The Catholic Women’s League of Canada

Peggy MacNeil 1-87 George St Sydney NS B1P 1H6

RE: CWL National Convention

Please consider this an invitation to cover the 96th annual national convention of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, set for August 14 – 17, 2016, at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada is one of the largest organizations of women in Canada with more than 83,000 members in every province and territory.

Enclosed you will find a news release listing highlights of the convention, a schedule of events, a copy of the League’s national magazine The Canadian League and other background material.

Media are welcome to attend Gathering Day on Monday, August 15th which will include keynote addresses from Honorary Life Member and WUCWO Vice-President for the North American Region Velma Harasen and Sr. John Mary; speaker sessions on August 14th (10:45 a.m.) and on August 17th (9:00 a.m.). If you would like to join us, please fill out the enclosed media registration form and return it to me at your earliest convenience. We ask that all journalists register for accreditation.

If you have any questions or require more information, please contact National President Barbara Dowding or National Chairperson of Communications Fran Lucas by phone (888)656-4040, fax (888)831-9507, or email (info@cwl.ca).

Regards,

Peggy MacNeil 1-87 George St Sydney NS B1P 1H6

THE CANADIAN LEAGUE / SPRING 201616

96th annual national conVention of the catholic woMen’s league of canada

August 14-17, 2016 World Trade and Convention Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia

TENTATIVE PROGRAM AND AGENDA

• Approval of agenda

• Approval of previous minutes

• Convention committees

• Correspondence

• Report of pre-convention meeting

• Reports of provincial presidents

4:15-4:30 pm Closing prayer

6:00 p.m. Original Nova Scotia Lobster Supper, The Shore Club (ticket required)

-bus transportation required

Tuesday, August 16

8:30-10:30 a.m. Year of Mercy pilgrimage and Eucharistic celebration, St. Mary’s Basilica

10:45-11:45 a.m. Fr. James Mallon, I Am a Mission on This Earth

11:45-12:00 p.m. Commissioning of life members

12:00-1:15 p.m. Life members’ luncheon (ticket required)

12:00-1:15 p.m. Spiritual advisors’ luncheon (ticket required)

1:30-1:50 p.m. Reconvening prayer

1:50-2:45 p.m. Business sessions

• Credentials

• Reports of provincial presidents (cont.)

• Report of national president

• Report of spiritual advisor

2:45-3:00 p.m. Health break

3:00-4:15 p.m. Business sessions

• Report of secretary-treasurer

• Report of executive director

• Review of resolutions process

Saturday, August 13

7:00-9:00 p.m. Cruise on Historic Halifax Harbour (ticket required)

Sunday, August 14

9:00 a.m. Grand-Pré National Historic Site Tour (ticket required)

11:00 a.m. Amazing Race (ticket required)

2:00-3:30 p.m. Resolutions dialogue

3:30-4:30 p.m. WUCWO conference opening

7:00 p.m. Official opening, Eucharistic celebration and Opening Reception, St. Mary’s Basilica -bus transportation available

Monday, August 15

8:30-9:00 a.m. WUCWO prayer service

9:00-9:15 a.m. Velma Harasen, WUCWO

9:15-10:15 a.m. Sr. John Mary, Women of Mercy United in One Heart, One Voice, One MIssion

10:15-10:30 a.m. Health Break

10:30-11:30 a.m. Sr. John Mary (cont.)

11:30-12:45 p.m. Eucharistic celebration

1:00-2:15 p.m. WUCWO Officers’ Luncheon (ticket required)

2:30-2:45 p.m. Memorial Service for Deceased Members

2:45-4:15 p.m. Business sessions

• Call to order

• Opening remarks

• Introductions

• Notice calling meeting

• Credentials report

• Adoption of standing rules

17SPRING 2016 / THE CANADIAN LEAGUE

• Report of spiritual development chairperson

• Report of organization chairperson

• Report of Christian family life chairperson

4:15-4:45 p.m. Closing prayer

7:00 p.m. Provincial dinners

Wednesday, August 17

8:30-9:00 a.m. Morning prayer

9:00-9:45 a.m. Dr. Nuala Kenny, palliative care

9:45-10:15 a.m. Business sessions

• Credentials

• Report of community life chairperson

• Report of education and health chairperson

10:15-10:30 a.m. Health break

10:30-11:30 a.m. Business sessions

• Report of communications chairperson

• Report of resolutions chairperson

• Report of legislation chairperson

1:30-1:45 p.m. Reconvening prayer

1:45-2:45 p.m. Business sessions

• Presentation by 2017 convention committee

• Report of laws chairperson

• Report of international relations chairperson

• Other business

• Registration report

2:45-3:00 p.m. Health break

3:00-4:00 p.m. Business sessions

• Prayer for outgoing executive

• Rite of elections

• Adjournment

5:15-6:30 p.m. Closing Eucharistic celebration & installation of officers, St. Mary’s Basilica

7:30 p.m. Gala banquet (ticket required)

Thursday, August 18

9:00-3:00 p.m. Nova Scotia’s South Shore tour (ticket required)

The Amazing Race on Sunday, August 14th time

was changed from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 a.m.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada Peggy MacNeil 1-87 George St Sydney NS B1P 1H6 Tel: (902) 562-4458 Email: macneilpeggy@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HALIFAX, NS, April 8, 2015 — Over 600 Catholic women of faith will gather at the World Trade and Convention Centre August 14-17, 2016, for The Catholic Women’s League of Canada’s 96th annual national convention with the theme One Heart, One Voice, One Mission.

Keynote speaker Sr. John Mary, Sisters of Life, will speak Monday, August 15th on women of mercy united in One Heart, One Voice, One Mission. Fr. James Mallon (Halifax-Yarmouth) will share his expertise Tuesday afternoon about our mission on this earth. Wednesday’s speakers will continue with Dr. Nuala Kenny, emeritus professor of bioethics at Dalhousie University and ethics and health policy advisor to the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada, who will raise awareness about palliative care.

Attendees will be given ample time to reflect on the League’s theme One Heart, One Voice, One Mission through the celebration of daily mass, prayer services and encounters with sister delegates.

Updates throughout the convention will be available on the League’s national website (www.cwl.ca), Facebook page and Twitter (@CWLNational).

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada is one of the largest organizations of women in Canada with over 83,000 members represented in every province and territory and in the military. With a membership representing a wide cross-section of Canadian society, the League has received the commendation and keen appreciation of federal, provincial and municipal authorities for the voluntary services ably performed by its nationwide membership.

National President Barbara Dowding of Port Moody, British Columbia, will be available for interviews prior to and during the convention.

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For further information, contact Peggy MacNeil at (902) 562-4458 or macneilpeggy@gmail.com.

MEDIA REGISTRATION FORM REPORTER’S NAME:

REPRESENTING:

ADDRESS:

TELEPHONE NUMBER:

EDITOR OR SUPERVISOR’S NAME:

TELEPHONE NUMBER:

The Catholic Women's League of Canada is an independent organization of Catholic women with membership in all provinces and territories in Canada, plus the military. The current membership is in excess of 83,000. Reporters covering Gathering Day on August 15th agree to:

• respect all embargoes established by the League • remain in the designated press area • arrange all interviews through the convention’s designated media officer • not interfere with the good order of the meeting in any way • wear press identification tags when present.

Reporters are not permitted to attend the Business Sessions. The only official spokesperson for the League is the national president, or a person officially designated by her. Reporter’s signature: Please complete this form and send to:

Mrs. Peggy MacNeil 1-87 George St

Sydney, NS B1P 1H6 Tel: (902) 562-4458

Email: macneilpeggy@gmail.com

THE CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF CANADA

Fact Sheet

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada is a national organization rooted in gospel values calling its members to holiness through service to the people of God.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, founded in 1920, is the largest national organization of women in Canada, with in excess of 8,000 members represented in every province and the military. The League has often received the commendation and keen appreciation of federal, provincial and municipal authorities for the voluntary services ably performed by its nationwide membership. The League is organized and pledged to serve all citizens of goodwill. The League has been affiliated since 1921 with the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO), a worldwide federation of Catholic women’s organizations holding membership in the conference of International Catholic Organizations and having consultative status with United Nations agencies. The League shares representation with other Canadian Catholic women’s organizations on the WUCWO board. The Objects of the League are to unite Catholic women of Canada to: achieve individual and collective spiritual development; promote the teachings of the Catholic church; exemplify the Christian ideal in home and family life; protect the sanctity of human life; enhance the role of women in church and society; recognize the human dignity of all people everywhere; uphold and defend Christian education and values in the modern world; and, contribute to the understanding and growth of religious freedom, social justice, peace and harmony. The League’s position at the national level is a true reflection of the opinions expressed by its members in that issues and concerns are raised, studied and researched at the grassroots level before being accepted as resolutions at provincial and national levels. These resolutions are presented annually to provincial and federal governments as statements of concern and in keeping with its motto, “For God and Canada”. Priorities include encouraging increased early access and intervention to children and youth mental health services, banning microbeads in personal care products, banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, invoking Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the case of Carter v. Canada and reinstating the mandatory long-form census. The League’s theme for 2015 is One Heart, One Voice, One Mission.

Monday, August 15th “WUCWO” Honorary Life Member and WUCWO Vice-President for the North American Region Velma Harasen Monday 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. “Women of Mercy United in One Heart, One Voice, One Mission” Sr. John Mary Monday 9:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m Tuesday “I Am a Mission on This Earth” Fr. James Mallon (Halifax-Yarmouth) 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Wednesday “Palliative Care” 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Dr. Nuala Kenny

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada 96th Annual National Convention Guest Speaker Biographies

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Honorary Life Member and WUCWO Vice-President for the North American Region Velma Harasen Velma began her service in the Catholic Women’s League of Canada as charter president of St. Gerard’s Council in Yorkton, before moving to Regina. In 1971, she was elected the first woman to serve as parish council chairperson. Velma held executive positions on the parish, diocesan and provincial levels and served as Saskatchewan Provincial President 1999-2001. She assisted in the amalgamation process when the province went from five to three dioceses. She coordinated Project Grow in her province and was a facilitator. Completion of Leading the League and chairing the ad hoc committee was a fulfilling experience. In 2002, she was awarded a life membership in national council Velma chaired the 1993 national convention in Regina which drew record attendance. For this the Regina Archdiocesan Council presented her with the Maple Leaf service pin. In 2002, Velma was elected to the national executive of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, and in August, 2010, became the national president. As national president, she introduced a project known as “Velma’s Dream” which supports two projects in the Holy Land: Shepherd’s Field Hospital near Bethlehem and the Infant Welfare Centre in Old Jerusalem. These projects continue as a voluntary fund of the League and Velma, along with CWL members have visited the projects on a number of occasions. Velma served as Chairperson, Prairie Region for the World Union of Women’s Organization’s Endowment Fund Campaign. She has attended Regional and world conferences of WUCWO, most recently in Fatima where she was elected as Canada’s representative to the WUCWO Board and Vice-President of the North America Region. As well as attending Board meetings in Rome, she was a delegate to the 2nd International Conference on Women: Women and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, hosted by His Eminence Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Velma has represented the Catholic Women’s League at many conferences within Canada and the United States. In November, 2009, Velma spent two weeks in India and Nepal on a study tour with eleven community leaders, meeting with various secular organizations working in the areas of microfinance, livelihoods, human rights, health and social services, development education, agriculture and the environment. On January 5, 2010, a Ceremony of Investiture took place, conferring the Papal Honour Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice to Velma in recognition of services rendered.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada 96th Annual National Convention Guest Speaker Biographies

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“Women of Mercy United in One Heart, One Voice, One Mission” Sr. John Mary Sisters of Life Sr. John Mary is originally from Calgary, AB and grew up in St. Bonaventure Parish where her mother has been an active CWL member for over 40 years. She received her B.A. in History from Queen’s University in 1997 and her M.A. in History from the University of Western Ontario in 1999. Her interest in politics, international relations and Catholic social teaching took her to New York where she worked for the Holy See Mission to the United Nations from 2000-2002. In the summer of 2002, she attended the Tertio Millennio Seminar on Catholic Social Teaching in Poland, World Youth Day in Toronto and the priestly ordination of her older brother. The graces of these events opened her heart to the possibility of a God’s call to religious life. While working in New York, Sr. John Mary had met the Sisters of Life, a contemplative-active religious order founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor dedicated to the protection of human life. The Sisters take the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and also profess a special, fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. Reverence and gratitude for the gift of human life made in the image and likeness of God fuels the prayer of each Sister. Inspired by the love of Christ their Spouse, the author of Life, the Sisters carry Christ to those they serve, desiring that each person may experience the truth that they are an unrepeatable creation of the Master. On June 1, 2016, the community celebrated its 25th anniversary and now numbers almost 100 Sisters who come from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and Spain. Sr. John Mary entered the Sisters of Life in 2005 and professed her perpetual vows in 2013. The Sisters of Life came to Canada in 2007 and have a convent in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Sr. John Mary is currently the Superior of the Sisters of Life in Toronto. Their apostolates include serving vulnerable pregnant women, accompaniment of women who have suffered the wound of abortion, retreats and spiritual formation for the laity, and extensive works of evangelization on the Church’s teaching on human life and love.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada 96th Annual National Convention Guest Speaker Biographies

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I Am a Mission on This Earth Fr. James Mallon Halifax-Yarmouth

Father James Mallon is Pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as well as the Founder and Chair of the Board of the JP II Media Institute. Besides being a speaker on the topics of Parish Renewal and the New Evangelization, Father James has hosted two internationally acclaimed DVD Series – Catholicism 201 and Dogmatic Theology. He is the author of the best selling book, Divine Renovation: From A Maintenance to a Missional Parish, an engaging guide for parishes seeking to cultivate communities of discipleship and vibrant and dynamic faith communities.

Born in Scotland, Father James and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1982. After studying at Christ the King Seminary in British Columbia and St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Father James was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1997.

Father James currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his ministry, Father James loves soccer, movies, photography, dogs, everything Apple and good Single Malt Scotch. Palliative Care Sister Nuala Patricia Kenny, OC, BA, MD, FRCP(C) Dr. Nuala Patricia Kenny was born in New York and entered the Sisters of Charity of Halifax in 1962. She received her BA, Magna Cum Laude, from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1967, an MD from Dalhousie in 1972 and did postgraduate training in pediatrics at Dalhousie and Tufts-New England Medical Centre, during which she held a Killam Scholarship. In 1975, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada and in 1976 was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. In 1993 she completed a Fellowship at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. After a distinguished career in Pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto and Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, she returned to Dalhousie as Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatrics at the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital in 1988. In 1995, she became the founding Chair of

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada 96th Annual National Convention Guest Speaker Biographies

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the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie. From February to November 1999, Dr. Kenny was seconded as Deputy Minister of Health for the Province of Nova Scotia. From 2009-2014 she served as Health Policy Advisor to the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada. She has received six Honorary Doctorates for her work in child health, medical education and bioethics and in 1999 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. She has received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal and in 2006 was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Bioethics Society, the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Health Association, the Catholic Health Association of Canada’s Performance Citation Award, the Canadian Medical Association’s Marsden Ethics Award and the 2009 Dalhousie University Alumni Achievement Award.

Author of over one hundred and eighty papers and three books, Dr. Kenny is nationally recognized as an educator and physician ethicist. She has served on the Board of the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence project Improving care for the frail elderly at end of life (2012-2015) and the Provincial Territorial Expert Advisory Group on Assisted Death. She is presently Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University and a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for the Protection of Minors.

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada

Biography

Barbara Dowding National President

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Barbara attended St. Augustine’s Church. In 1969 she married Alan. They have three sons—Ian, Michael and Robert. After a term in England, they settled on the North Shore where Barbara first encountered the League through a “Stitch and Coffee” group of young mothers at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Parish, which she joined in 1978. She is an avid golfer, enjoys holidays with Alan and likes to run. Her three grandchildren, Devon, Maya and Sofia (and another on the way), remain her priority. Barbara accepted parish council presidency in 1990 and went on to become diocesan council president in 1997. Barbara’s goals at that time were to encourage all members to say, “Here I am Lord, use me!” and to assist in the recognition and appreciation of each other’s gifts, which continues to be her passion. She enjoys speaking at parish councils (the heart of the League), taking every opportunity to talk about the League, and facilitating workshops and presentations that promote the big picture. Barbara has been chairperson of the community life, resolutions and organization standing committees at the provincial and national level. She served on a national ad hoc committee that produced Leading the League, a training manual for members. In 2003, Barbara received her life membership as well as a maple leaf service pin. She chaired the 2000 annual provincial convention and 2005 annual national convention committees, and credits these conventions’ success to the awesome committee members. She served for many years on the board of Our Lady of Good Counsel Society and is an active member of her parish. Barbara worked in the retail sector, at a public library and in a Catholic high school. She spent three years in the Archdiocese of Vancouver Marriage Tribunal before becoming the coordinator of the Great Jubilee events in 2000 and the archdiocesan synod in 1997. In 2004, she was named vice chancellor for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, a position she currently holds in addition to being director of the stewardship office. In 2010, Barbara was awarded the papal Benemerenti Medal in recognition of her service to the archdiocese and her work with the League. Barbara credits her love for the League and personal development to the many League sisters who have affirmed and challenged her. Experiences at the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations study days and meetings, first in Arlington, Virginia, most recently, Fatima, Portugal, and at a conference on Mulieris Dignitatum in Rome in 2009, made her even more determined to help women appreciate and embrace all the League has to offer. Her experience with delegations to the provincial and federal government makes her even more convinced the League is relevant in today’s secular society and a viable force for good in the world.

Most. Rev. William McGrattan National Spiritual Advisor Bishop of Peterborough

Bishop William T. McGrattan was installed on June 23, 2014 as the Bishop of Peterborough. Prior to this appointment he was Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Toronto from 2010 to 2014 with responsibility for the Central Region. Bishop McGrattan was born in London, Ontario. He first completed an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering (B.E.Sc.), then a Masters of Divinity degree (M.Div) before being ordained to the priesthood in 1987 for the Diocese of London. After serving for three years at St. Joseph’s parish in Chatham he went on for further studies in Rome, completing a Licentiate in Fundamental Moral Theology from the Gregorian University in 1992. He served on the faculty of St. Peter’s Seminary in London from 1992 to 2009 as associate professor, vice-rector, and dean of theology in addition to being a lecturer at King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario. In 1997 he was appointed rector of the seminary and served in this role until 2009. Bishop McGrattan is currently a member of the Doctrine Commission for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the liaison bishop to the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada (CHAC) and the National Spiritual Advisor for the Catholic Women’s League of Canada. He also serves on the Education Commission for the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (ACBO) and is their liaison to the Catholic School Chaplains, Religious and Family Life Educators, a Board Member of the Catholic Health Association of Ontario (CHAO) and is currently interim Principal and Chancellor of Sacred Heart College of Peterborough.

WUCWO Honorary Life Member and WUCWO Vice-President for the North American Region Velma Harasen Velma began her service in the Catholic Women’s League of Canada as charter president of St. Gerard’s Council in Yorkton, before moving to Regina. In 1971, she was elected the first woman to serve as parish council chairperson. Velma held executive positions on the parish, diocesan and provincial levels and served as Saskatchewan Provincial President 1999-2001. She assisted in the amalgamation process when the province went from five to three dioceses. She coordinated Project Grow in her province and was a facilitator. Completion of Leading the League and chairing the ad hoc committee was a fulfilling experience. In 2002, she was awarded a life membership in national council Velma chaired the 1993 national convention in Regina which drew record attendance. For this the Regina Archdiocesan Council presented her with the Maple Leaf service pin. In 2002, Velma was elected to the national executive of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, and in August, 2010, became the national president. As national president, she introduced a project known as “Velma’s Dream” which supports two projects in the Holy Land: Shepherd’s Field Hospital near Bethlehem and the Infant Welfare Centre in Old Jerusalem. These projects continue as a voluntary fund of the League and Velma, along with CWL members have visited the projects on a number of occasions. Velma served as Chairperson, Prairie Region for the World Union of Women’s Organization’s Endowment Fund Campaign. She has attended Regional and world conferences of WUCWO, most recently in Fatima where she was elected as Canada’s representative to the WUCWO Board and Vice-President of the North America Region. As well as attending Board meetings in Rome, she was a delegate to the 2nd International Conference on Women: Women and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, hosted by His Eminence Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Velma has represented the Catholic Women’s League at many conferences within Canada and the United States. In November, 2009, Velma spent two weeks in India and Nepal on a study tour with eleven community leaders, meeting with various secular organizations working in the areas of microfinance, livelihoods, human rights, health and social services, development education, agriculture and the environment. On January 5, 2010, a Ceremony of Investiture took place, conferring the Papal Honour Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice to Velma in recognition of services rendered.

“Women of Mercy United in One Heart, One Voice, One Mission” Sr. John Mary Sisters of Life Sr. John Mary is originally from Calgary, AB and grew up in St. Bonaventure Parish where her mother has been an active CWL member for over 40 years. She received her B.A. in History from Queen’s University in 1997 and her M.A. in History from the University of Western Ontario in 1999. Her interest in politics, international relations and Catholic social teaching took her to New York where she worked for the Holy See Mission to the United Nations from 2000-2002. In the summer of 2002, she attended the Tertio Millennio Seminar on Catholic Social Teaching in Poland, World Youth Day in Toronto and the priestly ordination of her older brother. The graces of these events opened her heart to the possibility of a God’s call to religious life. While working in New York, Sr. John Mary had met the Sisters of Life, a contemplative-active religious order founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor dedicated to the protection of human life. The Sisters take the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and also profess a special, fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. Reverence and gratitude for the gift of human life made in the image and likeness of God fuels the prayer of each Sister. Inspired by the love of Christ their Spouse, the author of Life, the Sisters carry Christ to those they serve, desiring that each person may experience the truth that they are an unrepeatable creation of the Master. On June 1, 2016, the community celebrated its 25th anniversary and now numbers almost 100 Sisters who come from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and Spain. Sr. John Mary entered the Sisters of Life in 2005 and professed her perpetual vows in 2013. The Sisters of Life came to Canada in 2007 and have a convent in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Sr. John Mary is currently the Superior of the Sisters of Life in Toronto. Their apostolates include serving vulnerable pregnant women, accompaniment of women who have suffered the wound of abortion, retreats and spiritual formation for the laity, and extensive works of evangelization on the Church’s teaching on human life and love.

I Am a Mission on This Earth Fr. James Mallon Halifax-Yarmouth

Father James Mallon is Pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as well as the Founder and Chair of the Board of the JP II Media Institute. Besides being a speaker on the topics of Parish Renewal and the New Evangelization, Father James has hosted two internationally acclaimed DVD Series – Catholicism 201 and Dogmatic Theology. He is the author of the best selling book, Divine Renovation: From A Maintenance to a Missional Parish, an engaging guide for parishes seeking to cultivate communities of discipleship and vibrant and dynamic faith communities.

Born in Scotland, Father James and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1982. After studying at Christ the King Seminary in British Columbia and St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Father James was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1997.

Father James currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his ministry, Father James loves soccer, movies, photography, dogs, everything Apple and good Single Malt Scotch. dynamic faith communities.

Born in Scotland, Father James and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1982. After studying at Christ the King Seminary in British Columbia and St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Father James was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1997.

Father James currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his ministry, Father James loves soccer, movies, photography, dogs, everything Apple and good Single Malt Scotch.

an engaging guide for parishes seeking to cultivate communities of discipleship and vibrant and dynamic faith communities.

Born in Scotland, Father James and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1982. After studying at Christ the King Seminary in British Columbia and St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Father James was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1997.

Father James currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his ministry, Father James loves soccer, movies, photography, dogs, everything Apple and good Single Malt Scotch.

Sister Nuala Patricia Kenny, OC, BA, MD, FRCP(C) Palliative Care Dr. Nuala Patricia Kenny was born in New York and entered the Sisters of Charity of Halifax in 1962. She received her BA, Magna Cum Laude, from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1967, an MD from Dalhousie in 1972 and did postgraduate training in pediatrics at Dalhousie and Tufts-New England Medical Centre, during which she held a Killam Scholarship. In 1975, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada and in 1976 was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. In 1993 she completed a Fellowship at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. After a distinguished career in Pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto and Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, she returned to Dalhousie as Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatrics at the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital in 1988. In 1995, she became the founding Chair of the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie. From February to November 1999, Dr. Kenny was seconded as Deputy Minister of Health for the Province of Nova Scotia. From 2009-2014 she served as Health Policy Advisor to the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada. She has received six Honorary Doctorates for her work in child health, medical education and bioethics and in 1999 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. She has received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal and in 2006 was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Bioethics Society, the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Health Association, the Catholic Health Association of Canada’s Performance Citation Award, the Canadian Medical Association’s Marsden Ethics Award and the 2009 Dalhousie University Alumni Achievement Award.

Author of over one hundred and eighty papers and three books, Dr. Kenny is nationally recognized as an educator and physician ethicist. She has served on the Board of the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence project Improving care for the frail elderly at end of life (2012-2015) and the Provincial Territorial Expert Advisory Group on Assisted Death. She is presently Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University and a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for the Protection of Minors.

Standing Rules of the 96th Annual National Convention 1 Registration 2 1. Each person attending this convention shall register at the convention registration desk and 3

shall be required to wear the official convention badge for admission to all meetings. 4 2. Registrants shall be classified as voting delegates [provincial presidents], accredited 5

delegates [national officers, provincial accredited, diocesan accredited, honorary life 6 members, life members], CWL members, spiritual advisors and guests. 7

3. The registration and credentials committee, at the beginning of the first business session, 8 shall provide a credentials report summarizing the number of voting members registered at 9 the convention. When adopted, the credentials report shall be the official roll of voting 10 members. If additional voting members register after the report has been adopted, a 11 supplementary report shall be given and adopted at the beginning of the next day’s business 12 session. 13

Publicity 14 4. Official public statements of the national council shall be released by the national president 15

or the national administrative committee only. Interviews about the work and policies of the 16 CWL shall be at the discretion of the national president. 17

5. All publicity shall be under the supervision of the convention communications chairperson in 18 cooperation with the national chairperson of communications. Registrants with news items 19 are requested to submit them to the national chairperson of communications. 20

Seating Arrangements 21 6. The business sessions of the convention shall have a designated area in which all voting 22

members will be seated. All members are requested to be in their seats at least five (5) 23 minutes before the scheduled sessions open. 24

Debate 25 7. The mover of a motion, or her designate, may speak to open and close debate. No other 26

member shall speak more than once on the same motion on the same day, or longer than 27 three (3) minutes without permission of the assembly granted by a two-thirds vote without 28 debate. 29

8. Those wishing to speak shall use the floor microphones; take a place in line and, upon being 30 recognized by the chair, state name, status, diocese and province. 31

9. When time is of the essence, voting members shall be given priority to speak over non-voting 32 members. 33

Voting 34 10. Voting cards shall be issued to voting members and these cards shall be exhibited when a 35

member votes. 36 11. The chair shall ask for affirmative and negative votes only. A voting member wishing her 37

abstention to be recorded in the minutes shall request same before the vote is taken. 38 Motions/Resolutions 39 12. Five (5) copies of substantive motions or amendments to resolutions shall be prepared in 40

advance of the time of presentation to the assembly: four (4) copies submitted to the 41 executive director and one (1) retained by the mover. 42

13. Only resolutions submitted to the resolutions committee by provincial councils or national 43 chairpersons by the deadline date set by the national resolutions chairperson shall be 44 considered for presentation to this convention. 45

14. Resolutions concerning urgent matters may be accepted after the deadline date and shall be 46 presented to the convention at the discretion of the resolutions committee. 47

15. The procedure for presenting resolutions to the business sessions shall be: 48

i. the resolutions chairperson shall read the resolutions after the appropriate chairperson’s 1 report 2

ii. the president of the province submitting the resolution shall move its adoption; if more 3 than one province has submitted the resolution, the provincial presidents concerned 4 shall decide prior to the meeting who will move its adoption 5

iii. the president of the province submitting the resolution, or her designate, shall speak 6 first to the resolution 7

16. Final wording of titles and briefs shall be the responsibility of the resolutions committee. 8 17. Grammatical or minor changes to a resolution may not need to be formally amended but may 9

be given to the resolutions committee prior to the resolution being presented to the assembly. 10 18. Adopted resolutions shall be printed in the fall issue of The Canadian League and posted to 11

the website of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada. 12 13 Miscellaneous 14 19. Registrants are asked to refrain from photography and/or electronic recording of the 15

convention proceedings. An official photographer has been appointed by the national 16 president and copyright laws forbid the electronic recording of speeches or convention 17 sessions. 18

20. No materials shall be distributed, displayed or sold at this convention without the prior 19 approval of the national administrative committee. 20

21. No appeals for support or collections of any kind shall be made unless a written request, 21 clearly stating the purpose and identifying the persons making the request, is presented in 22 advance to the national president and approved by the national executive. 23

22. Any motion adopted at this convention shall become effective at the adjournment of the 24 convention unless an alternate time for the action to become effective has been stipulated in 25 the motion. 26

23. Minutes: 27 (i) The national president shall appoint a minutes review committee to verify the minutes of 28

all meetings of the convention. 29 (ii) The national executive shall approve the minutes of this convention at its winter meeting. 30

If corrections are necessary after approval, they may be made by motion at a convention. 31 32

33 34

Notes 35 Voting 36

• Provincial presidents shall have the power to vote on all questions. 37 • Accredited delegates may vote on any question except the election of officers, 38

amendments to the Constitution & Bylaws and increases in per capita fees. 39 • A parliamentarian (advisor on procedure and rules) may be appointed for the convention 40

at the discretion of the national president. 41 • Non-voting members and spiritual advisors may speak at business sessions when 42

recognized by the chairperson, but shall not introduce motions or vote. 43 Position Papers 44 A position paper, which has been approved by the national executive, may be adopted by the 45 assembly by a motion, “to suspend the rules and adopt the position paper on….” This motion 46 requires a second, may not be debated or amended and needs a two-thirds vote for approval. If 47 the motion is adopted, the position paper is adopted. If the motion is defeated, the position paper 48 is not adopted. 49 50