CATHOLIC WOMEN S LEAGUE

Transcription

1 CATHOLIC WOMEN S LEAGUE of ST. MICHAEL S PARISH COBOURG, ON Celebrating our 95 th anniversary! E-NEWSLETTER (Fall/Winter 2017/2018)

2 LEAGUE PRAYER We humbly pray You, O God our Father, to bless The Catholic Women s League of Canada. Bless our beloved country, our homes and families. Send Your Holy Spirit upon us to give light to our minds and strength to our wills that we may know and fulfil Your great law of charity. Teach us to share with others at home and abroad, the good things You have given us. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ and the intercession of our patroness, Our Lady of Good Counsel. What s Inside??? Topic Page(s) Reports: President 2-4 Past President/Communication 4-5 Secretary 5 Treasurer 5 Christian Community Chair 5-6 Spiritual Chair 6 Memberships 6 CWL Fall Events 7-9 CWL Presidents 1922 to Present 10 Canada 150 Puzzle (answers on last page) 11 Food for Thought 12 Diocesan, Provincial, National News Answers to Canada 150 Puzzle 16 Christmas Wishes 16 Amen CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 1

3 PRESIDENT LYNDA MACPHERSON December! We have just begun the season of Advent which is, as we know, a time of preparation. Our preparation is three-fold; preparing for Christ s birth, the coming of Christ in our lives through grace and the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and finally to His second coming at the end of time. We also are busy with decorating our homes and baking our Christmas goodies, and yes, shopping. But just as the decorations, special foods and gift buying takes up our time, God s people need to set aside time for the Son, Jesus. May your spiritual journey be filled with Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. In my first newsletter to you, I wish to thank my CWL sisters for your faith in me as President. Needless to say, it has been a very busy time since the September 13 th elections for both myself and the Executive. Our League s motto Inspired by the Spirit, Women Respond to God s Call seems most appropriate for all of us. Our Council was pleased to participate in the Ministry Fair held on Sept. 23/24 in the St. Michael Catholic School gym following each Mass. Many thanks to those who set up our information table and to everyone who assisted in promoting our League. We welcome all new members to our sisterhood. On Sunday, October 1 st, Father Gerardus presided over our Installation of CWL Officers Mass. The commitment that is made and the blessings afforded us in being members of the Catholic Women s League is indicative of the importance of our organization. Our General Meeting of October 15 th, with Peter Delanty as our guest speaker, was a wonderful way for our Council and members to celebrate Canada s 150 th birthday. Building on the theme of Canada 150, our Council will be striving to achieve 150 Acts of Random Kindness and to support the Salvation Army s Christmas hamper program with 150 non-perishable items. The Peterborough Diocesan Fall Meeting was held on Saturday, October 21 st at St. Joseph s Parish, Bracebridge. A beautiful fall day with sunlit sky and gentle breezes made for a truly lovely drive which helped prepare the mind for a busy gathering. The twenty plus items on the agenda seemed to me unachievable within a timeframe of five hours but the spirit moved us along and much was learned from all levels of our League. Some of the highlights are as follows: National Next year s convention will be held in Winnipeg, August VIA Rail is offering a 10% discount on the trip. See The League s Fall magazine for details and some information on rail travel towards the end of this newsletter The 100 th Anniversary of our League will be celebrated in Hamilton as they are celebrating their 100 th, as well. The 2022 convention will be held in Cornwall. As for the 2017 National convention and the Town Hall setting, understand that this is a 5 year strategy plan allowing for much discussion and drafts. It behooves us to keep informed, letting National know our views. Review The Canadian League Fall magazine, check the National website. This is your organization get involved! Whenever you are asked or have the opportunity to say why the CWL is important, look to our resolutions. 82,000 women have a voice and it is a voice heard from coast to coast to CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 2

4 PRESIDENT LYNDA MACPHERSON (cont d) coast and at all levels of government. Our Diocese this year alone has put forward two solutions which have been passed to go to National and one to Provincial. Provincial Despite the wet and cool weather, the Provincial Convention held in Thunder Bay was a very moving experience for all. The focus was on Indigenous issues; especially women and young girls who have gone missing and the needs of the young people of our north. The Provincial theme for the upcoming year is Homelessness and this theme is supported by our Diocese. Next year s Provincial convention will be held at the Toronto Marriott Airport Hotel, July 8-11, Diocesan Baby items which we donated at the Diocesan convention in Huntsville this past April were then transported to the Provincial Convention in Thunder Bay. These were most appreciated by the young mothers in the northern reserves. St. Joseph CWL Bowmanville will be hosting the Diocesan convention the first weekend in May 2018 with the theme Springtime in Paris. On Saturday, the Knights of Columbus will prepare and serve supper at the Parish Centre with entertainment to follow at 8 p.m. Business will be carried out throughout the weekend at St. Stephen s High School including the Peterborough Diocesan elections. November 19 th has been designated as the World Day of the Poor. Development & Peace theme is Women at the Heart of Peace which urges us to commit to standing alongside the women and organization that strive to build a more just and peaceful world. Information for our youth was made available which included Pope Francis message to Canadian Youth (see Salt & Light); study books on Catholic Missions in Canada for youth as well as info on FORMED, a website and resource for young people. I have passed this along to Father Gerardus. Councils Just for Fun Fridays is an activity shared by a council whereby some members gather to knit teddy bears to sell with donation going to Cleft Lip and Palette. Another council gets together to knit shawls for people undergoing cancer treatments. I love the concept of an activity outside a regular CWL meeting. We invite your input for our 2018 Calendar of Activities. I was given the opportunity to promote our upcoming 95 th Anniversary as a Council and which is also highlighted at the Diocesan CWL website. It wasn t until our Past President, Kathy Bazley showed us the results of having redone the President s Listing that it was realized St. Michael s CWL Council was founded in 1922 making this year the 95 th Anniversary of our Council. It was in 1922 when Mrs. J.J. Lalonde was installed as our first President along with Monsignor E. H. Murray as our Spiritual Advisor. We are now actively preparing for our 95 th Anniversary celebration to be held on Sunday, November 26 at the 11 AM Mass followed by a reception at the Parish Centre (see CWL Fall Events). CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 3

5 PRESIDENT LYNDA MACPHERSON (cont d) On November 19 th with our theme of Remembrance, Mr. Jim Keeler a Korean War Veteran will be our guest speaker. (see CWL Fall Events) Our 2 nd Annual Christmas Bake Sale was held the weekend of December 2/3 following each Mass. What an opportunity to select from a wide variety of homemade Christmas baked goods.all reasonably priced! This was our major fundraiser and $931 was raised. The proceeds will be used to support organizations such as Big Brothers and Sisters, the Breakfast Program in our three Catholic elementary schools and St. Mary Catholic Secondary School and flowers for the church along with many other requests. And to cap off the CWL year, we welcome all women of the parish to join us at the Knights of Columbus Centre on December 12 th for our Christmas social. Cocktails are at 5 pm and dinner at 6 pm at a cost of $25.00/person. Along with a great turkey dinner, fun games and door prizes, this year we will have live music! This event must not be missed! PAST PRESIDENT/COMMUNICATIONS- KATHY BAZLEY As I start this article, we are in the midst of an unusually warm actually, hot September heat wave. We are now having the summer we didn t have in July and August. I love the summer even when it is really hot there is always air conditioning somewhere and it s just wonderful to be able to stand outside any time of day or night and breathe in the beauty God gives to us, here in Canada, for a few short months each year. The summer has been a difficult one for so many people with severe hurricanes and extreme weather conditions along with flooding and fires and much more. Are we being told something by our Savior? Are we being asked to think about what we are doing to Mother Earth? Perhaps this is something that should be in our thoughts more often. September brought CWL elections and a new Executive. As of the writing of this newsletter, I am currently sitting as Past President and Communications Chair but it is was with much regret that I gave my resignation as a CWL executive member effective December 2017 to President Macpherson. In short, I am still working full time in a very busy job and along with family and other personal obligations; I find my time to spend on the CWL executive is so short that I feel I am not able to be fair to the other executive members and the general membership. I wish each new member of the CWL executive the best of luck over the next couple of years. I m sure they will bring fresh and new ideas for not only the existing CWL members but those who join up as new members. And although I ve said it many times before, I can t thank enough each of the executive members who sat with me over the past three years they were each an amazingly helpful, sincere and very, very hard working group of ladies truly an inspiration to me and I m sure to you all. And a thank you to all of the CWL members who offered their support by attending functions, donating their time and energy and assisting whenever and wherever needed. Remember if each of us just does a little bit; a heck of a lot can be accomplished. CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 4

6 PAST PRESIDENT/COMMUNICATIONS KATHY BAZLEY (cont d) SIDT LYNDA MACPHERSON (cont d) I would also be remiss if I didn t extend a special thank you to our parish secretary, Ria. Ria has always been a major source of help to me and all other CWL members. She reminds us when things are to be placed in the bulletin, she puts our notices in the bulletins when we request and she is always helpful in so many other ways. Honestly, I d have been lost many times without her assistance, kindness and cheerfulness thanks Ria! I have recently updated the list of St. Michael s CWL Presidents since our inception in It is now posted in the parish centre. Take a look and see how many names you know! I am in the process of updating the CWL Historical Scrapbook and I am still looking for items to be included. If you have newspaper articles, pictures, etc. that you can share with me, please let me know ( ) and I ll arrange for pick up and will ensure they are returned promptly to you. Lastly, the advent season is now open us. Time is going by fast; enjoy every minute of it! SECRETARY CAROL LAWLESS It is my great privilege to serve St. Michael s CWL Council as Secretary. Taking minutes and writing letters on behalf of the Council is my forte. In my professional life that is the job I ended up doing. As well, I previously served as Secretary on Diocesan Council. I look forward to working with our new President Lynda Macpherson and the entire Executive to serve in any way I can. I love the Catholic Women s League and the work that is done for God and Canada. TREASURER SUSAN DOUGLAS I was recently elected Treasurer of the St. Michael s CWL and have been warmly welcomed by all the members. Sylvia Barrett, Past Treasurer, kindly reviewed the finances and accounting system with me before I took on this very important role. I was impressed by the budget we manage as well as the number of organizations who benefit from our contributions and even donations. I look forward to working with the newly elected Executive and CWL members as we continue to actively serve and support St. Michael s parish community. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY LIFE PAT ANDERSEN As a CWL member, part of my duty is to organize a Senior Birthday Party at the Golden Plough Residence in January. We bring in entertainment and playing guitar and singing makes everyone feel joyful, celebrating several birthdays with them. Some even like to dance and follow the music closely. Cake and ice cream is served and we present birthday cards to those celebrating birthdays. It is a wonderful event and everyone enjoys themselves. All in all, it's a very nice and cheery afternoon for the residents, the visitors, families as well as the CWL members. P CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 5

7 CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY LIFE-PAT ANDERSEN (cont d) Our Mother s Day collection is dedicated to mothers in need. We will be asking you to kindly donate money in next year s collection with the proceeds divided between three organizations. The parishioners are very generous and we make sure we let them know we are thankful and appreciate their generosity. Everyone is involved and that makes a huge difference! SPIRITUAL CHAIR PAT FLEMING, Reg N.MTS This is the second time I have held this position with the CWL and I am looking forward to the upcoming term. I have lived and raised 2 sons here in Cobourg and at St. Michael s since Up until recently I have been quite involved in the parish. Unfortunately, due to age and health I now have a more limited role. I am a retired registered nurse and as a senior returned to University and gained a Masters degree in Theological Studies with which I have been fortunate to use providing catechetical educational programs in the parish since that time. I hope to continue my limited involvement in the parish in the future.yours in Jesus through Mary MEMBERSHIPS VERONICA BATCHELLOR At this time, we have 97 membership with 1 new one. We always welcome new members and would be very happy to hear from you if you have any questions or would like information on how to join. Membership dues are again $25 this year and are due by the end of December or early January. Thank you for your assistance. Above: Our CWL display at the Parish Ministry Fair CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 6

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9 Top left: Korean veteran Jim Keeler provides statistics on the person for their generosity. Pictures: Top left Jim provides statistics and talks about his Korean War experience. Top right Father and brothers of Past President Kathy Bazley (and her father in law) who were all WWII veterans and one uncle who was a Korean veteran. One of her uncles died in WWII. Bottom picture Jim answering questions from the very interested CWL members. Also please note that food was donated to be given to the Salvation Army we were hoping to have 150 items (in celebration of our country s 150 th anniversary) but fell just slightly below that thank you most sincerely to everyone who brought items! CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 8

10 95 th Anniversary The Catholic Women s League of Canada St. Michael s Parish Cobourg, Ontario CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 9

11 ST. MICHAEL S CWL PRESIDENTS PRESENT PAST PRESIDENT KATHY BAZLEY Diocesan President Mrs. J.T. Lalonde Miss Minnie Bulger Mrs. Thomas Mulhall Miss Mary Bulger Mrs. J.T. Lalonde Mrs. Arnold Flesch Mrs. Sid Raymond Mrs. J.J. Oulahen Miss Mabel Maher Mrs. Dorothy Barr Mrs. Grace McEntee Mrs. John Butler Diocesan Council Mrs. Grace Burge, Sr Miss Agnes Delanty Mrs. Mary Hazel Mrs. Agnes Leonard Mrs. Helen Delanty Miss Madeline Rooney Mrs. Mary McElhinney Mrs. Helen Delanty Mrs. Christine Mulhall Mrs. Marjorie Sheridan Diocesan Council Mrs. Bernadette Forster Mrs. Loretta Mitchell Mrs. Bernadette Forster Mrs. Dorothy Kelly Mrs. Rose Funnell Mrs. Beryl Bridge Mrs. Doreen Mulley Mrs. Joanne Cleary Mrs. Alice Shortt Mrs. Donna McGinn Mrs. Patricia Andersen Life Member Mrs. Lois Crider Mrs. Veronica Batchellor Diocesan Council Mrs. Carol Lawless Diocesan Council Mrs. Therese May Ms. Anne Marie Summers Mrs. Kathy Bazley Diocesan Council Mrs. Lynda Macpherson A special thank you to Helen Baxter for providing the above information and to Kathy Bazley for the updated framed version now in the Parish Centre. CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 10

12 Have a bit of fun trying out this Canada 150 puzzle! Don t peek at the answers (on last page).. CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 11

13 FOOD FOR THOUGHT I read this story in the October 2017 edition of the Ontario Provincial Council of the CWL of Canada on line newsletter and thought it was worth sharing with those who might not have read it already! The Two Traveling Angels Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead, the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied... Things aren't always what they seem. The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, How could you have let this happen! The first man had everything, yet you helped him. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die! Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he would not find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I told him to take the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem". Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way we think they should. If you have faith in God, just trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not realize it until much later. Submitted by Anna Tremblay - Spiritual Development Chairperson (Source: October 2017 edition of the Ontario Provincial Council of the CWL of Canada on line newsletter) CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 12

14 CWL NEWS LOCAL, PROVINCIAL, NATIONAL! BAZLEY Be sure to check: for updates and more information! ATHY 100 th Anniversary Logo Contest Winner (Source: CWL National web site) The Centenary Committee met at the national executive meeting in February, 2017 to decide on the logo for the 100 th anniversary. After deliberating over the many wonderful and creative entries, the committee unanimously chose a logo. It is with great pleasure the Centenary Committee announces the winner: Tilly Milton from Burnaby, British Columbia. The committee would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry for the contest, taking the time to share your talent. All Aboard for the 2018 Annual National Convention in Winnipeg All Aboard for the 2018 Annual National Cvn (Source: CWL National website) You read it correctly All Aboard! The th anniversary project is an invitation to travel by train to the Annual National Convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba, August 12-15, Imagine how much fun it would be travelling to or from the convention, just as members did during the first years of the Leagues existence! VIA Rail will never be the same. Read the full article on National s web site it provides dates, times and much more information including a discount code you ll want to have. If you have any questions about travelling to the 2018 National Convention by train, contact Janet McLean, National Secretary-Treasurer at cwlconventiontrain@gmail.com. CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 13

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17 We wish you and your families ajoyous Christmas and a Happy and Holy New Year CWL Fall/Winter 2017/2018 e- Newsletter - Page 16