Focus on faith-filled future at CWL conference
By Wendy Shaw
A thought-provoking line up of local, state, and national speakers will headline the 62nd Tasmanian Catholic Women’s League Conference in George Town in October.
The conference is the first for four years due to the pandemic and a delayed national conference.
It takes place at the Stan O’Doherty Parish Hall in Goulburn St, George Town, from Friday, 14 October to Sunday, 16 October. Members and non-members are welcome.
The keynote speaker is the Director of Public Affairs for the Archdiocese of Sydney, Monica Doumit. She is a lecturer at Notre Dame University in Sydney and a columnist for the Catholic Weekly newspaper.
Other speakers include Archbishop Julian, the national president of the CWL, Ann Pereira, Mike Doherty from the St Vincent de Paul Society at George Town, and Nicole Williams from homecare group Care Forward.
The theme for the conference, ‘Lead us into a future of Your making’, is taken from the summing up of the Plenary Council 2022, as state secretary Wendy Fittler, of George Town, explained.
“There is a need for change, to re-awaken the faith of Australians especially those who will carry our Church forward into the future,” she said.
“Ultimately these changes rest with God through the Holy Spirit. God has given inspiration, wisdom and understanding to His people of Australia and so now we need to pray that the work of the Plenary Council will lead us into a future of God’s making, hence the little supplication, Lead us into a future of Your making.”
In its early years, during World War II, the CWL encouraged the greater participation of women in working for and building the Kingdom of God and along with spiritual, cultural, intellectual, and social development.
“It promoted the dignity of women, participation in public life, a role as lay women in the mission of the Church and support for Christian marriage and family life,” Mrs Fittler said.
“CWL also promoted and supported vocations to priestly and religious life and enabled women to gain understanding and knowledge about the Church’s teachings. Social justice issues, the dignity and freedom of all humans, education of children and provision of a forum for the voice of Catholic women were also important to women.
“Still today, these are relevant and of great importance to our members, but there is also a great focus on the social, emotional, physical and spiritual support given to each other.”
The conference will include the annual meeting and the commissioning of the executive committee.
There are five CWL branches in Tasmania: Richmond, Oatlands, Hobart, George Town, and Launceston, and five diocesan who do not meet with a branch but belong to the state CWL group.
For further information, please contact CWL secretary Wendy Fittler on wfittler@bigpond.com or 0437 370 217.