The sun shone brilliantly in Vancouver the week of August 14 and
temperatures soared into the upper 20s as 800 faithful, passionate,
and enthusiastic members of the Catholic Women’s League gathered in
Vancouver for the 85th annual national convention at the picturesque
waterfront Westin Bayshore Hotel and Marina.
The convention began with the Mass in St. Helen’s Church in Burnaby
and ended with the Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver.
Members were able to enjoy pre- and post-convention excursions and
the convention featured an on-site religious book store and prayer
room.
Two years in the planning, the convention, under the theme
Companions on the Journey, aimed at promoting friendship,
spirituality, and church and community service, and at fostering the
bonds of sisterhood among League members from Newfoundland to B.C.
Every province as well as the military ordinariate was proudly
represented at the convention, which was under the direction of
national president Agnes Bedard.
Bishop Richard Smith of Pembroke, National Spiritual Adviser to the
Catholic Women’s League, received perhaps the loudest applause of
any speaker during the week when he rose to say, “Many, many pastors
have told me, and I believe it to be true, that they can’t imagine
running their parish without the help and support of the Catholic
Women’s League. That is how important you are!”
In her closing address, Bedard encouraged League members to plan for
the future by being open to change. She thanked the numerous
committees for the new and innovative convention features which had
contributed to making it such a success.
Bedard challenged League members to renew their efforts to invite
all Catholic women to join. “If this is the organization of all
Catholic women, then should not all Catholic women be members of the
organization?” she asked.
“We want to get from the ‘what is’ to the ‘what could be.’ While we
celebrate the wonderful things we have, are there some things that
could be changed? Always we must hold each other’s hands as we walk
as companions on this journey while being the bearers of the Good
News.”
Bedard suggested that the convention theme encouraged League members
to look beyond their local councils.
“We have women who will be going once again to the human rights
consultations in Ottawa. They will feed us with information on the
needs of social justice issues which have to be addressed in all
corners of the world. As companions of Jesus, we have to address the
issues which are His issues.”
CWL Life Member Beatrice Gross, who travelled from Brandon, Man.,
with a group of League members, summed up her experience of the
Vancouver convention in the word “excellent.”
“They did a lot of different things here,” she noted. “Their
liturgies were beautiful and the large screens for the resolutions
really helped save time. Everything was well prepared in advance.”
Lise Medford from Cold Lake, Alta., where her husband serves in the
Canadian Air Force, was joined at the closing banquet by Lise Lapalm,
whose husband is with Search and Rescue in Comox, B.C. Both Medford
and Lapalm are CWL members under the provincial military ordinariate.
Each of the 15 military bases across the country has a CWL council,
Lapalm explained. Combined, the councils make up a CWL province.
“This convention has really been impressive,” Medford told The B.C.
Catholic. Lapalm said she had been very impressed by the
wide-ranging work CWL members are involved in. She was especially
taken with the professionalism she saw in the resolutions process.
“Ten resolutions are a remarkable feat. I am going back to try to
inspire other members from the military ordinariate to get involved
and certainly to make the effort to attend a national convention.”
Next year’s CWL national convention will take place in Halifax.
|
Comment on the article above using this form...
|
