Last Updated: Tuesday - 07/13/2010
Week of June 16, 2008
CWL Alberta-Mackenzie Council adds 246 new members
By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton
The Alberta-Mackenzie Council of the Catholic Women's League is growing stronger. Council president Donna Prevost says over the past year, the council saw a membership increase of 246 new members, for a total of 9,994 members in 174 parish-based councils.
The Alberta-Mackenzie Council also has five Catholic girl's councils in the Edmonton Archdiocese and a CWL council with 24 University of Alberta students at St. Joseph's University College.
In her report to the 61st annual provincial convention, Prevost also noted spiritual growth with the adoption of the theme Love One Another: Embracing Christ in the Eucharist.
"The dioceses of Alberta embraced this theme and flew with it this year throughout the province," she noted. "What a growth in spirituality and knowledge has occurred!"
About 200 CWL delegates from the dioceses of Edmonton, Calgary, St. Paul, Grouard-McLellan and Mackenzie Fort-Smith attended the convention at Providence Renewal Centre June 5-8.
Multi-media communication
Prevost, a Fairview resident who began her second year as president, said improving communication with the grassroots of the CWL is her main goal for the rest of her two-year term. That's also the goal of many councils, which have begun making a more regular use of websites and email as well as newspaper ads and articles.
Poverty is another focus of the council, which has developed a strategy on approaching the issue of homelessness. "Letter-writing is ongoing to members of Parliament regarding affordable housing in Alberta," Prevost said.
She also said learning about the issue of human trafficking is "a predominant interest" in every diocese. "Members have attended workshops, listened to speakers and are writing letters to members of Parliament about this problem and are trying to find ways to take action to stop this activity."
The Alberta-Mackenzie Council's Pennies for the Poor project continues and is very successful, according to the provincial president.
"From those annoying pennies in our pockets, Alberta women collected $5,485.75 in 2007 to be sent to an orphanage in Burundi, Africa, to cover education and health care needs."
Councils receive awards
At the convention, the league presented the Father Walter Krewski award to representatives of three parish-based councils. The first award went to St. Agnes Council of Edmonton, which recruited the largest number of new members (20) in 2007. The second award went to the Good Shepherd Council of Edmonton, which showed the greatest increase in membership (21) in the previous year. The third went to the St. Joseph's College Council, which showed the greatest percentage increase with a 128.6 per cent increase.
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