Date: October 1, 2024 Communiqué #2

From: Gerry Heywood, Vice President

“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Dear Sisters in the League and Father Mike:

One of my duties as Vice President is membership. Membership is a huge subject and covers a great range of issues. Today, I would like to look at the various kinds of members.

The National Policy and Procedures Manual list four different categories of membership. I think there is another category; one that is hidden. But I’ll talk about this later on.

The first and largest group is the General Membership.This is where the vast majority of us fit in. To be a member, we have to be Catholic and be at least 16 years old. We get to vote and hold office in our League. Sweet.
The next but a smaller group are Associate Members. They are non Catholic women who are at least 16 years old. They get to vote but may not hold office. A lot of these women are either considering becoming Catholic or may even be enrolled in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). Obviously, if or when they are received into the Church, they become part of the General Membership with all the rights and privileges.
Then, there are the Life Members. This honour is conferred upon these women upon the recommendation of a Diocesan.or a Provincial executive and then by the National Executive of our League. These members are recognized for their lengthy years of service on at least two levels of the League. But let me put it another way. If some great disaster befell us and we lost all our written manuals or policies, you could follow a Life Member around and learn by observation everything there is to know about our League. I will not go so far as to say that Life Members walk on water, but they never seem to have wet feet!
Finally, our League recognizes Honorary Life Membership. This is an honour bestowed on those extraordinary women who have served as National President. It should be noted that achievement of Life or Honorary Life membership is not the end of these sisters’ service to the League!

Now, what do I mean by the Hidden Membership? That’s why it is not listed in any of our policy manuals or rules and regulations. They are hidden. I doubt that most of you have not noticed these League candidates but they are all around you, all the time.

In my opinion, Hidden Membership is all those women, both Catholic and non Catholic, who could join our League but have not yet done so. They could even be former League members. These are our neighbours, friends and the women who sit around you at Mass. Invite them to come to a special meeting or event. Tell them about the friendship and good work we do in the League. I know from personal experience that all it takes is a simple invitation from a friend to “come and see”. That did it for me and probably did it for a lot of you, as well.

Our League is a wonderful thing and has the potential to be so much more. So, go forth and spread the wonderful news of our League to these hidden members.

May God bless all of you and your loved ones,

Gerry Heywood

Vice President: CWL Diocese of Victoria