A Special Community of Women

I belong to a number of different groups and I like to think of each of them as a little community. Some of the groups I belong to are small and organized for a particular purpose - for example my book discussion group meets every six weeks or so to share opinions on a current book. Some of my groups are part of larger communities - for example, my membership in my local hospital auxiliary connects me to other "auxilians" in my province and nationally. Some of the groups I belong to are traditional groups and ones to which my mother belonged, so in becoming a member of them I also feel connected to my mother and the past. The Catholic Women's League of Canada is just such a group.

It seems to have been a tradition in most Christian churches to have a women's group; in fact, before the women's movement of modern times church groups were the prime way in which women came together. Today women's church groups take different forms. The Anglican and United Church Women's groups are two I'm familiar with locally. Someone I'm sure will correct me if I am wrong but I think both of these groups are independently formed in the local church and are not connected to a national organization. In my church we have a group of women who form a local community of the Catholic Women's League but we are also part of a large national organization. The Catholic Women's League (CWL) currently has over 100 000 members; members of the local group are connected to the National group through a website, publications including a magazine, and through the personal contact of members. There are local groups that are formed into "diocesan" councils and then into provincial groups. This keeps the lines of communication open and thus, there is a kind of coherence throughout the League. One can be a CWL member in Alberta and find the same sort of group in Nova Scotia, adhering to the same values and goals.

I am most impressed with the group of women who form my local CWL community: they are definitely on the stairway to heaven for the good deeds they perform for their church. The group is constantly asked to put on receptions for various events and they do so cheerfully. In the wider community they contribute time, money and effort to the women's shelter, the young offenders centre, the special care homes, the VON's program for seniors and the schools. They are a "service" group but they are also a prayerful group who seek to grow spiritually, and time is set aside at meetings for prayer and reflection. In case this sounds dull I must add that in this particular group there is abundant fun and much laughter at get togethers. Each member is recognized for her talents, and the contributions of all, no matter how small or large, are generously applauded. They are a very special community of women and I'm proud to be a member.