COMING OF AGE: a new CWL president speaks out on issues like faith, family, and service

By Nicholas Elbers

After a pair of COVID cancellations, the Catholic Women’s League finally celebrated its 100th anniversary, two years late. As with most milestones of this kind, it came with a sense of accomplishment, but also introspection about the reality of the organization in 2022. 

At its core last week’s convention in Kelowna was “about making sure that women know what the CWL is doing and what they need to know about what is happening in that space,” CWL President Fran Lucas told The B.C. Catholic.

To build a vision for the next 100 years Lucas dove into the CWL’s history of Christian charity. She is clear that in essence nothing has changed. The organization is the same as it ever was.

“Our core purpose is to unite catholic women to grow in faith and to promote social justice in our faith, Canada, and the world, she said. “Our first CWL was formed in Edmonton because of the refugee situation [after the First World War].”

“We helped newcomers to integrate,” she said, “we are still doing the same thing. We have come full circle – still helping."

It speaks to the nature of what the CWL is as the Catholic Women’s League as an organization that embodies a uniquely feminine appreciation for relationship and connection that Lucas’ first response to COVID was to phone members at random.

“I called them just to say ‘hello, this is your president, how are you doing?’” Lucas said, “the stories that I heard were tearful, sad, and inspiring – a real mix.”

Checking in allowed her to not just let members know she was there and that she cared about them – something more leaders might do well to learn. Hearing about their strained and broken relationships helped solidify the focus that Lucas wants at the centre of the next 100 years.

“I want to make the focus about building relationships – building them back,” Lucas said.

Ultimately she chose the theme “Catholic and Living it!” for the Kelowna convention to help emphasize everything the CWL has been for members, but also what it will look like in the future.

Considered within the context of countless back sale fundraisers, and the small minute contributions the CWL is known for in parishes, this might seem rather humdrum and mundane. The hope is that members will feel energized to go out and re-imagine how they can do the same thing, but in a way that meets contemporary challenges.

In many parishes, the CWL has an understandable image problem. As members get older, younger women have a hard time envisioning how they may fit in with the aging organization. 

Lucas believes this is a problem of education, not reality. She believes the CWL is perfectly capable of being a place for young women to thrive and connect with others, but it has been hard to demonstrate this.  

The convention marked the fourth year of a five-year plan to update the CWL. Lucas highlights the website as a focus of attention since it centralized a lot of the tedious parts of running a local council. It has also become a great place for councils to get resources so they can skip a lot of the guesswork that might stop them from being active.

Lucas believes the efforts have largely been a success, but there is still a problem of dwindling membership. Young women don’t seem to understand that the CWL doesn’t need to be bake sales and banner making.

“We just need to get the message out to younger women,” she said. 

A lot of time has gone into pushing a message that things might be different and that the CWL does great work. Lucas hopes that young women will consider browsing the website to see that the CWL may be relevant to them now.

The CWL’s next face looks at the future

By Jarrod Thalheimer

While service and faith organizations of all stripes struggle with aging memberships and a seeming lack of “new blood” joining the ranks, legitimate questions mount. 

Does the lack of engagement lie with the institution? Or is it young people just not having the time or interest to commit? Maybe it’s a mix of both, plus the reality of societal change and shifting priorities? 

The B.C. Catholic attended the CWL National Convention in Kelowna and had the opportunity to talk to someone with an interesting perspective.  

Monaco Krohn is in her mid-twenties and already the new president of the Immaculate Conception Church CWL council. She agreed to sit down for a short discussion.

BCC: Thank you for taking the time. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Monaco Krohn. I am 26, married with two children. I recently became the president of our local church’s CWL council.

BCC: Are you seeing many young faces like yourself at church these days?

I do, though I generally attend the Latin rite and that seems to be growing in popularity with young people like my husband and myself. More young people all the time.

BCC: Why do you think that is? 

Believe it or not, I’ve asked. Reverence is a big one, along with wanting direct links to old traditions. Some speak of better experiencing the real beauty of the Mass. There is a genuine desire to connect with the deeper aspects of our faith.

BCC: Why join the CWL in 2022?

Our local council was in danger of having to disband. The government lockdowns of the last two years, plus the passing of some members, had left it nearly unable to go on. I was familiar with it, both through my mom and my grandmother, who has been a member for nearly 50 years. I had seen how much it meant in my grandmother’s life, how much it took her out of herself and the people it brought into her life. I wanted that for me too, especially as I learn to navigate life with my two little boys. It’s just such a positive influence.

BCC: As president, do you want to change things?

Only the obvious, like attracting new members. I will say that I have become very focused on finding ways to improve our spiritual outreach. It really seems that is what younger women are looking for – a chance to be with a group searching for higher meaning and purpose in their lives

BCC: What does the CWL get right?

Their constant desire to reach out, to help and to serve. Plus, their community focus – the way they take the life of our direct community so personally and with such care. The quiet strength these ladies offer to our local church community, both by being visible but also in raw service. They have always been unafraid to step up and help whenever help is needed most.

BCC: What does the CWL not get right?

That’s a hard one. Clearly, I’m new to the ranks so it’s not really my place to point out things. One area that I do feel strongly about though is not the fault of the CWL specifically, but I think most women’s groups in general. That would be the intense focus on pushing women into the workplace. And please understand I’m not saying that women working outside the home is bad. Far from it. Those were important advancements for society. However, nothing happens in a vacuum and one of the unintended consequences of that push has been family life. Most families now require a double income to survive. That means less women able to be creating and sustaining the communities that families traditionally need to thrive. I’m lucky in that I’m able to be at home with my kids and to have the time to volunteer and be part of the CWL. My husband and I figured out a way to meet our needs on a single income. But I’m in the minority, I know. I wish we could get to a place where women are encouraged and celebrated as much for choosing to be at home as they were for choosing to work outside it. 

BCC: What excites you about your new role in the CWL?

To find ways to engage current, past, and future members alike. I want to bring Catholic women together.

BCC: How was the convention?

Interesting and informative. The scope was incredible. Keynote speaker Elizabeth Timmins was wonderful. So much energy and fire! And attending with my grandmother was so very special. I loved sharing it with her.

BCC: Do you see the CWL as a sisterhood?

Absolutely – especially at the convention. The joy and happiness and warmth and openness I experienced from every person there was incredible. It is a real family and I felt welcomed and a full part of it. It’s like the best sorority ever!

BCC: What do you hope the future holds for the CWL?

Getting back to basics, to the roots of focusing on families and building up our immediate communities. Being able to support other parents or parishioners in need. To be there for people on their hardest days, so they can lean on you. I want to do that for others, like it was done for me. Family is the core of everything and as a woman and a new member of the CWL I take my responsibility for the health of families seriously. 

The CWL is good for the world!”
Shining a light on a subject that shuns personal glory

By Jarrod Thalheimer

Scott Clark was ecstatic. In 2019 his marketing firm beat out multiple rivals to win the contract and become the marketing agency of record for the Catholic Women’s League of Canada. Then the real work began. 

“It was so exciting. Everyone in the firm wanted this. Getting the chance to represent the CWL is incredible. But the pressure to get it right was huge.”

Founded nearly 20 years ago, Clark Communications - an Ontario-based marketing firm - has serviced well-known consumer brands like Rona, Chrysler, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Province of Ontario, and even cities like Hamilton, Nipissing, Niagara and many more. Such experience would prove extremely valuable in taking on the new challenge. 

“First of all, this is not something you do quickly. When you have an institution as significant as the CWL, you don’t do anything overtly dramatic or aggressive. Turning a big ship takes time, but that’s a positive too. It means you get to act with appropriate levels of respect and care.”

From the beginning, reaching out and communicating directly with members at all levels of the CWL was crucial to Clark and his team. “We had to take the temperature of the organization and see both what members felt was working, and what wasn’t.” 

Early on, Clark realized that the approach to meeting the CWL’s needs was unique. “We decided on a specific, two-step approach. First, market directly to the existing membership and then outwards to the rest of the world. It takes time.” 

Friendly and sincere, Clark wears his heart on his sleeve about his personal excitement at taking on the challenge of the CWL. “They just have so much upside! It’s such a positive, uplifting organization. Everyone in our office loves this account. You have to understand how focused these women are on doing good works and being positive, giving members of their communities. The CWL is good for the world!”

Clark hosted a table at the CWL’s 2022 National Convention in Kelowna while also sponsoring a keynote speaker from the U.S. Still, making the trip from North Bay was more about getting to meet and interact with members, gathering the kinds of information and detail not available inside a file or some prepared report.

“There is so much to gain from being here, with them. One example, we create various tools and promotional items for the CWL chapters to deploy but getting a chance to actually see them in use is so instructive. I can see how our deliverables are utilized, whether they are changed in one way or another. We get to see in real time what is working and what might need to be tweaked, adjusted, or simply discarded. You can’t miss that kind of opportunity.” 

For talented marketers, acknowledging truth is the core of any successful advertising or promotional campaign, which is probably why Clark smiles when he describes his admiration for the CWL. 

“Nothing persuades better than truth and we have a client who is all about genuine, humble service and sincere giving. It’s an easy message to share, though it can be tricky sometimes.”

Clark pauses, a wry look creeping across his face. “It really is one of the more interesting parts of our job with them, getting the women to accept having a light shone on them and their good works.”

He recounted how no one in the membership is driven by praise or attention for what they do. “They just want to help others and to serve their communities. Sometimes, the trick becomes about finding creative ways to let others see the good they do without pushing the membership to worry about or even consider direct promotion. They don’t want glory – they want to help. We just want others to be inspired by that and, if they can, to join and support the ladies in what they do.”

While the last few years have been hard on direct service organizations thanks to government-mandated lockdowns and onerous individual separations, the CWL has persevered, dealing with the inevitable frustrations as best as they could, all while looking forward in hope towards continuing their shared journey.

With a stated mission to “grow in faith, and to witness to the love of God through ministry and service” the Catholic Women’s League of Canada have been an integral part of the country for more than a hundred years.

And if Clark and his team have anything to say about it, a whole lot more Canadians are going to be hearing about that story and what part they might play in seeing it continue for a hundred more.

Getting to the heart of the matter

Are church service organizations relics of the past? The CWL says no

By Jarrod Thalheimer

Our brave new world has an answer for everything – and these days it’s almost always digital in nature. Food delivery? Skip the Dishes. Transportation? Uber. Need a room? Vrbo. Buy a house? Zillow. Need a friend? Facebook. Need a better friend? Tindr. The list goes on.

So how does an organization that emerged “old school” from church basements even compete? The signs of decline are everywhere. CWL councils are suffering steep drop-offs in membership. The diehards are aging out and new members are few and far between. Everyone expects youth to take over but they’re not actually showing up. They’re either too busy or too distracted. The future is not looking all that bright as the Catholic Women’s League starts their second century. 

So where does the CWL get off holding a massive convention in downtown Kelowna that was downright vibrant, optimistic, and alive? Out of the 500 plus faces in attendance you’d be hard-pressed to find one without a massive smile. What tech platform are they suddenly using? Did they launch a new app? Maybe Elon Musk offered to buy them out?

Everywhere you turned at the event, you saw women engaged in conversation, making connections, laughing, enjoying each others company. Old friends greeted with huge hugs and expansive smiles. The warmth was genuine and palpable, real, not forced in any way. A table of strangers became a clutch of friends as names were exchanged, stories shared and ties created. Cross-sections of the entire country were represented without any barriers whatsoever. Politicians would kill to take credit for this kind of sincere unity. 

“You can have real life, or you can have online echo chambers,” said keynote speaker and honorary life member Barb Dowding. “We choose real life.” 

Dowding contends that the CWL endures because it is focused on families – its own and the families it represents. “And in that family, love will prevail.”

Dowding’s speech was less lecture and more group-connection session. A back and forth that laid bare the reality behind the true strength of the CWL – individual membership and the confidence that when they are needed, they will be there.

There was no hand-wringing over declining member counts. There were no panicked cries for emergency outreaches. And no plans for an app that might hopefully, possibly save the day. The event was a celebration of real face-to-face service to others and the unique contribution each woman makes to that shared commitment. 

“The feminine ability to community and to encourage the humanity and connection within us – like when Mary visited Elizabeth ... that’s what gives life. That’s what the CWL exists for,” Dowding said.

She dismisses the sanitized anonymity so prevalent today thanks to social media. “It misses the point of living.”

Sharing the stage with numerous past presidents, some in person, others in word alone (as some had since passed on), each offering experiences and relationships both personal and transformative. These are the stories of women who reached out their hands to help and received life-long connections in return. The gifts of sharing actual humanity, in all its glorious imperfection.  

Speaking afterward, Dowding drove home the point. “CWL parish councils are the heart of the league. Nothing happens without them. It’s the most important, most critical part of who we are.”

To her, it’s a no-brainer. The spiderweb of human outreach exemplified by the CWL is actual community and it doesn’t happen because someone in a boardroom wrote a memo or drafted a bylaw making it so. It comes about because one person sees another person in need and offers to help personally. No intermediary. Just real people, one-to-one getting things done. It’s about humility. It’s about sincerity. It’s about grace. 

Looking across the crowd, Dowding smiles. “I remember when I thought the CWL was for old women – now I am one.” Deep laughter fills the room, knowing glances shared all around. No illusions, only truth and acceptance. Confidence. And joy.

“You know one thing that really bugs me?” said Dowding. “When people claim women are marginalized people. Women are not marginalized people. We are full and complete. Women hold up half the sky!”

Those are not the words of someone fearful for the future of her organization, or worried that she might be irrelevant in a modern world. It is someone who knows the deepest part of a woman seeks to create, nourish, and sustain community. That it’s integral to her being. And that even if only one CWL member remained, good things would still be happening. 

Perhaps our brave new world misses the point it tries to limit human interaction to digital solutions and apps. If you fall and skin your knee, the handy Silicon Valley designed app on your phone might tell you where the nearest emergency room is, or provide some tips on cleaning and dressing the wound. 

But a woman will embrace you, dry the tears, and tend the wound personally. Then, while offering up a cookie with a smile, she will listen patiently to whatever needs to be said. Holding up half the sky indeed. 

Big problems = small solutions

Author Elizabeth Tomlin on small group ministries and communities that need them 

By Jarrod Thalheimer

Elizabeth Tomlin is excited to tell the story of the ox but she “can’t really remember the exact numbers ...” 

And then with a wave of her arms she explains how one ox can pull “like, a lot” but that as soon as you link him up with another ox, the new team is suddenly capable of pulling “way more than just two times, like A LOT more weight. Like THOUSANDS of pounds more!”

She raises her hands in the air, acting out her fascination at the (somewhat) garbled fact. The crowd laughs. Tomlin uses the story to illustrate the reality that one person doing something is great, but that as soon as you add another the multiplier effect starts to work, which is why women do so well in groups. “Together we can do so much more than we can do by ourselves.”

Heads around the room nod in recognition. They’ve seen it themselves. They know she speaks the truth.  

Tomlin is deceptive. Her totally endearing, seemingly scattered (but very entertaining) presentation style barely hints at the high-powered force of nature hiding in plain sight.

Tomlin is a Catholic author, general counsel for the Archdiocese for the Military Services in the U.S., and a catechist and director of stewardship for the Military Council of Catholic Women.

She has also served as president, director of faith formation, and finance manager.

Tomlin earned her bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 2002 from the College of William and Mary and her juris doctor from the George Mason University School of Law in 2010. She is a member of the New York State Bar, Catholic Bar Association, John Carroll Society, Catholic Women of the Chapel, and the Military Spouse JD Network. She also happens to be a wife, mother of three, and military spouse living in Washington.

Intimidated yet? Don’t be. Tomlin is as friendly and as approachable as her storytelling style suggests. She speaks with the understanding of someone who has “been there, done that” but still genuinely wants to hear the stories and experiences that you might want to share with her.

Her book, Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women’s Groups, is a literal roadmap to building small group ministries in any community. It grew from her personal stories, spiritual insights, and desire to offer practical advice to any woman looking to start a spiritual book club or a group for moms with young children. Or maybe someone just trying to breathe new life into a tired committee or stagnating prayer group. Tomlin’s sense of humoir shines through as she makes the case for small group ministries. “It made a difference in my life. It will make a difference in yours too!” 

An important element and, according to Tomlin, absolutely crucial for small group success, is the presence of pastoral care. “Never try to run a small group ministry without setting up pastoral support.”

She explains that sacraments like reconciliation and the Eucharist are critical parts of what makes the group exercise so valuable. “The sacraments are gifts from God. We need them to be successful. Having a strong relationship with your pastor is too important to neglect, no matter how small your group may be.”

For a woman so focused on small group ministry, she held a room of 500 souls at the CWL National Convention in thrall throughout her presentation. Not bad for someone advocating groups of two or three to start. 

But small remains the message. “Don’t ever be afraid of small.” 

She adds, “The early church was small. Just a bunch of disciples in an upper room – and look what that led to – the basilicas of the world. Small is good!” 

Tomlin can be reached through her publisher Ave Maria Press at avemariapress.com/authors/elizabeth-a-tomlin.

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