The new State Office for Catholic Women’s League (CWL) South Australia was officially blessed and opened by the Most Rev Phillip Wilson DD JCL, Archbishop of Adelaide and President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, on December 6th 2011.

The event was attended by the CWL Adelaide Diocesan Chaplain Fr Welling; Chancellors Cathy Whewell and Heather Carey; Dale West, the Director of Centacare; the CWLA National President, Madge Fahy; and many members of the League in South Australia.

In response to the Holy Father’s invitation to “…join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible…", the National President of Catholic Women’s League Australia, Madge Fahy, launched CWLA’s official YouTube channel today (http://www.youtube.com/user/CWLAustralia). Madge said: “New technologies are changing not only the way we communicate, but arguably communication itself. If CWLA is to ‘run so as to win’ the race (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24), we need to embrace these new technologies and new ways of communicating.”

The Catholic Women’s League of Australia has just released its latest e-newsletter.  This issue includes a wonderful article by Emeritus Professor Gabrielle McMullen about the recent CWLA Biennial Conference in Melbourne as well as an article by Austin Ruse, the President of C-FAM.  It also contains a beautiful reflection by Fr Ken Barker MGL and gives some insight into the tremendous work being undertaken by Catholic women throughout Australia. Enjoy! 

Blessed Pope John Paul II in his book "Memory and Identity - Personal Reflections" compared the politics surrounding abortion to Hitler and the Holocaust. At the time, his comments caused some controversy.

He lamented that contemporary democratic governments which legalised abortion were a new totalitarianism "insidiously hidden behind the appearance of democracy."  He reminded readers that in a similar way, a legally elected German parliament gave Hitler the power which led to the creation of concentration camps and ultimately the extermination of millions of Jews.

In mid-September, the Catholic Women's League Australia held its 45th biennial national conference in Melbourne and I had the privilege of presenting the opening address.

The conference was entitled Go in Peace, Glorifying the Lord with Your Life.  The theme was a timely one and, it seems to me, captures the essence of the Catholic Women's League.

In her welcome address to their 45th Biennial Conference, Emeritus Professor Gabrielle McMullen extolled the more than 220 participants from the Catholic Women’s League of Australia (CWLA) for being “the leading organisation for the formation of women throughout Australia”.

Professor McMullen reflected that the conference theme, ‘Go Forth in Peace, Glorifying the Lord by Your Life’, was well chosen. She said the active and practical social concern shown by contemporary CWLA members was an authentic expression of the spirit of CWLA’s founders and of what Blessed John Paul II called the ‘feminine genius’. It was also founded upon the ‘glory’ shown in the lives of “the three Marys – Our Lady, Mary of Fitzroy (St Mary of the Cross MacKillop) and our own Mary (Dr Sr Mary Glowrey, first president of the Catholic Women’s League in Victoria)”.

The Catholic Women’s League Australia 45th National Biennial Conference was held in Melbourne this week... The 3-day national conference was titled ‘Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life’.

AN Australian woman who has described United Nations’ policy as being subject to “anti-Christian” influence from “atheistic humanists” has received a Papal award.

Brenda Finlayson, vice president and Australian board member of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisation (WUCWO) was invested in the Order of St Gregory the Great on 7 November at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Ballarat.

Mrs Finlayson is being honoured for her service to the Church, WUCWO and the Catholic Women’s League.

Brenda Finlayson, WUCWO Vice President General and WUCWO Board Member Australia, has been awarded the Papal Honour of Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in recognition of her service to the Church, WUCWO, the Catholic Women’s League Australia the Catholic Women’s League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga, and the Australian community.

Youth and hope at this month’s United Nations Department of Public Information/NGO Conference in Melbourne

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin D Holley blesses a sleeping child at Our Lady of Apostles Hospital in Akwanga, Nigeria on 2 September. He was visiting Ghana and Nigeria with a delegation representing the US Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Africa.

The International Union of Catholic Women’s League, now known as the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO), was founded in Brussels in 1910 following a meeting of representatives of league organisations from France, Germany, England, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Lorraine, Portugal, Switzerland and Uruguay.

Women’s gifts highlighted at national conference.

The Catholic Women’s League apostolate was re-dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians at its national conference at the Novotel Langley Perth on September 1.

That day marked day two of the conference, starting with an opening liturgy followed by a business session, with motions and recommendations from different states... Lucy Muru, 49, from Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, who came alone to WA for the conference, spoke about “the strength of Catholic women – pillars of the Church, of faith, of youth, of family life.”

CWL national conference opened.

A procession of banners preceded the opening of the Catholic Women’s League’s 44th National Biennial Conference at the Novotel Langley on Monday, August 31.

The theme of the conference was “Walking with God” with the Scripture excerpt from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, chapter 2 verses 5-7: “We walk by faith, not by sight.”