As fall is fast approaching we anxiously look forward to reuniting with fellow Catholic Women’s League sisters from our parish, diocese and provincial councils as we do our best to promote and to serve the League in whatever capacity Our Lady of Good Counsel guides us. I am honoured to be your BC & Yukon Provincial Communications Standing Committee Chairperson, however keep me in your prayers that I will be able to serve you to the best of my ability.  No doubt there is going to be a big learning curve as my predecessor, Sandra Stajduhar along with Rebecca Gebeshuber (our web master) have done an excellent job of revamping and updating our BC & Yukon Catholic Women’s League Web Page.  Thank you to both Sandra and Rebecca for all their work to make our web page the “best ever”.   I hope everyone has had an opportunity to look at and use some if not all of the information posted.  If you have any ideas for articles or information you would like to see on our new web page please forward your ideas to me, and if possible we will include them.

PORNOGRAPHY – ACTION ALERT:

The following is a quote from LifeSiteNews.com

OTTAWA, August 15th, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “This week another Canadian pay-television pornography channel was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Canadian federal government’s broadcasting sector.  In its proposal, “Northern Peaks,” produced by Real Productions, differentiates itself from the handful of already existing pornographic channels offered in Canada in that it is “Canada’s first adult video channel offering significant Canadian adult content.”  It promises that at least 50% of its pornography will be produced in Canada.”

Our own Catholic Women’s League Executive Handbook states: Pornography dictates that the satisfaction of one’s own desires is all that matters.  It leaves in its wake broken marriages, estranged and molested children, shattered young people and deteriorating neighbourhoods.

As your BC/Yukon Provincial Communications Standing Committee Chairperson I am asking you to ask our members to immediately write the CRTC, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and our MP’s stating our Catholic views against pornography.  I encourage you to have an article printed in your parish bulletin and invite the parishioners to join us in our letter writing campaign.   Send a letter to your local cable provider (name and address available on your monthly bill).  Write the CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2, or Fax: 819-994-0218.  We know we CAN and WILL make a difference by voicing our views as individuals.  We must remember that we are not speaking on behalf of the Catholic Women’s League, but we are speaking on behalf of ourselves as individuals.  How many letters can your council send out?

Wrap / White Ribbon or “The Ribbon of Signatures Campaign”:

Formerly known as White Ribbon Against Pornography is ongoing year-round.  This year’s campaign is scheduled for Sunday October 19 – October 26, 2008.  Will your council have “The Ribbon of Signatures” in your parish community?  If not WHY not?  For further information go to the C.A.S.E. website.

*Note:  At Sept. 5/08 we are not sure if C.A.S.E. will be able to send the “ Ribbon of Signatures Campaign Kits.  I have contacted both CWL National Office as well as C.A.S.E. to clarify and I’m waiting their reply.  I will email their reply.  However I would like to encourage everyone to purchase ribbon and to have the campaign.

Congratulations to Barbara Dowding elected to our National Catholic Women’s League Council and was appointed as our National Resolutions Standing Committee Chairperson.  We know she will represent us very well.  Way to go Barb!

Congratulations to our National Communications Standing Committee Chairperson is Betty Anne Brown, who I’m looking forward to working with and supporting over the next couple of years.

Sharing information is a great way of passing on our good ideas with our sisters, therefore I ask you to “cc” all the Diocesan Communication Chairs, or Diocesan Presidents  and myself on all your communiqués.  By doing this we are helping to educate our sisters in the League and sharing our knowledge with all of us.

Provincial Newsletter:

I am personally inviting all Provincial Executives, including Diocesan Presidents and Parish Council Presidents to submit at least one article for our Provincial Newsletter. Share with us your good ideas on what you or your council is doing or is planning for the upcoming year.  If you have good quality pictures include them.  Digital pictures are best.  Diocesan Presidents, there may be a prize for the Diocese who submits the most articles.  As this will be my first edition I would appreciate your articles as soon as possible so I can start to lay out the newsletter to have it ready for our Mid-Term meeting in Kelowna on October 23, 2008.

League Magazine:

Encourage your members to read it from cover to cover, perhaps you could have one or two of your members summarize one of the articles at your meeting and then hold a discussion on the article.  When your members visit your sick or shut ins members, take the League Magazine and read an article with them.  Most of our senior members would enjoy having someone spend a few moments with them.

May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide all of us as we strive to make the most of our time improving and promoting the League to the best of or ability as we walk humbly with our God.

Dear League Sisters and Father Terry,

As Fall approaches, I hope that you all found your own “quiet place” during the summer – to rest and refresh – and are now ready to work for God and Canada. Welcome to the newly elected chairpersons and hello again to those in their second year – remember to share your communiques with each other and with me.

Arch/Diocese Communications Chairpersons
Kamloops (2007-2009) Marguerite L…..
Nelson (2006-2008) Betty H…..
Prince George (2007-2009) Therese S…..
Vancouver (2007-2009) Sandra B…..
Victoria Daisy M…
Whitehorse – send to Sacred Heart CWL Pres, send to Our Lady of Sorrows Pres.

CALL TO URGENT ACTION
As you are aware, after passing Third Reading in the House of Commons on May 4th, Bill C-22, The Age of Protection legislation was sent to the Senate. As of June 21st it was with the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, having passed Second Reading in the Senate June 20th. The Senate’s last Day to sit was June 29th, and there was no action on the bill until September after that. NOW THERE IS THE CHANCE THAT THIS BILL MAY DIE. PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW (from our National website) and ACT!

“Pending legislation to be aware of:

ALERT TO ALL MEMBERS
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to reconvene Parliament on October 16th, when he presents a new Speech from the Throne. This will delay the opening of Parliament and allows the opposition parties to vote on the government agenda. There is a possibility the government could be defeated resulting in Bill C-22 dying on the order paper. To express concern about this potential event, members are urged to contact the senators immediately at LEG-JUR@sen.parl.gc.ca and express their concern about the potential death of this bill.

Bill C-22 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (age of protection) and to make consequential amendments to the Criminal Records Act had first reading in the House of Commons on June 22, 2006. This bill would raise the age from 14 to 16 years at which a person can consent to non-exploitative sexual activity. (The government uses the term “age of protection” rather than “age of consent.”) This bill had second reading in the House of Commons on October 30, 2006, and was referred to the justice and human rights committee. “

Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Senate of Canada
Ottawa , ON K1A 0A4
Clerk: Shaila Anwar Phone: 613-993-4874
Administrative Assistant: Natalie Lemay-Paquette Phone: 613-943-7865
Email: LEG-JUR@sen.parl.gc.ca

You can track the progress of the bill if you go to www.parl.gc.ca/legisinfo
Let’s not lose all the hard work so many have put into this cause.

RIBBON OF SIGNATURES ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
Sunday, October 21 to Sunday, October 28, 2007
From www.c-a-s-e.net

“We continue to observe the proliferation of pornography and specifically its very alarming growth on the internet. We therefore plan to focus our ribbon campaign on Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The Ribbon kit is available and includes a DVD that I am sure you will find useful in making presentations to community groups. It was created by Melanie and Todd Toews, of Dauphin, Manitoba . They are committed to the protection of our children and the DVD titled “The Children Need Someone Like You” contains the title song “Someone like You”. I have no doubt it will give you pause for thought and incentive to continue the battle against this insidious plague that endangers so many innocent and vulnerable children around the world. The DVD alone can be purchased for $10 from C.A.SE. The kit including written materials, the white ribbon and the DVD will be $25. Donations are always appreciated as they are our only means of keeping C.A.S.E. vibrant and involved in this struggle to keep our children safe. Donations can be sent to C.A.S.E. at P.O. Box 62569 , Toronto , ON M1R 5G8 .”

BCYK CWL Website
Please check out our provincial website – www.cwl.bc.ca

I have assumed the duty of webmaster, and my goal is to keep it up to date. We will be getting some help to give it a more professional look, and welcome feedback.

Future plans include setting up separate pages for each diocese – are you interested? Would this be of value to you?

What else would you like to see on the website?

BCYK Newsletter
The Fall 2007 issue will be out shortly. News from each diocese and parish is welcome – share your stories with your sisters in the League throughout the province and Yukon. The newsletter is not intended to replace communiques – but to help us get to know each other, share information that is not time sensitive, and to learn from each other’s stories.

Each parish council is given one newsletter to share – a copy can be e-mailed to you upon request. An edited version is also available on the website after printed copies are distributed.

From “A Quiet Place”  by Mary Elizabeth Matthews

I need a place to sit and think,
I’ve rushed around all day;
I need a place where I can rest,
And talk to God, and pray.

May we all find a place where we can talk to God ~ to ‘communicate’ our cares and concerns. Please add to your prayers Bill C-22, and all of our young people who need this protection.

Love and prayers to all.

God bless,
Sandra

Dear League Sisters and Father Terry,

In my first communique, I stated that my goal was to encourage communication between all chairpersons in order to help each other.

I would like to add that our goal as communications chairpersons could be to equip our members with the tools to communicate effectively. There is a Personal Letter Writing Guide on the National website – free to download. There are also some excellent letters written by our national president, Lorette Noble, on our behalf on a number of concerns. Encourage our parish councils to check them out, and be inspired to write their own letters. Offer to get paper copies for them if they have no one in their council to do so.

C.A.S.E. – from an e-mail from Velma Harasen with quote from C.A.S.E.

“In June 2006 Justice Minister Vic Toews introduced Bill C-22 to raise the age of consent to protect teenagers from adult sexual predators. This bill passed first reading and has been well received by the majority of Canadian citizens, politicians and the media. With this positive response we expect the bill to pass into law. But at this point in time nothing seems to be happening with this bill. It has not been tabled for second reading. After passing second reading it must be debated in committee and brought back to the House for third and final reading. This is a good bill focusing only on one issue: the raising of the age of consent for sexual activity from 14 years of age to 16 years of age.”

Do not let this wonderful opportunity pass by to encourage your MP to support Bill C-22. We must speak now when the age of consent issue is a focus of the government. When the age of consent is changed, it will send a very clear and powerful message that the Canadian government and the Canadian laws will now protect children from adult sexual predators.

Collect signatures on your white ribbons and send the ribbon to you MP. You might want to write a letter or phone your MP and discuss this issue with her or him. If you have a picture or unique story related to the presentation of the white ribbons to your MP that we might be able to use in our League magazine, please send it along to national office. The deadline for the next magazine is November 30th.

Bill C-22 has reached Second Reading in the House of Commons and Referred to Committee (October 30, 2006). Please write your letters and follow the progress of the bill and your own MP’s position.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
Growing up, I always loved reading the Christmas cards and letters that came – many from people that we children didn’t know. The bright cards decorated the house, and helped build the excitement and anticipation. The exchange of cards and letters has dwindled over the years – e-mail is fun, but I think we have lost something. But – whatever way you communicate at Christmas, please make sure that CHRIST is present and prominent. Send cards with a spiritual message and please ask for the Madonna and Child postage stamp.

I extend my wish that you experience a prayerful Advent and receive many blessings as you share Christmas with family and friends.

May we Communicate, Co-operate and grow in Love for One Another in 2007.

Sandra S.

Dear League Sisters and Father Terry,

Hello again! I have received two communiques from our National chairperson of Communications, Velma H., who is also first vice-president. I invite those of you with internet access to read her communiques on the national website, and I will send copies to those chairpersons on my mailing list.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Our focus is communication – so let’s keep in touch with one another.
• The Canadian League – Velma would like our input. What do our members want to see in the magazine and how can we improve it?
• Canadians Addressing Sexual Exploitation <www.c-a-s-e.net> – the annual Ribbon of Signatures Campaign (formerly W.R.A.P.) runs from Sunday, Oct. 22 – 29, and again focuses on the age of consent. Note that the e-mail address is now case@4case.ca. Please encourage parish councils to participate.
• Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) <colf.cccb.ca> – has issued a new publication entitled THE MEDIA: A Fascinating Challenge for the Family. Velma urges every parish council to devote one meeting’s program to this publication. It is available online also.
• CWL Websites – Past chairperson Lucille Partington has agreed to work with Velma, particularly in the area of websites. Lucille can be reached at <partingtonl at hotmail.com>.
• Pro-life Search Engine – check out <www.prolifesearch.com>. Using this search engine (instead of yahoo, google, etc.) is a tremendous way to raise funds for pro-life organizations (including MaterCare) and makes a statement about our values.
• Member Addresses – a reminder to make sure that national office has correct addresses for our members. Returned magazines cost money!

REMINDERS

PROVINCIAL NEWSLETTER – deadline Sept. 20, 2006
Please – I need your submissions! I’M (not so) PATIENTLY WAITING FOR YOUR SUBMISSIONS. Thank-you!

WEBSITE
Again – please send updated reports and communiques. We’re getting there, but there are still a lot of ‘old’ reports on the website <http://www.cwl.bc.ca>. Electronic submissions can be made directly to our webmaster, Mary-Lou, via <cwlbcyk at cwl.bc.ca>. If you can not communicate by e-mail, please send paper to me and I will get it to Mary-Lou for you.

CONCERNS
Internet/e-mail access: We have to acknowledge and respect that not all members have or want internet access. Having said that, could it be our goal that each parish council has at least one person who would be an e-mail contact? Newsletter: I invite feedback on the provincial newsletter – is it read? Does it reach members of the parish councils? Is there a better method of delivery? If you have not seen the newsletter, check it out on our provincial website <www.cwl.bc.ca/newsindex.html>.

I apologize for any errors or omissions in this communique – but I am almost ‘out the door’ to go on one last camping trip for the year and to attend a fall fair. Good luck at your Fall meetings.

As I write this communique on Sept. 11th, I ask that we remember and offer prayers for all of the victims of 9-11, and for peace everywhere. God bless.

Sandra S.

Dear League Sisters and Father Terry,

I’m excited (and yes, nervous too) to be part of the Provincial team, and I look forward to working with everyone. I’m sorry that I could not attend the convention in Whitehorse, to put faces with the names of those I haven’t met, and re-connect with those “companions” that I met during my terms as Diocesan President-elect, President, and Past President (Diocese of Nelson – term completed 2006). I hope to get to know all the Diocesan Chairpersons through our shared communiques, and perhaps at future conventions.

Thank-you to Carol and Carol and Elaine for getting my ‘box’ and ‘books’ from Whitehorse to Trail, and many thanks to Dodie for having everything in such good order. I have looked through everything, started my own files, and have many more questions than answers! Communications is the only standing committee that I have never chaired before!

I belong to St. Joseph’s Council, Warfield – with a membership of 17 wonderful women. We have no church, meet in each others homes, and get lots of work done. I have coordinated the WRAP campaign, written meeting reports and articles for the newspapers, and worked on our Parish council newsletters, and I access the National website regularly, so I do have some experience related to the Communications committee. The Provincial Newsletter will be a challenge, and I am becoming familiar with our provincial website www.cwl.bc.ca and hope to work with the webmaster on bringing it up to date (with all of your help and co-operation!). I am on the Diocesan convention committee for 2007 (Trail). Looks like my CWL life will be busy.

Sandra S….