Dear League Sisters and Father Tien,

September – back to school, new books, fresh start and CWL! Special greeting to Past Presidents in their second term: Anna May McCarvill, Maureen Sander, Jeanne Wilson and Pat Deppiesse. Welcome to the ranks of being ‘past’ to Agnes Geiger and Caroline Ann-Alter.

We have the unique position of being able to advise while at the same time being a mentor and supportive part of the executive team. As we hand over the reigns or pass the torch, it is important to let go and let go with grace. The beauty and strength of our great League is built upon the differences we have. I encourage you to have access to The Constitution and Bylaws where on page 12, Article X Section 2 -”Officers” it states that past president are officers of the executive level and page 18 Article 11, Section 7 clearly states our duties. Be sure to check out the National Manual of Policy and Procedure 2003 Page 41 for more outlines of our duties.

Among other things we are charged to care for the archives. Please go to the National website and look for Archives Guidelines for League History Provincial, Diocesan and Parish Councils – everything you need to know and more.

For the past two years we worked with the TEAM theme and it fits our role as Past President extremely well. Be sure to work hard at teaching, evangelizing, animating and motivating not only your new president but all your League sisters. Your joyful support and enthusiasm is the best gift you can give.

As Past Presidents you can advance the cause and understanding and appreciation for WUCWO by your keeping up to date with the latest via website and National updates. While this is fresh in my mind, I want to report briefly on the WUCWO North American Regional Conference in Winnipeg which was an eye-opening experience for the more than 300 attendees. Two highlights include the presentation by Nazanin Afshin-Jam on her work to save women and children from death row in Iran and Karen Hurley (President General)’s report. Both women gave passionate testimony in different ways. Nazanin is from Vancouver, former Miss Canada, singer and activist – she’s 29 years old, has a degree in International Relations and Political Science from UBC, has her pilot’s license, addresses the UN and as of February 2008, Nazanin was appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada’s office to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Her story was introduced in the context of what one woman can do to make a difference as inspiration for us all. In her own words, “If you can, you must!”

Karen Hurley, President General of WUCWO, gave a wonderful report that challenged all of us to take more responsibility to do whatever it takes to enable the great work to continue. Her eloquence and ability to put a face to the WUCWO’s work make her a great spokeswoman. At the end of this communiqué are some key excerpts from Karen’s talk that I hope you will find inspiring and useful in promoting WUCWO.

Let’s encourage our League sisters to look at the bigger picture, to know that we can, and must, go outside ourselves if there is to be peace in the world. We can support, affirm and teach our women where they live and work of the important issues, to instill the belief and conviction of what we have and hold as Catholic women and to convince our sisters that we hold the key to hope and have the necessary gifts to build peace. Science won’t save society, but love will, for love convinces more than reason; it convinces in our soul. We have so much to be thankful for and have done so many good things. But there is so much more to do. We hear daily of stories from women around the world who suffer abuse, violence, war, degradation and submission. What will we do to help? Begin by learning more about WUCWO and find ways share the good news!

From Karen’s report:

Beloved Pope John Paul II told the participants of the 2001 WUCWO Assembly in Rome: “…Your Union… is present as a voice even in international forums, to insist that every life is a gift of God and deserves to be respected.  Working together, you must seek to provide increasing material and moral support to women in difficulty, victims of poverty and violence.  Never forget that this important work is rooted in God’s love and will bear fruit to the extent that your witness reveals his infinite love for every human person….Catholic women who live by faith and charity and give honour to God’s name in prayer and service have always had a supremely fruitful and indispensable role in transmitting the genuine sense of the faith and in applying it to all life’s circumstances.”

Each day WUCWO members demonstrate your amazing “capacity for the other,” through peace-building efforts which reflect Christian love for one another. Within the global mission for evangelization and human development WUCWO women advocate “for the other” in many areas of social concern which elicit life, encourage personal growth and build peace

There is a challenge and opportunity to secure funding for representation at international institutions and gatherings so that the voices of faithful Catholic women can be heard.  Major donations by some foundations and corporations assure that their population control and other anti-woman, anti-marriage and anti-family agendas can be advanced.  It is necessary to encourage Catholic and other philanthropists who share our moral values, to work in partnership with us to assure the means to proceed with efforts to restore God’s natural order to a conflicted world.

To my Canadian sisters and brothers in Christ I express my sincere appreciation for your generous donations to the Canadian Endowment Fund.  To each one present here today and all those across individuals, dioceses, religious communities across Canada, to the leadership and Campaign Cabinet. Because of your foresight, each year the interest generated by this endowment underwrites WUCWO programs which benefit women and children.  To my sisters in Christ from the United States of America, thank you for all that you are doing to emulate this successful campaign by launching a similar endeavour to leave a legacy for WUCWO’s next 100 years of faith, hope and charity.  Each one doing what we are able to do will assure WUCWO’s ability to meet the challenges of this moment in history and enhance the lives of the women, children and families God has entrusted to our care.  (Note from Barb: The American goal is 5 million dollars! That’s how important WUCWO is to them).

Each of us is called to go out to all the world and tell the good news of Jesus Christ and the good news of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations. We look forward to a future full of hope where the opportunities for women to promote a culture of life and peace exceed any challenges.  Increased collaboration with the Holy See, other Catholic-inspired Non-Governmental Organizations, other organizations of good will, as well as the media, can lead to a cultural and societal transformation which respects and promotes human dignity.  Being nourished by the Eucharist, availing ourselves of ongoing spiritual formation and continuing education in Church teachings are vital for our ability to transmit authentic Catholic Christian values to the world.  (Karen Hurley, August 10, 2008).

Bless you all for your fine work and love for our League!

“Hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!” (ps. 27:14)

Dear Father Terry and Sisters in the League,

Internet hugs to all of you as we start our new League year in service to God and Canada. I would like to welcome new Past Presidents Anna May M……… (Kamloops), Maureen S…..(Prince George) Pat D……. (Vancouver) and Jeanne W…… (Whitehorse) and welcome back to seasoned Past Presidents, Sandra S……. (Nelson) and Mary L……. (Victoria) I believe that all of you have each others information and I would encourage you to share communiques and situations with each other.

This standing committee is difficult for some of us to handle as the role of President had demanded full time involvement and the come down is sometime hard to handle but bear with it, you will gradually fill the bill.

Our main function, as I know you are all aware is mainly to be a constant support to our new presidents. We should always be available to her in any way that we can help. We must be careful though to allow her to try her wings and do things in a manner that she finds expedient, we must encourage, applaud, reinforce and just be there. After one year under my belt in this position, I have found it really great being a mentor whenever I can and am grateful to my president, Barbara Dowding who still involves me to some extent. It has been such a pleasure and I look forward to more of the same.

So…. our jobs now.

To assist our President to learn in discreet and soft mention of something that she MIGHT have mistakenly done but NEVER in public to cause her any embarrassment.

To be at the ready to do WHATEVER our president asks of us.

To be a mentor to anyone who asks us.

To perform a teaching role whenever possible and to market the League by our personal demeanor.

To perform our tasks with great joy and happiness in our membership in our League as by your presence anywhere, you represent the League.

Above all, always be kind to all we meet and attempt to see the face of Christ in everyone.

Please check the National Executive Handbook which describes our duties extremely well.

The Constitution and Bylaws.
As you know there is a new edition, which covers the changes that we all voted on a year ago. I was somewhat dismayed in collating the Annual Reports to discover that most councils do not make the time to study the C. and B. Ladies we are a National organization, the largest Catholic lay organization in Canada and the largest women’s group in Canada. We should take great pride in studying the rules and regulations of this group. Please find innovative ways to introduce this study to your councils.

Archives are a critical component of our job description. The content of Archives is interesting and can be found on the National web page. Remember our histories are also very important and we are encouraged as we become past presidenst to write a short history of the highlights of our two-year term as presidents. Each council should have a living history, always a vibrant part of who we are and where we came from. I encourage you please to contribute much of your time to this exciting aspect of our duties.

Many types of councils will be having elections this next year. Please ask your secretary to begin to prepare an up to date election register so that if you are asked by your president to chair the nomination committee you will have a head start on the program. The fall is slipping by and will go very quickly as we all know.

God bless you and may our Lady of Good Counsel assist you to be a good and supportive Past President. Please contact me if there is ever anything that I can assist you with,

My President Barbara has also bestowed on me the honour of reporting on WUCWO. At the National convention in Montreal in August it was announced that the North American meeting of WUCWO will be hosted in Winnipeg previous to the National convention next August. This would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this great organization. Please try to attend both of these events. Our Past National President Agnes Bedard is the North American Vice President of this organization and hopefully will be in Rome for their meeting in November. Please pray for Agnes as she is recovering from surgery.

Respectfully submitted:
Pat B……..

Dear League Sisters and Father Terry:

Attached you will find reports for every parish council position and standing committee. The parish president’s report is to include what the parish president has done as president. The other reports will include all the works of the council broken down by position or standing committee.

It would be appreciated if parish councils would depose of any report forms used in previous years and reply using the enclosed forms for your report. They have been amended and reformatted. Please note that the date reports are due has been changed to December 15th.

As you are aware it is very important to report all your council’s successes to the next levels of the League for their reports as they eventually make their way to government to let them know of our good work. We would be interested in hearing your comments on this updated process so we can continue to improve.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

God Bless all of you as we work together for God and Canada.

Marianna C…..

Suggested Process:
September: Copy the forms for each position & standing committee to have ready for your October meeting. Two copies per position should be adequate. One copy as a working copy and one for a good copy. Parish President to call a meeting of your executive including your standing committee chairpersons and co-chairs to be held in October. Ask everyone to bring their Constitution & Bylaws (C & B) and have a copy of the Executive Handbook available to review.

October: Start the meeting with a prayer asking Our Lady of Good Counsel to guide you as you complete your Annual Reports. Have each chairperson read their respective roles as noted in the C & B to refresh everyone on the responsibilities in each standing committee. Have the Secretary read the highlights from your parish council’s meeting minutes of everything your council accomplished from Jan. 1, 2007 to the current date. As the secretary is reading each person is asked to write down what applies to their respective standing committee. Keep in mind an item or action may fall under more than one Standing Committee and it is fine to include an item under more than one standing committee. Use the Parish Activities report form to list all the parish based social gatherings and functions such as Funeral Receptions, First Communion etc., your council organized on behalf of your parish family. List ALL the accomplishments and success stories of your council.

November: Update reports with any outstanding items. Type your report using the bullet format similar to a grocery list. Make sure your council name, contact name, address, telephone #, email address and position / standing committee are at the top of the page in the same manner as shown. Attach your completed report sheet to the report form sent to you from your Diocesan Council. Three copies are required of each report. One copy for the diocesan counterpart, one for the parish president, and one for their respective files. All reports must be mailed to the diocesan counterparts by December 15, 2007.
December: Parish President – from all the reports received from your parish council standing committee chairpersons, compile the information on the Parish Council Report Form to be given to your Diocesan Organization Standing Committee Chair to be used for your Diocesan convention book.

Congratulations!!! Your council has completed your annual reports prior to the deadline. As well, it is complete before a new parish president and executive assume their new roles in January in an election year. These reports are a wonderful history of your council and should be kept in your Archives.

Dear sisters in the League & Father Terry,

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that all of you enjoyed a great Christmas with family and friends and experiencing the true richness of the holiday season. Ours was quieter than usual, just our immediate family and although I truly enjoy a real Italian Christmas, this one was very special in another way. Hopefully you are all enthused and raring to go with our work in the League.

Nominations and elections
Whether or not your president has gifted you with the chair of nominations and elections, it would be a great idea if you have the opportunity to review the Nominations and Elections procedure in the C and B as well as the National Manual of Policy and Procedure. I know that each diocese varies in their approach to nominations/elections but I do feel as there are new people in our councils, it would do us well to review this procedure each year.

You will find this information in the C and B 2000 edition, p.29, Article XV, Sections 1,3,4 and 5.This information is elaborated on even farther in the National Manual of Policy and Procedure, Article XV Page 61. These two resources tell you all you need to know about this important procedure.

I would like to add to these criteria by putting my own 2 cents worth in the mix. Please, please, please do not attempt to fill all positions just to complete your executive. We have seen time after time that it usually does not work out.

The members we are looking for to fill executive positions are spiritual, enthusiastic women who love the League and are willing to work and learn more and more about our organization. It is almost imperative that they have a good basic broad knowledge of the League. Yes, it is; “learn on the job” but a basic knowledge is a necessity. It is imperative that we discern whether or not she has the time to devote to this position. God usually calls us at a time in our lives when we do have time to devote to the job. The next criteria to me is an enthusiastic happy person. We will only draw more members to our organization if we show enjoyment and joy in the work we are doing. The last criteria is that the nominee has to take the position for the right reason: that is, the betterment and advancement of the League, not for her own personal gain. Yes, we all enjoy the perks of attending convention and having the costs covered but this is simply not enough. We must be in the League for God and Canada.

So in Summary:

• The individual must have a desire to deepen her spirituality and that of her League sisters
• Discern prayerfully about the nominees and the positions they are standing for
• Good basic knowledge of the League
• Time availability
• Enthusiasm and joyfulness
• Motivation

I think we have seen it happen over and over again. If we do not fill a position and pray for that deed, God will make it happy and inspire someone to come forth. We should encourage the members who do possess these qualifications to let their names stand.

I would like to emphasize also that if a member has a position on another level of the League, i.e. if a member is the diocesan treasurer, then she should not run for office on another level. I believe the only exception is past president. Past presidents at any level are eligible to run during those two years for the next level.

The second point I would like to emphasize is that it is our duty to share our experience regarding a candidate with our council in the nomination process. It is not mean or unkind if this is a negative aspect as we are trying to accomplish the very best slate that is possible. We are bound to find the very best candidate for the job. I believe that 4 diocesan councils will have elections this year and I know you all join me in offering prayerful support for this process in these dioceses.

Policy and Procedure Manuals
In most dioceses, it falls to the past president who updates the policy manual. I believe all six dioceses have them but if you don’t, perhaps you could create some interest in compiling one. This resource is a work in progress and should be changed as we go along. It presents the rules of the game and is an invaluable resource for all members of the League. In diocesan councils it is particularly helpful as it states the method that we do things. At convention and general meeting times, it spells out the procedures that we only do maybe once a year and that we don’t immediately have at our fingertips. Please keep this right up to date.

WUCWO
Our own Agnes Bedard attended her first WUCWO board meeting as our North American Vice President in Rome last November. I have written a piece for our provincial newsletter reporting a little about that. Our President General, Karen Hurley, met the Holy Father and her emotional description of this thrill of a lifetime experience is included in that article. Please use their website as well . I am sure that you will find many interesting things. Agnes is in the Holy Land at this point in time; she will be returning very soon and we will have some more exciting news to share. Please keep Agnes in your prayers, she is grieving the loss of her sister just before Christmas and she needs our support.

I know you are affirming and supporting your president in whatever she is working on and that you are at the ready to be there for her whenever she needs you.

I am really looking forward to receiving your annual reports and hearing about what you are all involved in. Please be sure of my prayerful support in your work in our League.
Much love…

Pat

Dear Sisters in the League and Father Terry,

I think it is safe to say that fall has indeed rushed in with a great flourish. Our province seems to under siege with raging overflowing rivers and lakes and rain, rain, rain. It seems really strange that everyone was talking about droughts during the summer isn’t it? This is really a busy busy season in our League’s calendar, parish activities so I wish you all good membership drives and successful bazaars.

I am going to give you a little quote from Margaret Ann J….. from the Toronto Archdiocesan Newsletter, which Sheila Q…. has kindly shared with me. Margaret Ann states:

One of the greatest gifts we give women in our parishes is the Gift of the League by inviting them to become members. One of the greatest Gifts we can give the League is the Gift of a new member.

Isn’t that really a nice quote especially in this time when we are both thinking of gift giving and membership drives. We must show great joy in our promotion of the League, and make it an infectious invitation so that women just can’t wait to see what we do that makes us so fulfilled and productive. So lots of prayers as you all undertake this task.

Just a reminder in our efforts to be really good past presidents is not only the execution of our duties as described in the League literature but also to thoroughly endorse and support our new presidents at whatever level we may be. Give her the affirmation and your confidence in her endeavors and thoroughly encourage her in whatever she is undertaking. This is the most important aspect of our roles. I know that you will all do so. Remember KINDNESS to all we meet as we seek to see the Face of Christ in everyone.

The Constitution and Bylaws
Now is the time of the year to be starting to think of elections. If your president has asked you to chair the nominating committee, then you can really get a head start on the proceedings. One of our tasks is to teach our members about our C & B.

Article XV “Eligibility, Nominations and Elections” on Page 29 is the place to be. Our members have to be educated as to this very important function of our League. Please ask your president for time on her agenda to go over this part of our constitution. . It applies to every level of the League from parish right up to the national level and every member should know these facts in and out. I find that many people are still asking how you run for National office, who is eligible and also emphatically stating that they have Honorary Life Members in their councils. This section of our constitution states very clearly all that you ever want to know about elections. The important thing for you to stress is the critical nature of informed voting. It is so important that we know the reputation and performance level of their past work in the League of the candidates. If we do not know then it is important that we find out from someone who does know. Nominees for political office are certainly not slow or backward about extolling their virtues and yet to me our work is just as important and certainly has some lasting implications in the hereafter. So find out about your potential leaders before you vote for someone just because you have heard their names.

Plan your nominations procedures. Ask your secretary for her updated list of the members who are eligible. We are familiar with the way that your parish/diocese has always done things, but perhaps trying another approach might be more fruitful. Confer with your president to see how you mutually can decide the best course of action. A further great resource to the nominations and elections process is the National Policy and Procedure, which gives great guidance on Page 61 of the revised edition. Check it out it really gives us all of the details.

Archives
In my last communique, I suggested that I would give you some information on archives. Past National President, Lucille Cullen has some excellent content re archives. You can find her complete document on the national web page under programs and it is the very last entry. If you have access to a computer, please check it out but I will highlight just a few items: “Archives should be kept in a locked filing cabinet on church property or in a secure facility at the diocesan archive location.”

Parish Archives should include:

• Original Charter
• Minutes of executive/general meeting minutes should be kept in a binder and dated
• The recording secretary should retain copies of the minutes from the previous two terms only, all other minutes should be transferred to the archives in marked and dated binders.
• All accounting records including cheques and receipts should be kept for five years.
• A separate binder should be kept with important information related to the life of the parish council
• List of parish presidents and spiritual advisors with their addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses as well as their years of service.
• List of recipients of Maple Leaf Service pins/League pins with names and dates of presentations, a record of anniversary dates of all members.
• Additional items for archives:
• Written histories.
• Scrapbooks and/or albums labeled by date and event.
• Annual Reports
• Special project file with financial statements.
• Samples of newsletters if applicable.
• Each past president should be encouraged to write a 2-3 page story with highlights of her term as president

This gives you a good starting list of items what should be retained in your archives.

Thank you Mary L……. for your past presidents communiques. I encourage all of you to share your communiques by communicating with each other. We can make our role as past president much better with these other ideas. Please exchange your communiques with all diocesan past presidents and I personally would love to read what you are doing. Mary sent as an attachment an excellent printout from Mary Jane S….., Christ the King Parish Council in Courtney B.C.

This is titled:

“Archives, Taking Care. General Information From a practical Viewpoint.”

This is excellent information so please access your copy from Mary’s last communique.

WUCWO News
Barb, our provincial president has given me the privilege of being he WUCWO representative on the provincial council. I am not sure if each of the diocesan presidents have carried on with the same appointment, but from time to time, I will be reporting on the WUCWO scene. I just talked to Barb who returned yesterday from the national mid term meeting in Winnipeg and she reports that Agnes Bedard was present for only Friday night of the meeting then Saturday morning was off to Rome for the WUCWO executive meeting. As you may or may nor know, Agnes was elected North American Vice President of WUCWO at the General Assembly in Arlington Virginia in June. We are so proud of this appointment and know that we will now be receiving first hand information regarding the World Union Of Catholic Women’s Organizations. I very much want to share the wonderful privilege that we as League members enjoy as being part of this organization with women from Catholic organizations from 55 countries sharing our concerns and professing joy in our faith. The WUCWO Assembly last June accepted two Catholic Women’s League of Canada resolutions: Trafficking of Women and Children and the Ratification of the International Covenant on the Death Penalty. They both passed at the Assembly. I know once you get into reading more about WUCWO you will enjoy their news. are all members by virtue of our membership in the National Catholic Women’s League so let’s embrace their work and learn all we can about them.

I encourage you to subscribe to their magazine: “Women’s Voice”. The subscription rate is $15.00 U.S. for a minimum of three issues. You will find the form and the address of the treasurer on the WUCWO web site. www.wucwo.org

Please pray for Agnes and the other Board members of WUCWO who are at this moment meeting in Rome. I know we will have a lot more news to pass on when Agnes returns and I will get it off to you A.S.A.P. The North American Assembly will be held in Winnipeg in 2008 concurrent with the national convention so please plan to go to the national a little earlier and catch some of WUCWO’s sessions. More news on that later as well.

This will be my last communique to you in 2006. It has been a big big year and my prayer for you and your families is wonderful family get togethers, beautiful joyous Christmas liturgies, lots of yummies and a blessed Christmas.

With love and prayers,

Pat

Dear Sisters in the League and Father Terry,

A heartfelt big hug to all of you as we embark on another amazing League year. Welcome back to Doreen G…… (Kamloops), Dodie B….(Prince George), Gloria G……. (Vancouver) and Murielle B…… (Whitehorse). Special welcome to new past presidents: Joyce S…… (Nelson), and Mary L……… (Victoria) who join me in learning the contents of this new (to us) standing committee. When I receive permission from all of you due to the privacy issues, I will send complete information, i.e. addresses, telephone and e mail numbers to you all so you can all exchange communiques and information about happenings in your diocese. I look forward to this new role in the League. Every office that we hold in the League is another step in our development both personally and especially in the knowledge of the League.

It has struck me over the years in reading past president and other annual reports and listening comments from past president that there have been two main themes:

The first is a feeling of abandonment, being cut off and never being consulted as to the activities of your particular level of council.

The second common comment is that past presidents have a strangle hold on the council and keep putting a veto on anything new that is suggested out or planned; at times, we embarrass our president by making public comments about how they do things.

We do not want to be either of these people. We have climbed an amazing ladder rise up to president of whatever level we have held. For most of us it has been a an awesome and positive experience all the way. Hopefully we have made good long and short-range goals. Now we have handed over the presidency to someone new who deserves to experience this growth in her personal prayer and League life and to advance the League with her ideas.

Our job now:

Yes, to help the president learn by discreet and soft mention of something that she MIGHT have mistakenly done but never in public to cause her any embarrassment.

To be at the ready to do WHATEVER our presidents ask of us,

To be a mentor to anyone who asks us

To perform a teaching role whenever possible, to market the League by our personal demeanor,

To perform our tasks with great joy and happiness in our membership in our League.. By your very presence anywhere you represent the League.

Above all, always be kind to whomever we meet attempting to see the Face of Christ in all we meet.

Our duties are very well described in several League publications. I know that many of you have these items but some may have had them in the Presidents “Box” and perhaps you might be interested in purchasing them for your own reference:

The Constitution and Bylaws

page 12, Article X Section 2 -”Officers” states that past president are officers of the executive level.

Page 18 Article 11, Section 7 very clearly states our duties.

And page 32 Article 15, Section 3 may or may not pertain to us. In some Diocese, the {resident names the Past President as the Chair of the nominating committee but this is not written in stone. Please just tuck this away in case you receive this privilege

The National Manual of Policy and Procedure 2003

Page 41 outlines our duties as an officer

page 85 of the same publications describes Rules of Order which are necessary to conduct meetings in an orderly manner and should be a reference to us.

It is great to have some knowledge of parliamentary procedure in this position. We are fortunate here in Vancouver to be able to attend a course by a registered parliamentarian in October and this would be a most useful exercise. If you do not have access to this, I can give you the address of the National Parliamentarians Society and you can gain some help by correspondence if you are interested.

National also has a great little book written by Edith Mockler, Life Member and a registered parliamentarian that you might want to purchase.

Leading the League is also a most useful resource. And for those of you lucky enough to be old enough to have purchased

Training Part 1 and 2 from National office will have a wealth of resources for past presidents. Unfortunately it is no longer available.

The Executive Handbook September 2000 also contains a very accurate description of our duties, Please refer to these publications.

As you can see, we have much to do in our own portfolios as being always accessible to our president in the chair. She holds an office that should be very highly respected and is bringing new richness to the League by her personality, experience, ideas and spirituality. Please assist her in her onerous position in any way that you can.

I will attempt over the next two years to highlight one of our responsibilities in each communique. Of course this does not mean that we are not responsible at all times for each duty described but perhaps might assist you to some extent in formulating your short and long term plans.

I would like to highlight the study of the Constitution and Bylaws this month. I feel strongly that we should spend some time on this subject at each meeting and we should carefully plan what section of this document is most pertinent as the particular time of our League year. Please ask your president if you can have time on her agenda to do this and plan this time expediently. Some of you are starting this year with new executives, some are the second year but it would be advantageous for both groups to review the objects of the League on p.2 Article IV and the duties of Officers and Standing Committee Chairpersons. This perhaps could be broken down into two meetings to cover all the material and also to sable time and keep to time on the agenda. Very good and pertinent information for all levels of the League.

My next communique will cover the contents of Archives, another most important section of our League life.

I wish you God’s blessings on your new role and second year role in the League. I know that Our Lady of Good Counsel will be with us as we do her Son’s work and as we try our very best to perform the duties prescribed to us. Please review Barb’s motto at the beginning of this communique. It should be ever present in our minds for every League member whatever their position in the League. God bless you in your work for God and Canada.

Much love…..

Pat