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

Submitted by: Nancy Simms

Dear Sisters in the League and Fr. Tran,

Membership

January is membership month. However, the recruiting process should continue throughout the entire year! What is your parish council doing to invite new ladies to join the League? Many women are just waiting to be asked. I challenge every League member to step out of their comfort zone and ask someone in their parish to join the CWL. As our national organization chairperson, Velma Harasen states, “Every woman in the parish community deserves to belong to The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, and it’s our responsibility to make sure that happens!”

The latest figures I have from December 15th is that our membership for BC/Yukon was at 9,263 for 2008. So far this is an 81 member increase from 2007 with a possible few more coming in before the year end. Let’s keep up the incredible effort and before you know it we will have surpassed our goal of 10,000 by 2010!!

Our very own BC/Yukon webmaster Rebecca Gebeshuber from the Vancouver Arch-diocese developed recruitment postcards that national office has now approved and will be distributing with the second membership remittance package in sufficient quantities for each unpaid member. Each parish council will receive a new remittance form, list of unpaid members and recruitment postcards, list of paid members and permanent membership cards for each. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Carol Penno

Happy New Year to the Spiritual Development Chairpersons at Parish and Diocesan Levels.  It will be up to Diocesan Chairperson to ensure that  the Parish Spiritual Development Chairperson receive this communiqué so they can begin  implementing this most important work to ensure the  membership  get the best spiritual growth and encouragement they possibly can.  There are wonderful programs in place to help you do just that.  Thank you to the parish councils that submitted their reports to their diocesan counterpart in a timely manner.  It is through the annual reports that your work and ideas are shared and your good works acknowledged.   Terri Scott, National Spiritual Development Chairperson has sent her second communiqué. I will use excerpts from her report and to view it in its entirety visit the National webpage. It will be posted shortly. It is filled with inspiring ideas that can be used by every parish to enhance spiritual growth. 

Jubilee Year of St. Paul the Apostle: June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009

The Ontario Provincial Spiritual Development Standing Committee has compiled a package on The Pauline Year. The file includes a comprehensive overview of the life and mission journeys of St.Paul, ways to celebrate the Pauline Year, hymns and prayers. In short, if there is anything you wish to know about St. Paul, it is there. Please check the website: http://www.cwl.on.ca/PaulineYear.html The Holy Spirit was  at work. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Sandra Stajduhar

Dear League Sisters and Father Tien,

A brief note to wish all of you a blessed New Year, with the hope that 2009 will truly be a year of peace and hope.  I have received a communiqué from our national chairperson, Barb Dowding, and I quote her introduction:

“To be Women of Peace and Hope, we must first be women who love and are loved.  Remembering who we are in God’s eyes and His plan will enable us to reach out, affect change and help each other believe in ourselves. One of the many aspects of feminine leadership comes in the form of confidence, not necessarily self confidence, but rather the confidence that comes from trusting in God. The quote attributed to Nelson Mandela, “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others,” reminds me to use Jesus as the ultimate model of leadership. Called to love and be loved in this world, I must lead with my heart, trust my informed intuition (feminine genius?) and make manifest the glory of God. As Women of Peace and Hope, we cross all barriers when we extend a hand, a hand of comfort and welcome, of friendship, understanding and compassion. Resolutions: Shining our lights as Women of Peace and Hope, how blessed are we?”

The entire communiqué will soon be on the national website – please take the time to read it. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Pat Deppiesse

As this is my first Communiqué as Secretary of the BC & Yukon Provincial Council, I would like to introduce myself.  To give you a bit of background, I am a happily married (45 years) mother of three and grandmother of eleven.  Two of my children live in Calgary with their families and my husband and I visit there at least every 6-8 weeks so that our grandchildren will know us!  We very often spend Christmas in Calgary and experience the great outdoors, ice skating and tobogganing – a real old fashioned Christmas.  This year we were happy to be staying home with my eldest daughter and her family.  She just donated her kidney to her 15 year old daughter and they are still recovering (very well – thanks be to God!).

I became a member and Founding President in my own Parish Council at St. Pius X Parish in North Vancouver in January, 1995 with 60 members signed up.  Talk about jumping in with both feet! I moved on up to Secretary on the Vancouver Archdiocesan Council and then to President-elect and then President.  While President, I was Secretary of the Planning Committee for the national convention held in Vancouver in 2005.  It was a difficult decision to move on to the Provincial level, but I do love the League and the sisters I have met over the years.  We share so much and I would miss them terribly if I wasn’t carrying on.  So here I am, a Secretary again. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Elaine Audet

Happy New Years everyone.  I hope you all had a blessed and wonderful Christmas.

I am sending a quick communication to remind everyone to please adhere to the reporting deadlines.  Diocesan Treasurer’s to report to Provincial level by Feb 15/09.  Please strive for 100% reporting, if any parish has not responded, maybe try following up with a phone call.

The higher number of responses, the more accurate the reporting.

Also remind your parish treasurers to complete the Voluntary Funds report form.  You will have received this from National, but it is also in the policy & procedure book, appendix 3 – page 27.

Remind your parish treasurers to work hard on remitting the per capita by the February 28th deadline.  Our province is doing very well with membership; to the end of November 2008 we had 9263 members, up 81 members over 2007.  Great Job!

I will be out of touch for a couple of months, so please hold your emails until after March 3 or 4th, 2009. May Our Lady of Good Counsel continue to guide us in our work for God & Canada.

Submitted by: Carol Penno

All the blessings of the advent season as we prepare for the coming of the Lord in our midst.

A quote from Pope Benedict XV! Advent address:  “Advent is the spiritual season of hope par excellence and in this season the whole church is called to be hope for itself and for the world.”  He adds,” The whole spiritual organism of the mystical body assumes as it were the ‘color’ of hope.”

A website I enjoy using is www.CatholicGreetings.org; there you will find Catholic greetings for Advent and the feast days that fall within the season.

The Catholic Missions is Canada would be grateful for donations to help the Missionaries in their work  in the mission churches across Canada.  In a letter I received October 29^th, 2008 the work of Sister Shelley Grant, C.N.D. is mentioned.  Sister Shelley ministers to 155 parishioners at St. Jude’s Catholic Mission in Carmacks, Yukon.  Sister Shelley received a grant of $10,000 which kept this mission open.  It covered heating, electricity, phone, wood, church supplies, gas, fuel for the stove, food, etc.  Let us be mindful of the Missionaries in our own BC & Yukon area. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Lois Charlebois                   

Dear League Sisters and Father Tran, 

Hello again to all of you!  I hope you all received Communique #1 sent out in early September. Since then the Provincial Executive Fall Mid-term meeting took place in Kelowna      

October 23^rd to 26^th . To begin our few days together, Father Tran gave an excellent Spiritual presentation about St. Paul. The we began our very busy and “fruitful” few days as we had much business to attend to. I sent  all of you a copy of my “Report to Mid-term Meeting” and hope you received it.  

In my report, I mentioned the Vancouver YWCA Research project titled “Mothers Without Legal Status”. Mary Nordick-National Community Life Chairperson replied to me wondering if someone might make a Resolution on this topic. Is there any one who has knowledge about this and/or access to materials regarding Immigration and/or Family Law which would pertain to this topic? » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Nancy Simms

Dear League Sisters and Father Tran,

Report Forms

Enclosed are the diocesan annual report forms, please distribute the appropriate forms to your corresponding diocesan chairpersons. I pray that you have distributed the parish annual report forms and have encouraged all councils to submit their reports.

Due dates for annual reports are:
Parish report to Diocesan – December 15th
Diocesan report to Provincial – February 15th
Provincial report to National – March 15th

Development Funds

This is just a reminder that there are both Provincial and National Development Funds available. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Dodie Bond

While the Lord’s coming is getting ever closer. It is also the time for reports. The dates are:

Parish report to Diocesan – December 15th
Diocesan report to Provincial – February 15th
Provincial report to National – March 15th

Looking forward to seeing what your areas have accomplished in your Diocesan report.

Please encourage your parish Christian Family Life Chairpersons to look to their local and Catholic Newspapers etc of items of importance and to present them along with other items of interest at their meetings for discussion.

While I was growing up divorce was not so common, abortion was illegal, same sex couples where not mentioned and I never heard of assisted suicide, and the idea of a marriage was only between a man and a women and for sure I don’t remember ever hearing any one talk about embryonic cell research. How the world has changed…Where did the morals and God’s teachings go? We must protect our faith and stand by it. » Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by: Elaine Audet

It is my privilege to serve you for a second term as treasurer on Provincial level. Be assured our Provincial council will strive to continue to be good stewards of your money. Welcome to all Diocesan Treasurers.

Expenses and Receipts

National Treasurer-Secretary, Peggy Roche noted in her communiqué, “Members should not be out of pocket for incurred expenses while doing League work. Members should submit receipts & then should be paid in a timely fashion. This keeps financial records in proper order for audit.” A bit of a reminder for all members. » Read the rest of this entry »