While I had no intention of joining the Catholic Women’s League as a young woman, God does indeed have a sense of humour. His plan was not my plan, and today I’m honoured to serve the CWL today as it celebrates its 100th anniversary.
What has been accomplished by the league over the past century is astonishing, from the $25,000 (amounting to more than $370,000 in today’s dollars) donated by members for war relief in the 1940s, to the millions of dollars have donated to Catholic Missions in Canada. There is our support for the Coady leadership institute at St. Francis Xavier University, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, and the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, to name just some beneficiaries.
Add to this the millions of volunteer hours freely given in advocacy at all levels and the number of women who have prepared and presented resolutions to federal parliamentarians since 1974. The league is an organization that lives its mandate with all the energy that members with the support of the Holy Spirit can muster.
CWL members at St. Anthony’s, West Vancouver, plant a tree to mark the league’s 100th anniversary.
As I said, I hadn’t planned on joining the league, but the Holy Spirit seemed to prompt me to attend a meeting following a Mass one evening in 1977 after the death of my mother who had been an active member. Who knew it would lead me on this incredible journey? My grief over my great loss was tempered by the gift of all those women who became my friends and mentors.
My strongest memory of my mother’s activity with the organization was during what I now know was the national convention of 1977 held at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. She and a fellow member and her husband carried cream cans full of water to the old arts building to help make coffee for the hundreds of women. (Why they chose that building when it apparently didn’t have water to make coffee remains a mystery to me.)
Having grown up in a large farm family of eight brothers and one sister, it has been a joy making friends from coast to coast. I have no doubt that I could call upon any of them for assistance.
This was made apparent when I lost my husband suddenly in June of 2003. I received literally hundreds of cards of condolence, prayers, Mass offerings, and comforting words from dioceses across the country. Opening those cards gave me solace in the middle of the night, while my four children and my siblings were comforted by the care and concern shown us. I’m convinced that these women carried me on this journey just as they do for each other. This is just one example of why the League will always be a part of my life.
The other thing that is close to my heart is the action taken by the membership through the resolutions process that begins at the parish level. I have been privileged to be part of a delegation to the federal government several times where we dialogue in a mutually respectful way with several departments. We are well prepared and listened to as we present our cases to support social justice efforts.
There is something for every Canadian Catholic woman in the CWL – spiritual development, service to Church and community, and opportunities to make a better world by working for social justice locally and abroad. Although it’s a full-time job, it is my honour to serve.
CWL members at St. Joseph’s, Port Moody. “Each of us advocates in our
respective circumstances for the vulnerable and those who have no voice.”
When the League was organized in 1920, it was the beginning of a lay association of Catholic women who would change the world as they advocated for social justice while working toward personal spiritual development. From coast to coast through urban and rural communities, women have met in homes, church halls and community rooms, in beautiful as well as humble surroundings. What all members have had in common is the goal of making Canada and the world a better place through personal and collective spiritual growth, promoting the teachings of the Catholic Church, enhancing the role of women, recognizing the dignity of all people, and contributing to the understanding and growth of religious freedom, social justice, peace, and harmony.
This has never been a small task, but this is the living, breathing, fundamental base for members, who take baby steps every day through prayer and action to assure that the least among us are supported, loved, freed, and welcomed. Each of us advocates in our respective circumstances for the vulnerable and those who have no voice. It is with pride that I applaud the myriad of small and large undertakings “For God and Canada” and with humility that I find myself one of the 75,463 women who call each other sisters.
This year we have celebrated 100 years of service through the intercession of our patroness Our Lady of Good Counsel, who continues to guide us and keep us strong. The members of the Catholic Women’s League will continue to pray for each other and hold each other close as we move toward our next 100 years full of zeal and confidence that all efforts will make a difference in the advancement of women, faithfulness to Catholic values, and our beloved country.
Anne-Marie Gorman is National President of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada. She lives in Fredericton.
