November 30, 2025
TO: Provincial Presidents and Secretaries
CC: National Officers (for information), National Life Member Liaison
FROM: Alice Noble, National Secretary-Treasurer
Please forward this message to secretaries.
This is an important time of the year for secretaries. Kindly ask your diocesan counterparts and parish secretaries with no diocesan council, to share this information with parish councils as several things are happening at once: (1) Parish Annual Report Survey, (2) update of minutes and motions books, (3) update of the council’s Elections Registry, (4) update the council’s Eligibility List, (5) maintain communications, and (6) keep the council’s social media presence up to date.
- Parish Annual Survey: Parish councils are encouraged to help shape the future! The survey opens December 1st and closes January 31st. It is each parish council’s opportunity to let the diocesan and provincial executives and the national executive/board understand councils and what support they may need. It also provides information for annual reports at all levels. Parish council secretaries are encouraged to ensure they provide their council’s vice-president with the answers to the secretary’s section of the survey.
- Minutes and Motions Books: Save your council’s history! Ensure all the year’s adopted minutes have been signed and filed in the council’s minutes book and that all motions have been recorded in the motions book. Digitize minutes as a backup to the hard copies. Send all minutes and relevant attachments (treasurer’s annual report, president’s annual report, any other annual reports, and significant correspondence) over six years old to the council’s past-president for archiving. See Section 5 and Appendix 6 of the (#615) National Manual of Policy and Procedure (2025) (National P&P).
- Election’s Registry: Keep your records accurate! Review and update the Elections Registry each January with the past president. In an election year, send a copy to the appointed chairperson of the nominations and elections committee. See Section 7 of the National P&P.
- Eligibility List: Be ready for elections! Working with the council’s past president, update the Eligibility List using the Elections Registry. In an election year, send a copy to the appointed chairperson of the nominations and elections committee. See Section 7 of the National P&P.
- Communications: Keep every member informed! Keep sharing all communiqués, newsletters, copies of minutes and annual reports with council members. The more informed members are, the more they feel valued and have a sense of belonging, and the stronger their engagement becomes.
- Social Media: Find the right resources! Set up a committee to manage the council’s website and social media platforms and to monitor and report on the national website and media platforms. If your council has a website or a presence on any social media platform, these must be maintained and updated regularly. Ensure more than one member of the council knows how to do this. Promote resources available on the national website and remind members of the national Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest accounts. See Section 10 of the National P&P.
Secretaries are the historical record keepers of every council! Record decisions and not opinions. Use consistent language as outlined in the National P&P, Appendix 16. Regularly update all relevant lists, including those listed above and lists of all past executives, fundraising events, special projects, and more.
The secretary’s year-end duties are more than administrative—they uphold the League’s values of transparency, stewardship and service. By completing these tasks diligently, you help preserve your council’s legacy and empower future leaders.
Let’s finish the year strong, together in faith and service.
Useful resources for secretaries include:
- (#604) Constitution & Bylaws (Part XII, Section 4)
- (#612) Handbook for Secretaries
- (#615) National Manual of Policy and Procedure (2025)
(Section 5, Duties of Officers, Secretary; Section 10; and Appendix 16)
Your sister in the League,
Alice Noble