REPORT OF NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR
PROVINCIAL PRESIDENT PEGGY ROCHE

The year 2003 was very eventful for the provincial council. The council was living and working within the theme, cast out into the deep, in more ways than one.

Spring was busy rescheduling and visiting areas where workshops were cancelled earlier in the year due to inclement weather conditions. It was also an election year for the provincial council. Unfortunately, the council did not have enough members nominated to complete the complement of chairpersons; however, the council was able to make appointments from an eligibility list to these positions.

The council mourned the loss of a true mentor and friend Life Member Dorice Marcil. She is dearly missed, but her legacy to the League, parish, community, and friends will continue to live on with fond memories.

Provincial Life Member Liaison Lidwina Critch initiated a life member mentoring program. They may be few in numbers, but life members were busy facilitating at workshops and spiritual reflections across the province and preparing the history of the provincial council. Life members continued to assist both provincial and the parish councils, where and when they were called upon.

Thanks to the funding received from the National Development Fund, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Presentation Congregation, the council was able to continue work in promoting the League and educating members. Council members visited various parts of the province reaching out to sisters in the League, extending the true meaning of “belonging” and emphasizing that they are never alone within the League.

This outreach was a very rewarding experience and gave the opportunity to get to know more about membership, spiritual advisors, and the problems and concerns facing councils. With the assistance of Life Member Agnes Ebbs, the council was successful in reinstating a parish council in Carbonear, which disbanded in 2002.

Communiqués were written and distributed to councils, as well as letters to the archbishop and bishops across the province. Concerns were addressed to the prime minister and the federal minister of justice about the definition of marriage and stem cell research.

The provincial council members were very proud of the fact that councils at the parish level were very pro active and an integral part of life for parish, community, and country. By following the action plans for resolutions, members were able to give a voice to those who do not or could not have a voice of their own.

Membership continued to promote the teachings of the Catholic church by offering spiritual reflections, workshops, World Day of Prayer services, ecumenical services, the rosary, stations of the cross, mini retreats, visiting shut-ins, and continued to take active roles in the various parish ministries.

Members kept themselves informed through the use of many League resource materials and by inviting guest speakers to do presentations at special meetings which were open to the general public. Some councils celebrated special anniversaries and others honoured their members with service pins and presentation of awards. Many councils submitted cash donations to the national voluntary funds as well as to local charities.

Some councils promoted the League and themselves in cyberspace by developing websites, which included the history of the League in their parishes along with pictures of the CWL in action, complete with parish projects and general information.

The White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) campaign was a success once again, with some councils taking it a little further by inviting The Honorable John Efford, Federal Minister of Natural Resources, and members of the house of assembly George Sweeney and Charlene Johnson to a special evening where the signed white ribbons were presented to the federal minister to bring back to Ottawa.

Thoughts and prayers are with all the sisters in the League, in the province, and across the country, especially for those who are sick and for those who have lost loved ones.