Bakeless Bake Sale
Thank you to everyone who made a financial donation and/or a promise of baking. Someone will be back to the bakers shortly to clarify needs. More than $500 has been was raised to this point. You are very generous and we appreciate the opportunity to host the breakfasts for our guests and purchase needed items for the Convention. Some donation envelopes are still available at each door.

Baby Gifts
Donations for presentation to Birthright and the Lindsay Crisis Pregnancy Centre at the Convention would be greatly appreciated. If you cannot make the CWL Meeting of April 8th, baskets will be set up in the Church for collection of items as of April 10th

April 24-25 at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School.

Join us in honouring the priests of the Diocese in the ‘Year of the Priests’.

Taste hot homemade soups and buns. We will have a short 15 minute meeting to approve the Executive, donations and budget for the year.

Put the Date on Your calendar!
Saturday April 24th and Sunday April 25th

Join us for a glimpse into how fashion has changed over the 9 decades that represent CWL support of God and Canada.

CWL Diocesan Convention 2010
St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School

Join us in honouring the priests of the Diocese in the ‘Year of the Priests’.

ST. MARY’S COUNCIL, LINDSAY

The Catholic Women’s League of Canada was organized nationally on June 17, 1920 and federally incorporated on December 12, 1923. On April 3, 1921, the Lindsay Subdivision was chartered. In July of that same year, subdivisions were also formed in Kinmount and Downeyville. The membership fee was 25 cents and by year end, membership stood at 384.

Long before its inception, the ladies of the parish were enthusiastically involved in many activities such as knitting for the Catholic Church Extension Auxiliary.

The second Peterborough Diocesan Convention was held in Lindsay, with the national president, Bellelle Guerin, attending. The first diocesan president from 1921 to 1923, Mrs D. J. (Annie) Gough, was also the president of St. Mary’s Parish CWL in Lindsay and over the years diocesan presidents from Lindsay included Mrs. J. J. Walsh (1925), Mrs. Tom P. Fox (1944-45), Mrs. Leo (Madeline) O’Reilly (1956-57) and Mrs. Wayne (Glenda) Klein (2002-04).

Fund-raisers in the ‘20s included a booth at the Lindsay Cultural Fair and a corn roast and dance in the parish hall and parking lot. Quilts were made and distributed. Warm clothing was purchased for locals in need. A railway car filled with food was sent to a drought-stricken area in western Canada. At the annual general meeting in 1927 a scholarship was established and Miss M. Baker was sent as a delegate to the annual convention in Montreal.

The Junior League helped the CWL host the annual diocesan convention in Lindsay in 1930 at the Knights of Columbus Hall. A motion was made to purchase two tons of coal for the parish hall as was their custom. On March 31, the diocesan president visited and said she “was pleased to talk to the ladies of the Lindsay Subdivision as it was the banner League of the Diocese.” Wounded and deceased soldiers were offered prayers of support.

The following is an excerpt from the minutes of September 1933: “Madam President then spoke to the two pupils, Frances O’Reilly and Joseph Cain, who had second highest standing in the recent Entrance [Contest] and called on Mary Murtha, Convener of Education, to present the Catholic Women’s League prize of $5.00 gold pieces.”

In the ‘40s, many of our members made fruit cakes and jam. The fruit cakes were made at home, taken to the hall, and cut into one pound sections, wrapped and then packed with essentials and other goodies and mailed to the troops overseas.

“Honorary Life Membership in the League is a distinction nowadays reserved only for Past National Presidents. However, this honour has been awarded in the past to twelve members who were not national presidents”. (Except the Lord Build the House…) Miss Mary (Mollie) Baker, serving as National Convenor of Lay Retreats, received this award in 1945 for outstanding work during the Second World War. This was presented at our 25th anniversary celebration at the Hotel Benson.

St. Mary’s School and Parish Hall were opened in 1954. What a modern and up-to-date facility for our parish and parishioners. Kitchen equipment including a new gas stove was purchased and donated by the CWL. This was a tremendous improvement over the old wood stove in the old parish hall. Our cooking and baking has been become legendary at bake sales, teas and dinners.

In 1959, the CWL played a key role in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the church being built. The parish commemorative yearbook, acknowledges the following contributions of League members: donating prizes and scholarships; placing books at the Academy and public libraries; establishing Priests’ Day and the Fatima Rosary; placing a wrought-iron shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help; bringing Christmas cheer to the shut-ins and senior citizens; sponsoring the first company of Girl Guides and Brownies in the diocese, and co-operating with municipal authorities by sending $500 gift parcels to the armed forces every year.

Our 40th anniversary was celebrated at South Beach, near Lakefield. Proceeds of weekly bingo, and private donations helped the League finance stone gates for St. Mary’s Cemetery in 1963. This bingo revenue also helped the CWL serve a dinner to the Sisters of St. Joseph on their 75th anniversary. The League’s 45th anniversary was celebrated in the new parish hall.

Sr. Veronica O’Reilly was the guest speaker at the fiftieth anniversary party held at Queen St. United Church. The CWL hosted the ecumenical opening service for Christian Unity Week and catered to the annual meeting of Kawartha Youth in 1972. In 1975, membership stood at 274 members with eight honorary members. Fund-raisers included two rummage sales, a bake sale and bazaar.

The ‘80s saw certificates of appreciation being presented to members; Lives of the Saints to the adults who were baptized; and baptismal stoles constructed and given to infants. Dinner was served to the Girl Guides and Mothers and the White Cane Club, while an Irish concert was held at Victoria Manor for the residents. In the 1998-89 term, study of the “Women in the Church” kit prepared by the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops was facilitated by Sr. Rita MacDonald.

Social justice issues were again the focus of CWL works in the ‘90s. Members took part in the White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) campaign; studied the Indian crisis in Canada; adopted a seminarian; and served funeral lunches to the bereaved and their families and friends. Ongoing support for many CWL charities was financed through the annual Bells of St. Mary’s Tea and Bazaar. On October 6, 1996, the 75th anniversary was celebrated at St. Mary’s School and the new CWL banner was unveiled. Certificates of appreciation were received from Alzheimer Society and Victoria Manor. The CWL continued to place a wreath at the cenotaph at St. Mary’s Cemetery at their annual celebration. Diocesan conventions were hosted by St. Mary’s CWL, Lindsay in 1923, 1930, 1939, 1944, 1955, 1961, 1968, 1981 and 1997. Many receptions were hosted over the years for clergy installations, departures, anniversaries, special birthdays and other significant events for the parish.

Several members were honoured as “Citizen of the Year”, namely Verna Curtin and Pat Clarke for service to the community. Kay Kartes was feted for her 42 years of service to the Red Cross Blood Donor Clinic. Many of our CWL ladies helped to “man” the trailer while the church was trying to sell units in Guy Mills Court, the new life lease building attached to the rectory. The CWL was involved in many aspects of the Millennium and Jubilee Celebrations. St. Mary’s CWL hosted the Anglican Deanery meetings for several years. Volunteers from the CWL and the parish helped to collect and process information for the parish directory which showed a slice of life in 2000. In 2002, members opened their hearts, homes and purses to welcome pilgrims and Pope John Paul II to Canada for World Youth Day. Members of the CWL were on the planning committee and worked tirelessly during the “days in the diocese” prior to the main event in Toronto.

Glenda Klein became a life member of the National Council of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada at the Diocesan Convention in April 2006 in Parry Sound, Ontario. From July 8 to 12, 2006, Peterborough Diocese hosted the first-ever provincial convention in Lindsay at the Admiral Inn. Many of the committee members and conveners were from St. Mary’s CWL. St. Mary’s CWL hosted a reception to follow the Opening Mass in the church on July 9, 2006. The eighty-fifth anniversary was celebrated as a communion brunch at the Admiral Inn with guest speaker Miss Frances O’Reilly speaking to the theme of “Eighty-five Years of Memories. On behalf of the 149 current members, service pins and membership pins were presented by President Natalie Flynn.

In Fall of 2006, the CWL sponsored the formation of a Catholic Girl’s League. This club would assist girls ages 12-15 to develop leadership skills and would provide training for young girls to take an active part in the affairs of their faith, community and global society. The meetings had a focus of social justice. White doves were made and distributed to parishioners with the request that they remember the families of Canadian casualties of Afghanistan; Valentines were made for residents of senior residences and the hospital; Christmas crackers were distributed to children at the Children’s Liturgy; and a Silent Auction was held to raise funds for youth activities. At Christmas, CWL members gathered for a Christmas Dinner and enjoyed an evening of fellowship and song. A prayer service was held to welcome the presence of the Ark of the New Covenant to St. Mary’s Church in February 19th . in preparation for the World Eucharistic Congress scheduled to be held in Quebec City in 2008. CWL participated in the Stations of the Cross during Lent. A ‘Tree of Life’ was introduced as a visual welcome to those newly baptized in the parish. A successful diocesan convention was held in Huntsville from April 29-30, 2007. The retreat was held on May 22nd with a focus of the CWL national theme Love One Another.

What accomplishments! What exciting opportunities and challenges await us?