“CREATE A NEW HEART WITH FAITH HOPE AND LOVE”
A conference that is prayerful, informative, has a wonderful friendly atmosphere, lots of fun and humour, has to be a winner and the recent State Conference of CWLA – NSW Inc. 2008 had all those ingredients and it was certainly a WINNER!!
The Opening Mass on the Friday night at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta, celebrated by Bishop Kevin Manning DD and concelebrated by Father Sean Cullen State Chaplain, Father Chris Sarkis and Father David Hume, was a wonderful beginning to the Conference. After mass the walk across the park on a lovely balmy evening was most enjoyable as was the warm welcome awaiting us at the Sebel Hotel (the Conference venue) and the excellent drinks and supper which followed. The Conference was formerly opened by State President Catherine McGrath and the Mayor of Parramatta also welcomed us to his city and spoke about it with enthusiasm and pride.
Melinda Tankard Reist from Women’s Forum Australia gave us a most interesting and certainly enlightening talk with power point presentation, regarding the body image and culture practised by young women today, some as young as 10 years of age, encouraged by a magazine “Faking It” (Girls in Danger).
Tired and happy we all retired to our various rooms and hotels, looking forward with enthusism to the next two days of our Conference.
Saturday dawned a beautiful day and we were all eager to take our places and the Conference to begin. As usual we commenced the day with a beautiful Liturgy prepared by Evelyn Gardiner. Our Keynote Speaker was Dr. Peter Spitzer-aka Dr. Fruit Loop from the Clown Doctors -The Humour Foundation Charity- a charity supported solely by the Community, and of which he was a co-founder. He entertained us with stories of his work and entertain us he certainly did!! Supported by a power point presentation he told us of the work he and the other “Clowns” performed around Australia. “Laughter is the Best Medicine” is their theme and the large painted “Smile on a Stick” is their symbol and he certainly used them well as he had us all literally “rolling in the aisles” We could all well imagine how humour affected his patients, mostly children but adults as well, in hospital wards, in palliative care and also nursing homes. What a way to begin our day! There was many a chuckle as we broke for morning tea and laughed over Dr. Fruit Loop. Members left donations as they picked up brochures about the Foundation and also a number of the “Smile on a Stick” which again caused much laughter during the day.
A Business Session followed with reports from some of the Dioceses. Father Sean Cullen then addressed us with inspiring and thought provoking words which made us realise how fortunate we are to have him as our Chaplain and thankful he is able to spend time with us from his very busy schedule. Thank you Father Sean.
“Movement to Music” with Helen Butler had us all on our feet performing gentle aerobics, helping us to keep the adrenalin flowing and ready for our next speaker.
Father Chris Riley of “Youth Off the Streets” told of the work he does with the youth – troubled hurt children – and how after 35 years he can still cry at some of the problems he encounters with them. He also told of his visit to East Timor where he had been invited to teach the young priests how to deal with the many abused children in their care. A collection was taken up for Father Chris and the wonderful work he does with YOTS. In return Father Chris presented President Catherine with an Award for the interest and contribution made by CWLA members to YOTS.
After unch Mrs. Olya Kolomyjec of the Ukranian Catholic Women’sw League of Australia (UCWLA) spoke to us and it was through her leadership that this group was formed. Olya is married to Father Zdan, a Ukranian Catholic Priest, and has two adult children. Ukranian seminarians are allowed to marry before ordination. Olya had been inspired by the wonderful Ukranian Catholic women immigrants who had arrived on Australian shores some 60 years ago as displaced persons and made a life for their families here, built their churches and formed organisations in their communities. She wanted to follow in their footsteps with the daughters of these women and move forward into the future, laying further foundations for future daughters. Also inspired by our own Peg McEntee and Margaret Bouffler, who had both spoken with such enthusiasm and love of CWLA, Olya decided that such an organisation would be ideal for her own people and so set about forming the UCWLA. Overcoming many challenges setting up this League Olya had it up and running in 6 months with over 30 members to begin, their banner ready,logo designed, badges made, a UCWLA prayer and hymn and their Mission Statement completed. Quite an achievement! They have done much in a short time doing wondrful community work and forming branches in other states. They are looking to the future in an ever changing world and their membership is growing well, now 115. Olya sees UCWLA and CWLA working together into the future.
An Open Forum followed with Peg McEntee as Facilitator. She spoke of WUCWO and our involvement with them and in her usual enthusiastic way also spoke of CWLA and the future we have to face and the need for changes. Members spoke from the floor and some interesting and thought provoking suggestions were made. The management and cost of future conference for CWLA were also discussed Moya Potts, President CWL Sydney, gave an overview of WYD08 and our involvement with this wonderful event and thanked all for their wonderful support.
The Hon. Kristina Keneally MP , Minister for Planning and Minister for Redfern Waterloo, was our next speaker. She told of her involvement with WYD08 and the role she played. We were well aware of her interest in this event and had seen her many times on TV. She spoke of her involvement in a previous WYD she had atended some years ago and the effect it had had on her – giving her a better understanding of the Church and her love of God. She shared with us how she met her future husband , also on the same journey, and we found it an interesting and fun story. She also spoke of her background and her family in America. As a Minister her role is to improve services for some of the most vulnerable in the community and help to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony for living within the community. An interesting and enjoyable speaker.
The Conference Dinner was held on Saturday evening and it was a great night with lots of chatter and laughter as we sat and enjoyed a delicious meal with the company of good friends from around the state. After dinner the DJ started up the music and the fun really started, with lots of members unable to ignore the music,were quickly up on the floor and danced the night away. Those less energetic enjoyed the “floor show” and listened to the music. A great fun filled night.
Sunday saw us at our seats ready to enjoy the final day of our Conference despite our late evening. There were more reports from the Dioceses and more Movement to Music with Helen during the morning. Our National President Karyn Kummans had joined us and we were delighted to have her share the day with us.
Mrs. Kimberley Davis from the Office for the Participation of Women was another excellent speaker and acknowledged the significent contribution CWLA members had played as women in the Church, how women generally had contributed so much and how these contributions can be increased. She spoke of the 10th anniversary coming up next year of the report into the participation of women in the Catholic Church in Australia, “Women and Man – One in Christ Jesus”. One of the roles of her office is to recommend and implement projects to enhance the participation of women. Some of these projects are, the preparation of a prayer book from submissions received from Catholic women throughout Australia of their experiences in the Church, the commencement of a Teleforum program enabling women and men throughout Australia to listen to and engage with expert guest speakers and other participants over a phone line, establishment of a website and an electronic newsletter titled, “Women Matter” sent out weekly to numerous recipients. Kimberley was a delegate at the International Congress in Rome “Women and Man the Humanum in its Entirety” where she met up with Brenda Finlayson. This Congress was organised by the Pontifical Council for the Laity in which the participation of women in the Churh was elevated to a high priority. Cardinal Rylko had called for a renewed effort from a united Church to uphold the dignity of women. At the audience with Pope Benedict, His Holiness had stated “there is an ever more urgent need for the commitment of Christians to become promotors of a culture that grants women in law and in everyday life, the dignity that is theirs by right” Kimberley said she looked forward to her continued networking with members of the Catholic Women’s League.
Julie Kelly from Project Rachael told us the heartbreaking story of the backyard abortion she had had some 60 years ago, at the age of 16, and the terrible effect it had always had on her life. Some 80,000 babies are aborted every year in Australia. Some time later she met a young man, Michael Kelly, a Catholic whose faith and spirituality inspired her to become a Catholic before they finally married. Three babies followed. During this time her relationship with God was affected by her previous abortion, believing she was basically evil! While visiting the Catholic Cathedral in Seattle in the US in 1998 Jjlie came across a Project Rachael brochure subtitled “Healing lives touched by abortion” which impressed her as she had never heard of healing after an abortion – only condemnation! That same night at a dinner party she met another woman who had had an abortion – Julie had never spoken to anyone about her abortion before, not even her husband and it was only after 32 years of marriage that she broke down and told him. She learned of Rachael’s Vineyard Healing Retreat and she returned to Seattle to attend a session and it was through the retreat she found hope, healing, peace and reconciliation with her baby, with her God and with herself. The healing she found on that weekend inspired her to bring the process back to Australia and start up the ministry here. Writing a letter to her baby and giving it a name was a suggestion given to her and after writing and then re-reading the letter the sobs she had held back for so long spilled over and at last her tears were shed! Through the healing power of God she felt she had been given back her voice to enable her to speak of her own experience, how destructive the abortion had been for her and to help others who had been so affected. The wonderful story Julie told has been repeated many times and helped many women who had had an abortion. Project Rachael holds out a helping hand!
“Valuing our Members” followed in a power point presentation, listing years of service of members in the dioceses and Honouring in Prayer our deceased members and was a lovely interlude.
The introduction of our President Elect – Catherine McGrath, standing for another two years service -was received enthusiastically by members. Then followed the Commissioning of Diocesan Presidents for 2009. An excellent overview of the Conference was given by Gladys Meaney-Budd from Parramatta Diocese.
Nat. President Karyn Kammanns, State President Catherine McGrath and Diocesan Presidents
Many thanks to our lovely Hostesses who looked after us so well!
Patricia Banister did an excellent job as facilitator for the Conference , and did it with grace, humour and pizzazz! She also kept us well on time. Evelyn Gardiner prepared the beautiful litergies for us and led us through them in her ever gracious manner.
Thanks are extended to Parramatta Diocese who hosted the Conference and worked so hard to make it the success it was. Thanks also to the many people who worked “behind the scenes” and finally to our wonderful, loyal members who attended.
Congratulations to State President Catherine McGrath and her Executive Committee,for an informative, interesting and happy CWLA-New South Wales Inc. State Conference 2008.
Doreen Ford
State Communications Officer – CWLA-NSW Inc.
