Flocknote

DATE: October 3, 2022
FROM: Cathy Bouchard, national chairperson of spiritual development TO: Parish council chairpersons of spiritual development

When we remember that our faith life is what attracts members as compared to so many other women’s groups we could belong to, it is important to feed that in each other. As one of our wise provincial presidents says, “It will be through prayerful time that we w
ill discern what God is
calling us, as a council, to do.” Even Jesus went to prayer first before the tough decisions.
One of the goals in the strategic plan is that members grow in faith through spiritual development opportunities provided for them. New documents can be found on the national website titled:
- “What We Do” (#325 - bookmark, 326 - poster, 327 - postcard)
- Retreat Centres for Spiritual Development (#328a – bulletin, 328b - brochure)
A new pamphlet called The Catholic Women’s League of Canada: Faith - Service - Social Justice – Sisterhood (#627) focuses on the social aspects of the sisterhood of the League. Prayer Service Planning Workshop (#628) focuses on the spiritual and social aspects in councils to foster a culture where all life is valued with dignity and respect.
The faith life of members involves acting on social justice. TheCalendar of Social Justice/Catholic Social Teaching in the Church (#622) module provides links to important dates to remember, while the resource Care for God’s Creation Resources (#625) gives scripture and bible resources along with examens, prayers and quotes.
Another resource that may come in handy is Gifts of Love, a prayer service for adult communities that has been developed and published by the York Catholic District School Board. It may be
found at http://www.ycdsb.ca/programs-services/religion-family-life/adult-faith/gifts-of-love/.
FAITH, SERVICE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
As you know the League has undergone a strategic renewal. The existing standing committees were reduced to three to align with the core values of faith, service and social justice.
The League’s core purpose is “uniting Catholic women to grow in faith, and to promote social justice through service to the church, Canada and the world.” Through the core values members

are called to live the Mission Statement to “grow in faith, and to witness to the love of God through ministry and service.”
The envisioned future of the League is that, through the work of these three standing committees, “The Catholic Women’s League of Canada will become an inclusive and engaged community of Catholic women inspired by faith.” The members will be vital participants in the church, valued partners for social justice, respected advocates at all government levels and connected to the world.
Faith (Hearts in Prayer)
“Uniting Catholic Women to Grow in Faith”
Spiritual development is the essence of the League. The core value of faith is what sets it apart from all other women’s organizations. The League was established in 1920 as a lay organization of Catholic women who worked and advocated for social justice but who also valued their spiritual development. The League was officially recognized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as a lay association of women in 1948.
Members honour Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel, as their patroness. Mary responded to the Lord’s call despite doubts. Her faith is an example for all members. Through their baptism women are inspired by the Spirit to respond to God’s call and to be a transforming force in wider society (Lumen Gentium).
Councils at all levels are encouraged to provide opportunities for members to experience spiritual growth through prayer, recognizing the sanctity of life, study of Catholic teachings, awareness of the role of women in the church, encouraging vocations, ecumenism and interfaith endeavours, studying and implementing action plans of adopted resolutions that pertain to faith and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (pro-life legislation, reproductive technology, euthanasia), and circulating information that enhances the Church’s teachings.
We are now transitioning from the different standing committees to three main committees. The new faith standing committee will be responsible for spiritual growth of members, study of Catholic teachings, role of women in the church, ecumenism and inter-faith endeavours, as well as sanctity of life and vocations which were previously part of the Christian family life standing committee.
I encourage you to continue your spiritual growth individually and through the League, “For God and Canada”.
Cathy

Dear Anne, I am so pleased to let you know about a special initiative that Life Culture has been working on called a Hope’s Cradle. A Hope’s Cradle is an anonymous and safe place where an infant can be safely surrendered. It is a last resort for parents that feel they have no other option. Any parent who feels the need to utilize this initiative is in a desperate situation.

Earlier this spring, a newborn baby girl was found in a dumpster in Winnipeg. This situation brought to light that an anonymous safe surrender site is needed in Manitoba. The fact is, we only know about the abandoned babies that are found. There may be others that are abandoned that we don’t even know about.

For months Life Culture has been working to find a fire station in the region to approve the installation of a Hope’s Cradle. We are so thrilled that a fire station in an RM close to Winnipeg and Steinbach recently approved a Hope’s Cradle for their station.

Research from Hope’s Cradle, based in Calgary, indicates that parents are more comfortable surrendering their infant in a rural location, due to the perception of anonymity. The location approved is a great central location, close to both Winnipeg and Steinbach, with many communities in the surrounding area.

We need to raise $20,000 to make a Hope’s Cradle a reality. A generous donor has agreed to match $10,000! In other words, whatever you donate is doubled through matching. Please support this initiative so Manitoba will finally have a safe surrender site for infants.

Sincerely,
Susan Penner
Executive Director

Essential Humility

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931–2021) and his daughter Mpho Tutu van Furth focus on our fragile humanity, the good and bad that we are all capable of, as the entry point for forgiveness:

We are able to forgive because we are able to recognize our shared humanity. We are able to recognize that we are all fragile, vulnerable, flawed human beings capable of thoughtlessness and cruelty. We also recognize that no one is born evil and that we are all more than the worst thing we have done in our lives. A human life is a great mixture of goodness, beauty, cruelty, heartbreak, indifference, love, and so much more. We want to divide the good from the bad, the saints from the sinners, but we cannot. All of us share the core qualities of our human nature, and so sometimes we are generous and sometimes selfish. Sometimes we are thoughtful and other times thoughtless, sometimes we are kind and sometimes cruel. This is not a belief. This is a fact.

If we look at any hurt, we can see a larger context in which the hurt happened. If we look at any perpetrator, we can discover a story that tells us something about what led up to that person causing harm. It doesn’t justify the person’s actions; it does provide some context. . . .

No one is born a liar or a rapist or a terrorist. No one is born full of hatred. No one is born full of violence. No one is born in any less glory or goodness than you or I. But on any given day, in any given situation, in any painful life experience, this glory and goodness can be forgotten, obscured, or lost. We can easily be hurt and broken, and it is good to remember that we can just as easily be the ones who have done the hurting and the breaking.

We are all members of the same human family. . . .

In seeing the many ways we are similar and how our lives are inextricably linked, we can find empathy and compassion. In finding empathy and compassion, we are able to move in the direction of forgiving.

Ultimately, it is humble awareness of our own humanity that allows us to forgive:

We are, every one of us, so very flawed and so very fragile. I know that, were I born a member of the white ruling class at that time in South Africa’s past, I might easily have treated someone with the same dismissive disdain with which I was treated. I know, given the same pressures and circumstances, I am capable of the same monstrous acts as any other human on this achingly beautiful planet. It is this knowledge of my own frailty that helps me find my compassion, my empathy, my similarity, and my forgiveness for the frailty and cruelty of others.

Desmond Tutu and Mpho A. Tutu, The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World, ed. Douglas C. Abrams (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2014), 125, 126, 127

November 13 we had a special Remembrance Day Mass with The Knights and the CWL providing an honour guard. A very beautiful mass- and donuts/coffee too!

Hard to believe that out next meeting will be The Christmas Party already! We hope to see you all on December 13 for lunch at Lee’s. 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Thank-you again for all the well wishes, and prayers for a speedy recovery from emergency surgery- it worked! 😇 Anne