2025 Subsidy Recipient Provincial Convention Report

Dear Madam President, Fr. John, and the Provincial Executive,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the subsidy to attend the provincial convention in Kelowna this past June. Without that assistance, I would not have been able to attend. I very much appreciate it, as it was really quite an enriching few days!

First, I was able to attend the vice-president’s dinner and a portion of the pre-convention meeting, which was a great opportunity to connect with other vice-president’s from around the province, and continue my learning journey before becoming diocesan president next April.

I then attended the resolutions dialogue which I found quite interesting and educational. I have always thought of resolutions as something scary, but they are actually quite manageable if you are willing to do the work!

Then came the main convention, which was absolutely wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to visit, mingle with, and connect with our CWL sisters from around the province. It was great to catch up with many old friends, and also meet new friends! The sharing that comes out of this can give you ideas and further your learning, but it is also gives me that sense of connection, belonging, and sisterhood, that we so often talk about.

I also really enjoyed the guest speakers, especially Fr. John Garden and Fr. Sean Wenger’s presentations, as well as the R3-1 Unity presentation by Betty Colaneri. Fr. John’s Holy Door presentation was great. I especially loved the statement that “Jesus is knocking on the door of our soul”, and how he waits for us to open the door to our heart. Fr. Sean’s presentation, “Those Who Hear it, Share it: The Gospel of Power” was also great! Right away I was struck by his statement that “if you are not evangelizing others, your evangelization may only be partial and that there was once a priest who was not fully evangelized until 20 years into his priesthood!” His presentation got me thinking about faith and the world from a different perspective, which was really neat. The R3-1 Unity presentation by Betty was very helpful, too, as so many councils are struggling with recruitment. I always think of recruitment and retention, but I have never thought about regaining previous members. I also appreciated her point that we are walking billboards for the CWL and how we carry ourselves, how authentic and genuine we are, and the love we exude will very much impact a person’s perception of the CWL. And, as she mentioned, we do it all for the love of God! The Kinesiologist, Claire Young’s, presentation on actively aging, and Jan Hill’s presentation on nutrition were quite educational as well.

Thank you again for the subsidy! It was a tremendous gift to be able to attend! I always come away from conventions feeling energized and inspired, and I love receiving new ideas that I can take back to my council! I love the connections I make as well. A convention is a place where I feel like I belong and that everyone is a friend, even if I haven’t met them just yet! It’s a room full of women connected by our faith and dedication to the league, and is full of learning opportunities and opportunities to grow in our faith! It’s a place where I belong!

Respectfully Submitted,