucher Bursary (deadline for application forms to be mailed to me is March 31/08) and the National Bursary (deadline application forms to be mailed to national office is May 31/08). Both application forms can be obtained on their respective websites. Let’s encourage our members to apply!

Annual Reports: Diocesan Chairpersons you should now be receiving annual reports from all parish councils. I would strongly recommend that if you have not received reports from all councils by the 15^th of this month to just call the parish in which you have not received and give them a gentle reminder. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to make 2007 the year of 100% reporting??

Reading Group: Did you know that there is a program on our national CWL website that is a guide to starting a reading group in your council as a method of spiritual education and personal growth? Check it out and start one in your council!!!

December is The Christmas Seal Campaign: Over 3 million Canadians cope with one of five serious respiratory diseases – asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, tuberculosis (TB), and cystic fibrosis. These and other respiratory diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, respiratory distress syndrome and sleep apnea affect individuals of all ages, cultures and backgrounds – from children to parents to grandparents.

National Communique: I have enclosed Judy Lewis’ last communique. Please read and take the suggested action on resolution 07.03 Hospice Palliative Care: An Integral Component of the Canadian Health Care System and on the three proposed resolutions. Judy also has some interesting information on MaterCare which reminds us to continue in our efforts to help this worthwhile cause.

May you have a holy Advent season and a blessed Christmas as you continue your work for God and Canada.

Nancy S….

Dear Sisters in the League,

I pray everyone had a restful and joy filled summer and are eager to get back into the CWL mode!

Update regarding Correns and BC Ministry of Education: In November of 2006 we as the provincial council of BC/Yukon with approximately 9,000 members sent Ms. Shirley Bond, Minister of Education a letter of concern regarding the ministries agreement with two private citizens, Peter and Murray Corren. Whereby, the media had informed us that this agreement gave the Corren’s unprecedented input into the development of new curriculum for our provinces schools.

After arriving in the new year of 2007 and still not receiving a response from the ministry I began making further inquires to the ministry in regards to our concerns and eventually spoke with Mr. Pierre Gilbert, Manager of Content & Achievement Standards Unit. Mr. Gilbert was extremely informative as to what actually took place with this agreement and since I was again honoured this year to be part of the delegation that met with our provincial government on March 28, 2007, I asked him if he could meet with us at that time, which he was most happy to do. At that meeting he reviewed with us the Settlement Agreement with the Corren’s, the draft of the new Social Justice 12 course, the Health and Career Education Curriculum and the Guidelines for Internal Ministry Review of Draft Curriculum. From this we learnt that the BC Ministry of Education adamantly will not to promote any one lifestyle, yet continues to try teaching tolerance and reducing bullying that is so prominent with our youth. He also informed us that the ministry has a web site for public review and response for new curriculum being developed and/or reviewed for changes.

At the end of our meeting Mr. Gilbert requested my email address as a contact person for the provincial council and assured us that every time a curriculum comes up for review we will be notified and our input will be taken into account. The end result of this meeting is that what took the Corren’s three years of legal battle we accomplished in our one hour meeting.

Social Justice 12 Response Draft: I have now received the enclosed letter from Mr. Gilbert requesting our input as a provincial body regarding this new curriculum. I encourage all of you as diocesan chairpersons to distribute this letter to all your members encouraging them to review the curriculum and send their feedback to me so that I, along with a committee, who will also review the draft, can compile the input and prepare a reply to the ministry of education that will be sent on behalf of our provincial body as a whole.

Mental Health: At our 2007 provincial convention we were privileged to have Dr. Nancy Reeves inform us on some of the issues surrounding mental health. At present, the mental health care system in Canada is not meeting the needs of its citizens. Mental illness and addiction are taking a toll on the economy and on the lives of millions of Canadians. We need to become aware of the issues concerning this and work to support those suffering with mental illness.

September is Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month: Recovery Month effort aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible.

Resolutions: Take note of Resolution 07.03 Hospice Palliative Care: An Integral Component of the Canadian Health Care System and encourage members to start writing letters!!! Also as just a reminder, Resolution 04.07 Water Use in Canada are we still encouraging members to make conscious efforts to reduce household and sanitary uses of water?

Communiques: I have yet to receive any communiques from any of my diocesan counterparts. Please remember that you should be sharing your communiques with each other and with me. Sharing your communiques creates an atmosphere of communication and the sharing of ideas throughout our province.

May our Lady of Good Counsel continue to bless you in your work for God and Canada.

Nancy S…..

Enclosure (without graphic header)
August 2007
Our Ref: 121632

Dear Colleagues:

The Social Justice 12 Response Draft and accompanying Response Form are now available on the Web and downloadable via http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/

This Fall, the Draft Social Justice 12 course is being piloted in seven BC classrooms. Educators, parents, and the general public are encouraged to review and respond to the Response Draft, as feedback will be extremely valuable for the completion of the document. Implementation of this elective Grade 12 course is scheduled to commence in September, 2008.

The due date for receipt of responses is December 10, 2007 as indicated on the Response Form.

We look forward to your response, and thank you for your input.

Yours sincerely,

Pierre Gilbert
Manager
Content and Achievement Standards Unit

Good Morning ladies and clergy.

In November of 2006 we as the provincial council of BC/Yukon with approximately 9,000 members sent Ms. Shirley Bond, Minister of Education a letter of concern regarding the ministries agreement with two private citizens, Peter and Murray Corren. Whereby, the media had informed us that this agreement gave the Corren’s unprecedented input into the development of new curriculum for our provinces schools.

After arriving in the new year of 2007 and still not receiving a response from the ministry I began making further inquires to the ministry in regards to our concerns and eventually spoke with Mr. Pierre Gilbert, Manager of Content & Achievement Standards Unit. Mr. Gilbert was extremely informative as to what actually took place with this agreement and since I was again honoured this year to be part of the delegation that met with our provincial government this spring, I asked him if he could meet with us at that time, which he was most happy to do. At that meeting he reviewed with us the Settlement Agreement with the Corren’s, the draft of the new Social Justice 12 course, the Health and Career Education Curriculum and the Guidelines for Internal Ministry Review of Draft Curriculum. From this we learnt that the BC Ministry of Education adamantly will not to promote any one lifestyle, yet continues to try teaching tolerance and reducing bullying that is so prominent with our youth. He also informed us that the ministry has a web site for public review and response for new curriculum being developed and/or reviewed for changes.

At the end of our meeting Mr. Gilbert requested my email address as a contact person for the provincial council and assured us that every time a curriculum comes up for review we will be notified and our input will be taken into account. The end result of this meeting is that what took the Corren’s three years of legal battle we accomplished in our one hour meeting.

I would also like to bring to your attention the brochures on your tables regarding stem cells. This brochure is produced by Catholic Organization for Life & Family and is a wealth of information on what stem cells are, what they can do for us and the churches stand on this issue. Please take a copy, read it and share it with others. But, we do have a limited number of copies so if you will not read it please do not take one.

Lastly, I would just like to share with you my goal for this coming year as Education & Health Chairperson and I would like to send out an invitation for anyone interested to help me achieve this goal. And that is, to learn all I can about mental health and develop a resolution to help our country to view this issue with a new and clearer understanding.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel Guide us as we continue our work for God and Canada.

Respectfully Submitted,

Nancy S…..

Dear Sisters in the League,

Numerous items of information have been brought to my attention recently and I hope I am not giving information overload in this communique, but I feel it is all very important to get out to you. Just try and work on as much as you can. Through prayer and Gods help we will accomplish His work!

Communiques: Just a reminder for all my diocesan counterparts. Each of you should be sharing your communiques with each other and myself. Sharing your communiques creates an atmosphere of communication and the sharing of ideas throughout our province. Unfortunately, I have received very little communication from any of you and would love to know what each of you are working on in your diocese.

Scholarships and Bursaries: The deadline for the provincial Molly Boucher Bursary is March 31, 2007. The application form must be sent to me no later. For almost 9,000 members within BC & Yukon, I have to date not received a very strong response for this bursary. Have you reminded the members of your diocese of the availability of this bursary? The deadline for the national bursary to be sent to the national office is May 31st. Let’s get the word out there!

Update on Provincial letter regarding Correns & BC Ministry of Education: The provincial council of the CWL has yet to receive a response from the office of the Ministry of Education regarding the letter that was sent on November 15, 2006. I have been and will continue to actively pursue a response and will inform you if and when we receive any information.

There is a Ministry of Education survey that BC residents are being invited to complete concerning various curriculum revisions. You can obtain this survey at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/ and then click on the Social Studies program. I strongly suggest that you complete this survey, although I completed it last night and found there are some obviously slanted questions that have to be carefully thought out before answering.

BC Parents and Teachers For Life Annual General Meeting: Will be held on April 21, 2007 @10:30 a.m. at ABC Country Restaurant in South Surrey at 2160 King George Highway. All are invited.

HPV Vaccine: On Jan. 30, 2007 the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued a statement recommending use of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Canada. It recommends for greatest efficacy to be given to girls as young as 9 years of age (because at this age most girls are not yet sexually active) and, after sexual activity has begun, up to 26 years. It states that it is the only vaccine uniquely designed to prevent cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer as well as genital warts, and was approved by Health Canada last summer. For more information you can log onto www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2007/30/c2810.html. Although, we must be careful that as Catholics we do not fall into the trappings of the culture of sexual promiscuity by promoting for our children to be vaccinated to protect themselves from many diseases that can be prevented through chastity and monogamous marriages.

Immunizations: Immunizations provide the best possible protection against some very serious diseases. Unfortunately, many viral vaccines commonly used in Canada, and around the world, were developed from cell lines from the tissue of aborted fetuses. A list of some of these ethically tainted vaccines is available here (PDF).

Although, we do have options! Legally approved and effective vaccines are available which have been created from sources other than abortion-derived fetal cell lines. Specifically the infant vaccine Pediacel (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus B), which is currently being used in the UK and other nations, does not derive from fetal tissue. Unfortunately, it is not being used in Canada. Rather the government funded vaccine used for these same diseases is Pentacel which is partly derived using a cell line created from aborted fetal tissue. Aside from the ethical reason for making Pediacel available, there is also a very practical one: It is critical for the public good that there should always be two sources for all vaccines in Canada. If one company shuts down, or has a problem with supply, there is an alternative to meet the needs of Canadians. Let our health minister know that the government should provide an alternative to Pentacel. Specifically, that Pediacel, or an equivalent ethical alternative, should be available in the publicly funded regular childhood vaccination programs in our province.

Use of Embryos in Research: Please encourage all members and councils to write, email or call all organizations they support to inquire if the organization uses embryos for its research. As Judy L., national education & health chairperson states, “As Catholics we cannot support embryonic research because it destroys life.” Since many organizations are doing invaluable work, we can specifically ask that our donations do not support the research aspect or find alternatives to assist those suffering from the illness.

MaterCare International: This is an easy and effective way to help women around the globe. To donate your AirMiles to MaterCare contact: Theresa Winchester, R.R. 1, 377 Lake Range Rd., Kincardine, ON N2Z 2X3 or call her at (519) 395-4079 to get more cards. MaterCare can no longer give out the home-made cards – you must use the swipe cards – but that doesn’t prevent a donor from simply giving the League’s AirMiles number (8007 7296378) when asked for the number. This program is working extremely well and is a very real asset for MaterCare in terms of reduced travel costs. Here are some additional ways to maximize AirMiles donations:

• Check out the website (www.airmiles.ca) and see where AirMiles are given in your province.
• You can set up your HBC Rewards points to automatically convert to AirMiles, then give the AirMiles number so you make a donation every time you shop at Zellers, the Bay or Home Outfitters.
• Give friends a MaterCare collector card as a gift, particularly for their grocery purchases – this is where the majority of AirMiles donations comes from.
• Once a day, click on www.matercare.org, than click on Donate, then on Lifesaver to assist women in developing countries for free.

Breast Cancer: An easy way to help provide free mammograms for women who cannot afford the test is to once a day click on www.thebreastcancersite.com.

February is Heart & Stroke Month: The Heart & Stroke Foundation is always looking for help to canvass in this month. It’s a great way to get your heart pumping with a little exercise and to meet your neighbors (I volunteer every year). If you are unable to canvass please remember someone will be knocking at your door this month – please be generous!

Again, I am so sorry that I have given you such an overload of information, but I felt it was all very important to get out to our members. Our work within this standing committee is extensive and I have much more that I would love to share with you but these will wait till the next communique.

May you continue to keep yourselves educated and stay healthy! God Bless you in your work for God and Canada.

Nancy S.
Provincial Education & Health Chairperson

Dear Sisters in the League,

Seasons greetings to everyone! Fall has flown past with my son’s wedding, my parents 50th wedding anniversary celebration and my husband and I running away to Punta Cana for a week and now it’s time to prepare for Christmas and all its joys!

BC & Educational Rights – On behalf of the BC/Yukon Council our provincial president, Barbara Dowding has sent a letter to the BC Provincial Government regarding the settlement agreement between the provincial government and two private citizens, Peter Corren and Murray Corren. How are your councils letter writing campaigns going? I have attached a letter sent by The Catholic Civil Rights League to all the school districts in BC and the Tally of the districts responses. Please take note of your districts response and write letters accordingly.

Scholarships & Bursaries – Remember to encourage members to apply for both the Molly Boucher Bursary (deadline for applications to be sent to me is March 31/07) and for the National Bursary (deadline to be sent to national office by May 31/07). Both applications can be found on their respective web sites and are available for our members use, let’s encourage our members to apply!

Resolution 2006.04 Renewable Energy – On behalf of the National Council of The CWL our national president, Lorette Noble has sent a letter to the prime minister regarding this resolution. The letter can be viewed on the national CWL web site www.cwl.ca. Please remember that it is not only the job of the national council to take action on resolutions. They are our resolutions and we must act on them to make them effective. Keep writing those letters!!

Women and Heart Attacks - I recently have learnt more on this issue due to someone I love having heart problems and thought it would be beneficial for all of us to understand a little more about women and heart attacks.

If you’re a woman, you may not believe you’re as vulnerable to a heart attack as men – but you are. Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths. Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men.

There are differences in how women and men respond to a heart attack. Women are less likely than men to believe they’re having a heart attack and more likely to delay in seeking emergency treatment.

Further, women tend to be about 10 years older than men when they have a heart attack. They are more likely to have other conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure-making it all the more vital that they get proper treatment fast.

Women should learn the heart attack warning signs. These are:

• Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest.
• Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
• Other symptoms, such as a shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

May you continue to keep yourselves educated and stay healthy! God Bless you in your work for God and Canada.

Nancy S…..

Dear League Sisters,

The 2006/2007 school year is now in full swing and the fall season is upon us. I pray everyone has had a relaxing summer break and is rejuvenated with new energy in our work for God & Canada! I would like to extend a heart felt welcome to Doreen R.-Nelson Diocese and Betty H.-Victoria Diocese in your first terms in this standing committee, and to our second term chairpersons Marguerite LeB.-Kamloops Diocese, Amabile D.M.-Prince George Diocese and Jenny S.-Vancouver Archdiocese.

As this is my first communique as Education & Health Chairperson I would like to introduce myself. I joined the League in1990 just after my youngest of four children was born. Not long after joining the League I became parish president in 100 Mile House, BC. After my term as president I went on the Kamloops diocesan council holding positions in Christian family life, resolutions, president-elect, president & past president. On the provincial council, I just finished my term as resolutions chairperson, and on the national level I was appointed to the national resolutions committee for the 2004/2005 term. During my years in the League I have also been the local pro-life president, taught confirmation classes and we have fostered numerous children. I now live in Kamloops with my husband, John and our two youngest children. In my free time (there doesn’t seem to be much of that!) I enjoy reading, antique shopping and running away with my husband for weekend getaways where there is no phone or computers!

Communiques ~ Please pass on information from my communiques to your parish education & health chairpersons, or if there is no chairperson, pass it to the parish president who can pass it on to the rest of the council. In this way we pass the information from one level to the other.

In communiques you are sending please remember when quoting from another source to give mention of that source. I have received one communique from our new national chairperson of education & health, Judy Lewis.

Resolutions ~ At the national convention in Halifax (which I had the privilege of attending) 6 resolutions were adopted – one pertains to the education & health standing committee, Resolution 06.04 Renewable Energy. This and all the resolutions are posted on the CWL web site with their briefs and detailed action plans and will be published in the fall League magazine. Please encourage all councils to take action on this issue.

MaterCare International ~ At the national convention, members voted to extend the MaterCare International National Voluntary Fund for an additional two years. Again, encourage councils to support this very worthwhile project.

Environment ~ The national chairperson’s oral report at the convention brought mention of action we need to be taking in regards to being caretakers of our world. As members we are encouraged to discontinue using styrofoam dishes for our personal use and within parish functions. Styrofoam is made of non-renewable resources and is non-biodegradable.

BC & Educational Rights ~ I am enclosing two articles from the BC Catholic regarding an unprecedented agreement between the Education Ministry and two private citizens that could jeopardize the right of parents to determine how their children are educated. Read these articles carefully and encourage members to write letters, write letters, write letters!

1- “Deal threatens education rights, archbishop says.” BC Catholic. Sept. 4, 2006 (front page).
2- “Parents the final decision makers on education.” By Archbishop Roussin, SM BC Catholic. Sept. 4, 2006.

Scholarships & Bursaries ~ Please remind members of the National Bursary that is available and that the deadline date for applications has been changed to May 31. Details are in the National Manual of Policy and Procedure. Also, the Molly Boucher Bursary, from BC/Yukon must be submitted to me by March 31. If forms are needed for this bursary please contact me.

Handicapped Change Rooms ~ It was brought to my attention through a Kamloops diocesan resolution that some health care facilities in BC/Yukon may lack accessible changing rooms for handicapped patients. I recommended that councils inquire if their local health care facilities have accessible changing rooms for handicapped patients and if not, advocate to have them provided.

Wellness and Sickness/Disease ~ Health Canada has designated September, Arthritis & Ovarian Cancer Month. October, Autism and Breast Cancer Month. November, Diabetes and Osteoporosis Month and December, Christmas Seal Month. Encourage guest speakers and let’s educate ourselves!

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide you in all your work for God and Canada.
Nancy S.