This past month we had the honor of sponsoring the Catholic Women's League Provincial Convention being held in Sidney, BC. Hosted by the Saanich Peninsula CWL Council at St. Elizabeth’s Parish, the gathering welcomed over 200 members from across the region, spanning from Whitehorse, YT to Sparwood, BC, for their 79th Annual Meeting of Members, celebrating the warmth of the CWL sisterhood and the important work these faith-filled women do in service to our communities.
The weekend was filled with an excellent lineup of inspiring speakers, covering topics that ranged from the growing reality of the "poverty of loneliness" to the need for women of faith to provide leadership in the age of AI. One notable speech that fired up the members was delivered by CWL National President, Betty Colaneri.
Her speech, speaking to the National CWL theme: Ignite Your Passion, Empower His Mission, was a call to the members to be "...candle lighters in the world, embodying joy to serve God's mission." She emphasized the real sense of purpose and spiritual depth that can come from serving Christ and the Church through their work in the CWL.
Another vital dimension of the CWL's work is their policy advocacy. During the "Presentations of Resolutions" portion of the agenda, local members brought forward grassroots resolutions that spoke to the social justice concerns of society's most vulnerable. These resolutions have the potential of reaching the national level and help shape the influential conversations the CWL holds in Parliament.
“When you are part of us, you are part of a nationwide organization respected by government … so we can bring an issue from the grassroots. When they [people in the community] say, ‘You know what, I encountered this. This needs to be brought to someone’s attention,’ then that’s us saying, ‘I am going to speak for those people who don’t have a voice.’”
- Betty Colaneri, CWL National President
Outside of the official business of the agenda, the central hope for the gathering was to foster a sense belonging amongst the members, recognizing the shared challenges and triumphs of councils across the region, and discovering the collective wisdom in the room.
“What you see here are people at the parish, diocesan, provincial, and national levels. It’s all together, and so you get to meet people, you learn from each other … that’s why the round tables — this is a community around this table.”
-CWL Provincial President Christa Grillmair
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