From: Christa Grillmair, President Communique #6

August 26, 2019

Dear Sisters-in-Christ and Father Alfredo:

Remember those days when time didn’t fly by like the wind? One minute, we were preparing for the conventions and now September is just around the corner. I hope you had a great summer!

1. Provincial Convention Review

Thanks to everyone’s contribution, the convention was a huge success. I am attaching the just-released provincial newsletter, The Communicator, which provides a great review of the convention. The newsletter will also be posted on the provincial website, bcyukoncwl.com.

ACTION: Please share the newsletter with your councils. Thank you all for your part in welcoming our sisters from all over BC and the Yukon to our Diocese.

2. Fall Interim Meeting – Our Lady Queen of Peace, Esquimalt

Preparations are underway for the Fall Interim Meeting and I am sending the proposed Agenda in a separate email. The meeting will start at 9 am and everyone is invited. The focus will again be on workshops but we will have an opportunity to have an open discussion so that you can share your most significant achievements.

ACTION: Please take some time to review the Agenda and share it with your council. We hope to have representation from all the Councils at the meeting. Please contact Nancy Horsfield at nancy55@telus.net to let her know your numbers by October 21 so that she can inform our hosts who will be providing lunch for us (your contribution of $8 is appreciated).

3. Update on Strategic Plan

At our interim meeting Laurel and I will provide you with an update on year one of the strategic plan implementation that was presented to us at the national convention. As part of the team working on the marketing strategy I will share what we have done to date and what is coming up.

ACTION: If you haven’t read The Catholic Women’s League of Canada Plans Strategically, please take the time to do so prior to the meeting, focusing especially on pages 20-23. Bring any questions to the meeting.

4. Executive Update

We were sad to say good-bye to Sandi Digras who resigned as Communications Chair after giving us 3 ½ years of exciting and dedicated service. Gerry Heywood jumped into the role for the remainder of the term (to May 2020) and will juggle it along with her duties as Resolutions and Legislation Chair (even thought she is doing it one-handed now. Gerry broke her arm at the National Convention). Gerry is also working with Connie Dunwoody, our Webmaster, to take over the management of the website when Connie retires at the end of this year.

ACTION: Please remember Gerry in your prayers and share any items of interest for the website with her at aliendreg@hotmail.com so that we can keep our website current and informative.

5. Plans for the Fall

My husband and I are off on our European adventure on September 5th to see whether 50 years of marriage has prepared us to spend six weeks driving through Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. I am sure that there will be ‘moments’ when we are either going the wrong direction or trying to find our way out of a four-lane roundabout. I’ll let you know how it went when I see you at our Interim meeting in October. Laurel will also be away in September but will be back in time to represent me at the Fall Provincial mid-term meeting at the beginning of October in Kelowna. See you at the Interim meeting on October 28th (and don’t forget to let Nancy know your numbers).

Blessings,

Christa

Save the Dates

2020 Spring Interim Meeting, March 2 – Christ the King, Courtenay

2020 Diocesan Convention, April 21-23 – St. Edwards & Oceanfront Resort, Cowichan Bay

2020 Provincial Convention, June 11-13, Prestige Inn, Vernon

2020 National Convention, August 9-12, Montreal

Excerpt from a prayer at the National Convention:

“Come walk on the water with me!

I’m in the mood for impossible things.

I feel scared because it’s impossible

I feel hopeful because it’s not impossible (Mark 9:24)

So, scared and hopeful, we will walk. Come walk on the water with me!