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67th Nova Scotia Provincial Convention
President’s Oral Report June 2015
‘Vision and Mission’ in the context of our new theme - One Voice, One Heart, One Mission
Vision and Mission - What do these two words entail? These two words set a direction and purpose
for any organization. In our fragile world, we envision, set a direction, and try to accomplish that
direction. I say fragile, because each Standing Committee continues to address the hard issues that
so often threaten or endanger our morals or principles.
In September 2014, your Provincial and Diocesan executive members set a vision and mission for the
next two years. Each Standing Committee Chairperson along with their Diocesan counterparts,
encouraged us to ‘change things up’ – to try something new. At each provincial executive meeting,
the Executive is reminded of these suggested actions. You will no doubt, hear some of their vision
through each oral report this weekend. I hope that you will be inspired to take something back to your
councils and share among your members the good works throughout our Province. I want to say that I
admire the efforts of all members in their fidelity to the Catholic Women’s League of Canada.
Each theme, announced every two years by the incoming National president is meant to inspire and to
awaken the spirit within. This theme is timely and holds many messages which I would like to share
with you in the context of the Catholic Women’s League of Nova Scotia and over approximately 4200
council members throughout our Province. I have read with great interest each Standing Committee
Chairperson Report and those of your Diocesan Presidents. I have attended your Diocesan
conventions and have come away astounded by the dedication of women of who are empowered and
motived by our theme. These are my thoughts!
One Voice – the voice to resolve (and I so move), the voice which offers comfort and
compassion (I am sorry), the voice of remorse (I apologize), the voice of reason (let’s try), the
voice to speak for those who cannot (let’s try to change Government policy), the voice of
concern (I care about you), the voice of knowledge (let’s check policy and procedure), the
voice of mentorship (you can do it), the voice of support (I can help you), the voice of positive
thinking (we can do this), the voice of discouragement (no I can’t), the voice of reason (let’s
see), the voice of devotion (Father, I pray), the voice of influence (I can help and you can do
this, I will show you how), the voice of shattered dreams (I have suffered a great loss), the
voice of joy (Praise God), the voice of fear (I fear the unknown and of speaking openly, I fear
rejection/intimidation), the voice of determination (we can do this together), the voice of
courage (we have the power to succeed), the voice of appreciation (thank you ever so much for
helping me), the voice of complaint (I can’t do it, I won’t do it, that won’t work), the voice of
adversity (it’s too difficult), the unheard voice (silence) and lastly the voice of love for another
(you are gifted).
One Heart – the heart of courage, the heart of hospitality, the heart of opportunity, the heart of
faith, the heart of spirituality – a spirited heart, the heart of leading, the heart of setting
direction, the heart to be a follower of Christ, the heart of teaching, the heart of setting
example, the heart of purpose, the heart of forgiveness, the heart of examining, the heart of
gladness, the heart of praise, the heart of respect, the heart of compassion and understanding,
and the heart of love for one another…..
One Mission – the mission to glorify God, the mission to act for all God’s people, the mission
to be a better person, the mission to educate, the mission to advocate, the mission to feed the
hungry, the mission to proclaim, the mission to minister, the mission to celebrate diversity, the
mission to remain committed, the mission to be a disciple of Christ and lastly the mission to
love one another….
And the list goes on. You could probably add a few of your own examples.
Upon reflection, the work of the League, in conjunction with our theme, calls us to persevere and strive
for the greater good of humanity, the dying need good legislation to protect life and access to palliative
care programs across Canada – legislators need your letters (your collective voice), they need to
know the pulse of your heart when defending life and bearing witness to life at every stage of
existence – keep your radar in full force, a new law will inevitably affect all of us at some point, we
have little time to react but react we must. We need to be in tune to what our Government’s plan of
action will be in this regard. Already the flags are up…
In every organization, there are always challenges. I call these obstacles. In every organization, there
is positivity and the will to overcome challenges. These are stepping stones. We need to be mindful
of what defines as an organization of Catholic women rooted in gospel values in service to the people
of God. Continue to strive to promote good leadership to sustain our organization into the future.
While most attribute the lack of leadership to fear of failure, fear of rejection, no time to give, the
expectations of the position, too much work – a leader leads by example. You can’t do everything, but
you can do something…
In essence, the Provincial vision this past year will be shared by every Executive Member. Leadership
in the League is shared when we create stepping stones of tolerance, patience, mentorship and
understanding in service to others. I know that you are doing all you can in your parishes and
communities. Don’t dwell on the obstacles so much they can be overcome – the history of the League
in Nova Scotia proves that - 67 years, worth of visioning and still counting, and nationally we are
approaching 100 years.
Our membership is decreasing every year – councils continue to find innovative ways to recruit new
members – trying to influence our young women or all women of faith to be part of our organization. In
Nova Scotia last year over 100 members passed away. Despite this, you continue to adapt to change,
parishes closing, clustering, amalgamation have become the buzzwords. You continue to uphold the
objects of the League, despite the fact that some councils are merely holding on by a core group of
women who feel the necessity to carry on. God is with them. These are the stepping stones of
success. I am reminded of a small group of women from Mabou, Cape Breton who lost their beloved
President over the winter. They have come together as a group of women with the mission to
reinvigorate and reorganize through the mentorship of Cecile Miller. I am reminded that just this week
an email from Glenda Carson asking for prayers for four members of the Halifax-Yarmouth Diocesan
council who are experiencing difficult times in their life journey. I am reminded when opportunities to
listen to the life journey of guest speakers like Veronica Richard and Gillian Atwood who give witness
to their faith in all circumstances of life. The determination of many our members’ is truly evident
when we share our stories of faith and promise.
Every report should encourage an action item. This is my request - when you return home, I ask you
to reflect on how your council operates - what do people hear when we talk about the League? How
can our council influence more women to become leaders? How can our council serve the vulnerable,
those who need protection from pornography, trafficking, abuse and poverty? Are we writing
government decision makers on social justice issues? What do we want to do over the next year that
will enable us to reflect and say – how did we fulfill our vision? Does it all sound overwhelming? Pick
one action that is different than anything you have ever done. Then tell the League about it. As you
will hear, December is our time to shine through Be League. Carol will have more to report as we
continue to enhance our communications.
In our planning for this weekend, we have placed an emphasis on celebrating faith through our
Spiritual programs. Please feel free to use these programs within your own Council. You may adapt
to whatever fits.
On May 26 we met with St. F.X. University and more details will emerge when we discuss this later in
the agenda.
Our theme encourages vision through One Heart, One Voice, One Mission. You have been
tremendous ambassadors of our theme through your dedication. I encourage you to take back what
you learn here at convention to your councils – share the knowledge, share the stepping stones and
discourage the obstacles – obstacles waste precious time.
I leave you with a special quote - Joshua 1:9 NIV; Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Respectfully submitted,
Joan Bona