CWL News History

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Summer 2015 edition of the CWL News

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Dr Renfrew National President 1936-1939 PAGE 9 CWL supporting Catechetical Camps PAGE 4 The Newspaper of the Catholic Women’,s League Summer 2015 League Members offered a Mystery of the Rosary for the intentions of Emeritus Bishop of Middlesbrough John Crowley, a former Spiritual Director of CWL. The prayers for Bishop John were offered during the month of May and included in a Spiritual Bouquet which was presented to the Bishop at his Jubilee Mass in Middlesbrough Cathedral on 12 th June. This Spiritual Bouquet of 2253 Mysteries of the Rosary is offered by Members of the Catholic Womenʼ,s League of England and Wales to Bishop Emeritus John Crowley on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee 12 th June 2015 Celebrations all round for CWL Mary Bowen, CWL and WI! 2 nd June - up early, checked passport, utility bill, entrance ticket, sandwiches (for the journey) and wearing my best `glad rags` to be off with 7990 other WI members (and some CWL members, too, no doubt) to celebrate the Centenary of the Women`s Institute at Buckingham Palace. It was a very enjoyable and friendly occasion. I was with 4 other ladies from the Wantage and surrounding area. The day began with wind and rain but by the time we arrived at the Palace the rain had stopped, the sky was blue and although the sun shone the wind still blew! It was lovely to see so many beautifully turned out ladies with many (not me) wearing splendid hats and Fascinators of all shapes sizes and colours (and to watch some blown away in the wind but generally caught and returned to their owners amidst laughter)! We 5 Wantage ladies were privileged to meet and be greeted by the Duchess of Gloucester and her Lady in Waiting. Tea on the lawn was delicious and a walk around the beautiful grounds afterwards was very interesting. It was indeed a lovely day - meeting members from all over the country, confirming that we really are a big family of friends. We finally arrived home at 8pm having had a memorable day and I thank the WI Trustees for the invitation and Her Majesty, The Queen for allowing us to celebrate the occasion in such a beautiful setting. Mary Bowen (Direct Member Wantage Oxon) Elizabeth Rodgers joined the CWL in 1969 and has held many posts both locally and nationally. She is presently the President of the Middlesbrough Branch and a very active member of the Cottingham Section. Until her retirement as Head teacher of Holy Name School in Hull, Elizabeth prepared the children of the Holy Cross parish for their first Holy Communion. She started a luncheon club at Holy Cross for the community of Cottingham. This takes place once a fortnight and is predominantly for people who are not very mobile as well as the lonely and elderly who cannot often get out. She organises and helps prepare the meals and organises the transport to and from the venue.Elizabeth is a Eucharistic Minister and regularly takes the Eucharist to parishioners in their homes. She is a flower arranger, and a registrar for weddings which take place at Holy Cross church. Single handedly she runs the Repository stall with all the profits going to charity. She has made many appeals at church over the years for numerous charities raising thousands of pounds.Elizabeth is a very good friend to many, visiting sick and lonely people, giving lifts when she sees someone in need, e.g. for hospital appointments. She even opened up her home to a friend in the parish following horrendous storms, until her friend was able to return to her own home. A few years ago Elizabeth received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal and in this year`s New Year`s Honours she was awarded the British Empire Medal. She attended a Buckingham Palace garden party with her friend and fellow Cottingham Section member, Jean Kemp. We send our heartiest congratulations to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was presented with a bouquet by Cottingham Section at their January meeting. Arundel and Brighton is a relatively young diocese and on 28 th May the date of the foundation of the Diocese 50 years ago we had a day of special rejoicing as, not only did we celebrate the Jubilee, but our new Bishop, Richard Moth, was installed. Bishop Richard was until recently Bishop to HM Forces and a member of CWL Services Committee. CWL were privileged to be invited to the celebration. The afternoon began with a wonderful Mass concelebrated by two Cardinals, the Apostolic Delegate, three Archbishops, several Bishops, many priests and deacons. The Duke of Norfolk and his family attended and after the very uplifting service, when we welcomed Bishop Richard to Arundel, everyone was invited to the castle for refreshments. A wonderful celebration. Bishop Richard has joined us at a very busy time leading us all for the annual Corpus Christi celebration with the beautiful carpet of flowers in the Cathedral. The Cathedral was packed with people from across the country making the journey to view the flowers and join in the Mass. Around 20 Members of the Catholic Women`s League gathered together again this year and several took turns at carrying the Branch banner in the Procession from the Cathedral. We walked through the streets of Arundel, over the drawbridge and into the Castle grounds for Benediction before processing back to the Cathedral for the final Benediction. A great day of celebration for everyone and an opportunity for a few of us to have a photo with Bishop Richard. We congratulate Bishop Richard on his appointment as Bishop and send him our prayers and good wishes. The Golden Jubilee of Bishop John Crowley Arundel &, Brighton Diocesan Golden Jubilee and Installation of the Rt Rev Bishop Richard Moth as 5th Bishop of Arundel &, Brighton Bishop Richard Moth with CWL Members Elizabeth Rodgers BEM

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Contact details for National Officers NATIONAL PRESIDENT Mrs Elizabeth Upsher, natpres@cwlhq.org.uk NATIONAL TREASURER Mrs Jeanette Collins, nattreas@cwlhq.org.uk NATIONAL SECRETARY Mrs Jean Clarke, natsec@cwlhq.org.uk REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES REGION 1 Mrs Sally Hamp region1@cwlhq.org.uk REGION 2 Mrs Sue Gornall region2@cwlhq.org.uk REGION 3 Miss Catherine McDonald region3@cwlhq.org.uk REGION 4 Mrs Pat Lockeridge region4@cwlhq.org.uk REGION 5 Mrs Christine Pugh region5@cwlhq.org.uk REGION 6 Mrs Kath Tomlin region6@cwlhq.org.uk REGION 7 Mrs Margaret Richards region7@cwlhq.org.uk CONFERENCE ORGANISER Miss Jill Sims conference@cwlhq.org.uk CHAIRMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE Mrs Bernie Townsend bernie.bhamcwl@yahoo.com CHAIRMAN OUR LADYʼ,S CATECHISTS Miss Beryl Wakefield berylm@tiscali.co.uk RELIEF &, REFUGEE Mrs Jane Dawson randr1@cwlhq.org.uk PUBLICITY OFFICER Mrs Margaret von Speyr publicity@cwlhq.org.uk WEBSITE &, SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER Mrs Claire Myers-Lamptey claire@thecreativestrategist.com INTERNATIONAL OFFICER &, WUCWO LIAISON Mrs Margaret Valentine valentine555@btinternet.com HEALTH &, FAMILY OFFICER Miss Alison Love alisonlove1952@googlemail.com STOCK OFFICER Mrs Breda Ford randr2@cwlhq.org.uk CWL FLOWER FUND Mrs Elizabeth Dixon flowerfund@cwlhq.org.uk PARLIAMENTARY OFFICER Mrs Frances Canning francesandedward@blueyonder.co.uk Page 2 CWL News Summer 2015 COPY DEADLINE DATE 16th October 2015 Any amendments to distribution, notify the National Secretary 2 nd - 4 th March. This is always a welcoming occasion and I was very pleased to represent CWL at the 25 th Anniversary of UCM Wales. National Presidents UCM Scotland, England, Wales, CWL and National Board of Catholic Women On 7 th March I attended Grays Section, Brentwood Branch, 60th Anniversary celebrations and then on 14 th March I attended Northampton Branch AGM in Wendover. It is always a pleasure to see how much work the Sections and Direct Members manage to carry out. National President, Elizabeth, behind Northampton Branch Officers On 28 th March I attended Arundel and Brighton AGM. Region 6 Officer, Kath Tomlin, took the Nominations for Officers but there is, however, a need for Secretary for Arundel and Brighton Branch so if anyone is interested please contact us at publicity@cwlhq.org.uk National President with Arundel and Brighton Branch Officers I attended Our Lady’,s Catechist AGM in Northampton (10 th -12 th April). Fr Harry Curtis talked about Rublev’,s icon, The Hospitality of Abraham, explaining the circular structure with the colour blue common to all three figures. Reading the picture from left to right, we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit seated at table, around which we are all invited to take our place and join the circle. Andrei Rublev`s Icon of The Trinity Fr. John Minh, Prison Chaplain and Parish Priest from Peterborough, spoke about his work with prisoners. The theme for the weekend was ‘,Religion Through Art’, and we were able to watch two DVDs made by the artist, Harold Riley. The first was Harold’,s description of the Stations of the Cross Tryptics which he had completed for St Luke’,s Church, Irlam o’,th’, Height, Salford. This was a very moving DVD which transported us to the side of Our Lord in His Passion. The second, made especially for the weekend, described the book ‘,Seven Prayers to Our Lady’,. The paintings had been chosen by Harold and the prayers by Bishop Holland, a former Bishop of Salford. On the Sunday Bishop Peter Doyle, Ecclesiastical Advisor to CWL, was welcomed. He concelebrated Holy Mass with Fr. Curtis. Another Branch AGM saw me travel to Bridlington, Middlesbrough on 18 th April. It was good to see a new Vice President coming forward to take office and, as an important aside, I was most impressed with the signage for their food –, warning of additives etc. 20 th and 21 st April saw me at the National Executive meeting in Coventry. Much time was given to discussions following items brought up at our Officers’, Annual Meeting in February. Year 2 Targets for Sections, Branches and National Executive were compiled. Please ensure that you have seen them. Southwark Branch AGM was on 25 th April in West Wickham. I was very pleased to see a good representation of members at the meeting and it was another chance to hear of the excellent work done by the Branch. Another AGM saw me in Shrewsbury on 9 th May. This was held in Chester where there was an excellent turn out of members and it was wonderful to see new officers coming forward for the position of President and Treasurer. UCM England’,s AGM was at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, from 11 th - 13 th May. Bishop Emeritus Crispian Hollis talked to the conference saying how we have to be a beacon of life to others. He spoke of the forthcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy and explained that mercy will always be greater than any sin. Mercy has to be the foundation of Catholic life and this Year of Prayer is in order to make it possible to contemplate God’,s mercy and make it our lifestyle. The Conference concluded with the installation of the new President of UCM, Mrs Val Ward. CWL wish her well in this important task. On 15 th May I travelled to Scotland for the AGM of UCM Scotland. These events allow you to meet up with the other guests –, here I am with Rose Maunder and Val Ward, Presidents of UCM Wales and UCM England. One common concern for us all is membership. Although UCM Scotland has the smallest membership they were definite that they would not consider closing as a group –, ‘,...as long as there is one or two others we are a point of contact...’, On Saturday 30 th May I had a lovely time at Salford Branch AGM. There was a great turn out of members who have been training their chaplain well in pouring the tea! A cheque for £,1500 was presented to Mrs Christine Joyce for Grace’,s Place Children’,s Hospice. It was a really delightful close to my season of travelling around the Branches to meet all the members. Thank you to you all. National President’,s Blog Full versions of my blog and the new Recipes page can be found on http://www.catholicwomensleague.or g/index.php /national-presidents-blog/ and photos etc on the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ CWLEngWales Bishop Peter Doyle and Fr Harry Curtis with Jane Barham, Audrey Taylor and Rosa Vasquez who have completed the Rosary Course. New Branch President Julie receiving her badge of office What a turn out for Shrewsbury AGM!

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CWL News Summer 2015 Page 3 I read with interest the article about Barbara Ward. I remember her coming to my school for prize giving in the early fifties. My school was the Convent FCJ, David Place, St Helier, Jersey in the Channel Islands. The nuns were so excited by this honour we girls felt that we were about to have a royal visitor!! She was a Catholic lady who was held in very high esteem and she made a return visit in December 1963.FCJ in Jersey was indeed very honoured to have two visits from such a highly regarded lady at a time when equality was a very distant dream. Therese Tabb (Sister of Patricia Guegan, Social Secretary, Jersey East Section.) We have been asked for prayers for Bishop John who, as our Spiritual Director, won our hearts dancing the hokey-cokey with us at a National AGM. My prayers will not be the only ones I send him, for, after WW1, New Zealand asked for immigrants to go settle there. My father’,s brother was one of them. On arriving it was found that, with a large influx of Catholics, the church could not hold all its parishioners. So the Parish Priest said Masses outside whilst the old church, a wooden one, built with love and great care by good craftsmen, many of them still living, was dismantled. Then, with equal love and craftsmanship, they fashioned the wood into rosary beads to be sold around the world to pay for a big new church, brick-built by the incomers. My own uncle bought twelve of those rosaries, two for his parents and ten for his siblings. So my father got one, using it with my mother daily for many years until they died. Today I have it and, when I use those beads, I feel that, praying along with me are not only my parents but all those old craftsmen and brick-building incomers, to say nothing of that Parish Priest who showed such consideration for the feelings of the original builders. Therefore, with any prayers from me, I believe there may well be uncounted ones, where those others have joined me. As my father told me years ago, no one is ever alone when they pray. Teresa Baldwinson, Mill Hill Section, Westminster Branch I thought I must write and let the members know that in addition to the wonderful speedy gesture of the National Executive in sending £,10,000 to Water Aid Nepal, for the Earthquake Appeal, we in the Services Committee have also made a donation to the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT) (Earthquake Fund). The GWT is a charity that the Services Committee have long supported. It is evident that the rebuilding process in Nepal will be long and arduous and the GWT is in Nepal for the long haul. Staff patrol teams in the field have been redeployed to the most affected areas to distribute emergency aid packs, provide medical care and report back on the situation in remote areas. Using their local knowledge and network, they are working with the wider relief effort to ensure aid reaches where it is needed. They will be there for the Gurkha veterans and their communities during this time of crisis and for many years to come. Very quickly they committed £,2 million in support of immediate action and will endeavour to keep supporters informed of developments and this can be found on their website www.gwt.org.uk. By 11 th May, fatalities among Gurkha Veterans and widows had risen to 12 with a further 10 seriously injured. 384 Veterans or widows homes have been completely destroyed or seriously damaged with a further 186 suffering minor damage. So far, only 1 GWT-built school has been reported as seriously damaged with 15 suffering minor damage. These relatively low counts are a testament to the quality of construction. The GWT has been based in Salisbury for the last 9 years and has been selected by Daily Telegraph readers for the 2015 Soldiering On People`s Choice Award. The charity remains committed to ensuring that Gurkhas have the resources and support to live in security and with dignity. It fulfils a `debt of honour` on behalf of the British public with 300 staff working in Nepal. Bernie Townsend Chairman Services Committee At the Weymouth Section May meeting, a presentation was given by Elizabeth Wood of the local C of E Mothers Union. It concerned the MU Bye Buy Childhood Campaign. Believing that children should be valued as children and not as consumers, the campaign challenged the commercialisation and sexualisation of children in our society in 2010. As a result the Government commissioned Reg Bailey, MU’,s CEO, to carry out an independent review. The findings led to some action being taken by Parliament, industry and regulators, but so much more needs to be done. The Bye Buy Childhood 2015 Report presents research findings and new recommendations. The aims of the recommendations are: •, That children should not be exposed to inappropriate marketing and advertising. •, Children should be made more resiilient to commercialisation and peer pressure •, Parents empowered to manage the impact of commercialisation and be more resilient themselves to “,pester power”,. A Resources Pack is available online at www.byebuychildhood.org. Part of this is the inspirational booklet Labelled for Life, Managing the commercial world as a family. I particularly recommend this excellent publication, which is easy to read and attractively presented. In our CWL Year 2 Targets of The Way Forward, the sixth target urges us ‘,to report any events and charities supported, relevant to the family’,. With this in mind, I urge all Sections to access the BYE BUY CHILDHOOD CAMPAIGN with its focus firmly on the family and burning issues that concern us all. Joyce Fannon, Liaison Officer, Weymouth Section Does anyone have a relative or friend living in Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland? We have found one of our WW2 Canteeners living there at the age of 94. She is very fit and was widowed some years ago with no children. It would be wonderful if someone could visit her and perhaps talk to her about her Canteening experiences and what has happened to her over the years and take a photograph. If you can help, please contact Bernie Townsend, Chairman Services Committee by email or telephone: 01384 278208 Readers’, Letters What OLC can do for the League One of the fun things the OLC members like to do is talk so we allow plenty of time for socialising at our meetings, which include our annual Conference held over Low Weekend each year, and our Autumn Study Days. At our Conference, we also enjoy the quiz night and donʼ,t worry too much about who wins, so perhaps you would like to test your knowledge about us with questions like: Who is the founder of OLC? Why was (and is) OLC needed? When did we become a Special Committee of CWL? How many Courses do we provide? Don’,t worry if you are not sure of the answers, it’,s likely that many of our Catechists would have trouble too, but that doesn’,t stop them from being very good catechists trained by OLC. So, for those of you who would like the check your answers. Our founder is, of course, Margaret Fletcher who was asked, by Cardinal Bourne back in 1923, to prepare Catholic children not in Catholic schools for the sacraments. Children are still in need of a Catholic education both from their school and the parish. We have always been part of the League, but became a Special Committee some thirty years after our spectacular beginning, spectacular because of the rate catechists were trained and qualified. How many courses do we have? Now that is a bit tricky. You will know about the Diploma Course and the Foundation Course which hold a qualification authorised by the Bishops. And we also have our two Courses for those who want to better understand their faith, but then we have courses for the children used by parents and catechists in their own parish. Those of you who attend the Conferences will know about ‘,Listening to Jesus through the Gospels’, and ‘,Happy Half Hour’,, but how many of you are aware that we have two courses for older children, which guides them through the Gospel of St Luke and Acts of the Apostles. Even our colouring books are teaching aids, and some of our old sacrament books are still in use. The work of OLC has changed a lot since Vatican II, and it may appear as though we are no longer needed with the increase in the number of Diocesan training programmes. However, in fact, we are needed now more than ever. Catechists are needed in parishes to lead those who are untrained, we are needed to go into schools where the teachers are not Catholic, to reach out to people seeking to develop their faith so that their relationship with the Lord can blossom and bear much fruit. Our Lady’,s Catechists do all these things, and our Registrars are always seeking ways to reach others. The Catholicism Made Simple Course is doing this particularly well by reaching out to those in prison. Fr. John Minh, a prison chaplain who attends our Conferences tells us how CMS helps the prisoners. Some take the Course just to add another certificate to their collection and impress the parole officers, but even they can be touched by reading and studying the Faith. The Registrar, John Crean, tells us that more than half his students are in prison, and in most cases, we will never know how their studies have helped them, but one lady, now released from prison and keen to do a further Course, has related how, doing the CMS had increased her faith and helped her through a particularly bad patch in her personal life whilst in prison. OLC is also international as we have people from Switzerland and South Africa studying our Certificated Courses. Many of our students tell us how the Courses open up the Scriptures in a way they could never have expected and Holy Mass means so much more to them as they work through the Units and Chapters. One student tells us, “,as a result I now listen carefully to the readings, both New Testament and Old Testament during the Liturgy of the Word and I can more easily see the link between them.”, Another student tells us about the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “,despite having this book sitting in our home since the older children went through Confirmation, I never really sat down to study it. In completing Part 1 (of the Foundation Course) I became intimately familiar with the CCC and my knowledge of our faith grew.”, They all speak of growing in confidence and thank OLC tutors for their support. Some of our OLC tutors and students become members of the League during their studies, and every member of the League is part of OLC. It seems many members think we just want them to take our courses, but it is much more than that. Catechesis is ‘,Home, Parish, and School’, and that is where our work is found. Speak about us not just in your meetings, but to family, friends, fellow parishioners and the parish in the next neighbourhood. We have a number of CWL Sections working as a unit on our Rosary Course, Mysteries of the Christian Life. Have you given that a thought? Do you think a group in your parish might be interested? What about the Legion of Mary, a prayer group in home or parish, or the UCM, all of which might find the Course interesting, informative and thought provoking. There is a golden opportunity to find out more about OLC by joining us for our Autumn Study Day which this year will be held on Saturday 3rd October at St Wilfrid’,s Church, York. The theme will be St Teresa of Avila, (as this year is the 500th anniversary of her birth), and the legacy that she passes on to us today. The speaker will be Fr Kevin Melody O.Carm. Details of this event and any further information about OLC can be obtained from The Secretary, Mrs Susan Andrews, suem.andrews@hotmail.co.uk. You can also visit our website from a link in the CWL Website or directly at www.ourladyscatechists.wordpress.com and look out for our annual magazine Notes and News, available now. Fr Harry hands out chocolates at this year’,s AGM, Looking after our physical as well as spiritual health! Keen participants in the Autumn Study Day 2014 Concentration at the Quiz evening Our speaker, Gloria Rhodes from SERRA (centre), helps out with teas at our 2014 Autumn Study Day.

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Page 4 CWL News Summer 2015 Diocesan Camps East Anglia It has been another successful Summer Camp in 2014 and our plans for 2015 are well in hand. Once again, a great team combined to plan and provide a special time of Faith Food and Fun at Eccles Hall. Numbers had risen to 38 children aged 8- -- 14 and a good time was had by all ( and the adults!) Fr Angel from Buckden was our Chaplain , with us all weekend, showing great interest in all activities. The theme was Evangelisation, the focus on Follow Me and I will make you Fishers of Men. A large fishing net was displayed by our altar and over the weekend and coloured fish were awarded to teams for winning games and competitions, for individual helpful acts and acts of kindness, within the teams, which were named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (of course!)The fish were collected in the net and on the last day’,s count, Team Luke were acclaimed winners! The older group looked at the evangelists and were asked to spread the Word themselves, through Radio Broadcasts and news flashes (sometimes interrupting lunch to bring us the latest deeds of this man, Jesus!),creating a stained glass window and performing dramas of Gospel readings, depicting evangelizing. They looked at everyone being special and how best to use their gifts and talents to become Fishers of Men by their example. Fr Angel spoke to them about Mission, Vocation and Evangelisation, they visited Quidenham Carmel for Vespers and walked their own Emmaus walk in pairs, having watched a DVD on that happening. This, plus all the usual sports, team games, swimming and talent show activity! Busy Days! The younger group looked at the disciples and the call To Follow. They named and made large figures of the disciples and then added themselves as followers, too. Also on the Follow Me theme, they made a large sea scene, each decorating and naming their own fish to represent themselves. Similarly to the older group, they explored their gifts and strengths and how best to use them. They made Apostle Bracelets…, …,…,twelve beads plus ONE extra (themselves) and Candle Mobiles to represent everyone being lights in the darkness. All the work from both age groups was displayed and transformed the Chapel area beautifully. Everyone attended our Reconciliation Service, writing their ‘,sins’, on fish and watching them swim off in a sea of forgiveness after speaking with Fr Angel who celebrated all our joyful Masses and Liturgies. I must say that the Fish and Sea visions were a definite hit and a great visual aid for the Evangelisation theme and message. The Camps Committee is so grateful to Teresa Wiseman for choosing Camps as the East Anglia Branch Charity for the whole of her presidency and for CWL’,s support and involvement over the years. We have a strong core of volunteers, who welcome newcomers whilst providing consistency as well. CWL East Anglia have provided both financial and prayerful support which has played a big part. The accounts show that CWL have donated an average of around £,400 a year over the past ten years. Last year alone Sections in East Anglia donated £,1,035. This is truly appreciated. Thank you. This year the Camp will be at Buckden Towers. Accommodation will be different and we will miss the swimming pool and cost-wise it is more than Eccles Hall, but it is also a very excitingly different place for the young people and I feel excited at introducing them to it and its history. Chris Storman Last year, at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, we successfully ran 4 Diocesan Summer Camps from the 27 th July until 15 th August. In all 83 young people, 5 more than the previous year, came from across the Diocese to share and explore the word of God through our theme ʻ,The Joy of the Gospelsʼ,. The junior camps` mission statement for the week was “,Jesus Christ loves you, he gave his life to save you, and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.”, The junior 2 campers could repeat this to you in sign language by the end of their week. Both junior camps explored the joy of the Gospels through our senses. Our new camp for young adults was held in three of the smaller houses at Buckfast, which included a house called St Petroc’,s and this is the name by which this camp is known. St Petroc’,s was deemed a great success so we shall be holding it again this year. The young adults appreciated the extra freedom they had and their experience was much different to the senior and junior camps. This quote from one of the campers summed the week up as, “,a place to renew friendships further and strengthen your faith, being surrounded by young people who will end up being lifelong friends.”, We plan to invest in another mini marquee for this camp as none of the 3 houses had an area big enough to seat all the campers for eating at the same time, so we maybe on the fundraising trail again soon, although we plan to hire a marquee this year. Senior camp celebrated ‘,The Joy of the Gospel’, via the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary through drama, discussion, prayer, song, treasure hunts and even poetry. I led the first junior camp and had another extraordinary, uplifting experience due to the wonderful children who came along and my fantastic team. We enjoyed input from the Education Centre at Buckfast. On one visit, the staff took us on a short walk to test our observation skills. They had hidden 25 objects and no-one spotted them all –, we were even allowed 2 attempts! Then we were taken into the monks` private gardens for a walk along the River Dart where we wrote our future selves a postcard sitting by a waterfall. The postcard was then delivered to us all just before Christmas. Another highlight from our week was a closer look at a Jewish Passover Meal, tasting the foods as well as learning why each food is chosen. Children who wished to go to the Abbey before dinner each evening for quiet prayer were taken by some of my team and by the end of the week, all of the older children (10 and 11 yr olds) wanted to go to Compline instead of their usual night time activity –, proving the need for flexibility in our plans to suit the needs of the children! I was very proud that both of my own children were voted Spirit of Camp winners on their respective camps last year. This award is given each year to a camper who worked well during the week and lived in true harmony with all campers and staff, willingly helping and supporting without being asked. I hasten to add, I was not involved in either decision to choose the winner! Our theme this year is ‘,Called to Serve’, which will be turned into catechesis for the camps at our training weekend in Buckfast in June.The first camp is for the Seniors (12 to 15 year olds) on 26 th July to 31 st July and St Petroc’,s will run during the same week and has been extended to include 18 year olds as well as 16 and 17 year olds. The junior camps are being merged into 1 this year and we’,ve had to raise the fee by £,10 to £,140, these have been tricky decisions for the committee. However, if demand warrants running 2 junior camps again we will always reconsider. The Junior camp, for 8 to 11 year olds, is between 2 nd and 7 th August. Application forms and posters for the camps are now with parish priests. I’,d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support. No child is turned away and more families need financial support towards the fees so your donations are most gratefully received and help us support these families. Natalie Williams, Camp Co-ordinator Catechetical Camps in Dorset

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CWL News Summer 2015 Page 5 Arundel &, Brighton 4 th June - Carpet of Flowers, Mass and Procession –, Arundel Cathedral Birmingham 5 th May - In honour of Our Lady of Evesham 14 th May - Penn Section, a morning of The Joyful Mysteries at the Carmel Convent 5th July - Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at Hednesford Brentwood Fr Brian O’,Shea with members from Grays Section 21 st March –, St Thomas of Canterbury, Grays. Thinking about ‘,Journeys’, 3 rd June –, Aylesford –, see inset 11 th July –, Assembly Day: Mass, Speakers and Lunch 30 th August –, Feast Day of St Margaret Clitherow, Brentwood Cathedral. Gathering and Refreshments from 4pm. Mass at 6.30pm Cardiff 5 th September –, Cardiff Pastoral Centre, led by Fr Ceirion, Parish Priest at Briton Ferry Parish and the Director of Youth for the Diocese of Menevia. Clifton 12 th July –, Annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Glastonbury Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Paignton Members at Buckfast 16 th May –, Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Buckfast This annual event had its origin in 1954 when the local Branch of the CWL, then Plymouth, offered to pay for the oil to keep the lamp burning before the statue of Our Lady in Buckfast Abbey. Over the past 60 years a ceremony has developed which now begins with a procession of Section and Branch banners into the Abbey before Mass is celebrated by the Bishop or this year by the Abbot. Section Chaplains are also welcome. At the end of Mass the Lamp is carried around the church in procession to the Lady Chapel by all the Branch Officers from Region 4 whilst the congregation sings. The banners are carried out and form a guard of honour until the celebrants, officers, guests and members have left. A collection is taken on leaving the Abbey to help with the cost of the oil and expenses. The Abbey was founded 1018 and became a Cistercian abbey in 1147. It prospered until 1539 when Henry VIII’,s Commissioners closed the abbey and the church and monastic buildings were stripped. When the monks returned to the abbey in 1882 they were able to uncover most of the foundations and rebuild in the style of the original Cistercian abbey. The lower part of the statue of Our Lady of Buckfast was found in an old wall and it was restored and replaced in the Lady Chapel. It is just over 1 metre high and was based on an ancient seal of the mediaeval abbey which is now in the British Museum. The Lamp continues to burn brightly... Members go on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Buckfast in mid May, alternating between Saturday and Wednesday. Next year’,s date is Wednesday 18 th May. 30 th June - Ottery St Mary Section, Devon, Holy Hour for Natural Disasters and Migrant Children 20 th September - Devon Branch Day of Recollection at Tiverton East Anglia 27 th June –, Spiritual Day at St. Felix Church Hall, Felixstowe. The day will start with Mass at 10am followed by coffee in the church hall. During the morning the theme will be Family, then a shared lunch and during the afternoon the focus will be on Women in the Old Testament. Hexham &, Newcastle 16 th May –, Annual Christian and Muslim Day in Newcastle. 31 st August –, A Walk to raise the profile of WUCWO and raise money for CAFOD’,s Water Projects. 10 th October –, Rosary Day, hosted by Morpeth Section. Lancaster 22 nd August –, Shrine of Our Lady of Fernyhalgh and the Martyrs at Ladyewell Mass 12 noon, followed by walk to Shrine, packed lunch and Holy Hour Leeds 25 th June –, War memorial, Wayside Crucifix, Studley Roger. Mass at 2.15pm at St. Wilfred’,s Church, Ripon, followed by a short memorial service at the former site of the WWI CWL Canteen Hut about 2 miles east of Ripon on the B6562. 4pm - a Full English Afternoon Tea at the President’,s home in Harrogate, in aid of funds to support a young Catholic teenager taking part in the 2016 school’,s World Challenge visit to Nepal Middlesbrough March - Branch Retreat at the ` Sisters of Mercy` Convent in Filey, led by Fr David White, Branch Chaplain. Lilian Finch continues with her Monthly Mini Pilgrimage to Margaret Clitherow`s Shrine in York to pray for the League and her Members –, if you are in York you might like to join Lilian? Northampton 18 th April –, Branch Retreat led by Derek Williams, a Catholic Evangelist. Portsmouth 18 th August –, Winchester Section are holding a Day Retreat to the Carmelite Priory, near Oxford Salford 20 th June –, Heywood Section`s Day Retreat to the Marist Centre, Manchester. 11 th July –, Heywood Section`s Annual Pilgrimage to Ladyewell near Preston. 11 th July –, Ashton Section is planning to have a day also at the Marist Centre. 20 th - 22 nd November –, Annual Branch Retreat at Ilkley. Shrewsbury 5 th July –, Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at Hednesford. Join Wellington Section from 1pm onwards at Centenary Hall 11 th July –, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Mass and a guided tour followed by lunch Southwark March 7 th –, Richmond Section, an afternoon of Recollection at St Elizabeth`s Church. Roehampton Section - an afternoon of Recollection, always on Palm Sunday, at St Joseph`s Church. March 10 th –, Branch Lenten Retreat at the Emmaus Centre, West Wickham. Westminster The Shrine to Our Lady of Willesden Annual Lenten Retreat –, Cockfosters Section, led by Sister Catherine Quayne of the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy 14 th March –, Adeyfield Section at Boxmoor, St Joseph’,s. 22 nd August –, Westminster Branch, Diocesan Marian Shrine at Willesden at 11am 23 rd September –, Welwyn Garden City, celebrating sixty years this year, are planning to travel to York to St Margaret Clitherow’,s Shrine and their Parish Priest will be accompanying them. Mass will be celebrated at the Shrine. BRANCH SPECIAL DAYS OF PRAYER There follows on this page news from around the Branches about the special days set aside for Reflection. Some of the events have already passed but you could always make a note of dates for next year if they have caught your eye. The days we spend in prayer with other League members are doubly special indeed and we remain confident that our prayers are heard. Maryʼ,s Habit, Carmelʼ,s Way Damian Cassidy, O.Carm I wonder what you were thinking when you dressed this morning. Had you already laid out your clothes for the day? Did certain expectations dictate your choices? The simple fact is that how we dress can say a lot about who we are, what we do, how seriously we take life and its tasks. I have clear memories of one Christmas, when a child, having received a soldier’,s outfit as a present and I can remember, to this day, the sense of pride and purpose that those play clothes invested me with. I also wonder whether, as you dressed you might have put on your clothes over two squares of brown cloth that make up the Carmelite Brown Scapular. Millions of Catholic Christians around the world wear this garment but may be unaware of its story or symbolism. Tradition has handed on to us the story of St Simon Stock. Simon was an Englishman and one of the early leaders of the Carmelite Order. Indeed, it was Simon who led the Order through the time of transition when the hermits who had found a natural home in the hills of Mount Carmel found themselves in a different reality in the Europe of the thirteenth century and who were called to respond to the needs of the Church by living their life in the midst of the people, especially the poor and the marginalised. Tradition tells us that Simon, a man who by his vocation was dedicated to God in a life of prayer and service, had a special devotion to Our Lady. From the earliest times Carmelites have felt a kinship to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She has a special place in our communities as the mother of the house. Around her we gather in service of her Son. The scapular as worn by Carmelites is seen as marked by this relationship of prayer and service. This part of our habit that was originally an apron, becomes for us a sign of commitment for those who seek to labour in the Lord’,s vineyard. One of the ways that emerged for people to associate themselves with the work and spirituality of a particular group within the Church was to wear a token of the religious habit. Originally for those who sought a kinship with Carmel, the white cloak was the thing that set us apart. Bur slowly the Brown Scapular began to capture the imagination of the people. I also see a relationship with the Tallit, or prayer shawl, worn by orthodox Jews. For the Jewish people the Tallit is a garment that manifests the relationship they have with God. When at prayer, they cover themselves with the Tallit, a symbol of the intimacy of God covering them with his love. During the day a small Shawl is worn, like our scapular, that they can see and touch as a reminder that they belong to God, that they have been chosen by him. Those who wear the scapular are people who seek to live out their relationship with God through prayer and the service of God’,s people. This year sees the 750th anniversary of the death of St Simon Stock in Bordeaux in 1265. Upon his death people prayed for favours from him. Soon his body was brought to the Cathedral in Bordeaux where a chapel is dedicated to him. In 1951 the Archbishop of Bordeaux brought his cranium back to Simon’,s old home at Aylesford, and since then the relic has rested in the chapel dedicated to his memory. To the Carmelite friars who live and work in Aylesford the relics are a reminder of the beautiful truth of our vocation, that we are to be people seeking a vital and intimate relationship with the God who brought us into being and this relationship is to be lived out in the service of others. A great preacher of the life lived by St. Simon Stock was Fr Malachy Lynch, who was the first prior of Aylesford since the reformation. Fr. Malachy would refer to those who wear the Brown Scapular as the “,use me today apostolate”,. Those who wear this simple garment make a statement in this scrap of clothing. I belong to God and, with him, I want to be of service to his people. So what are you wearing today? What does your dress say about you to others? How does what you wear affect your attitude to life and its cares? Today I will put on my habit and go out to those pilgrims who will come to our Lady’,s Shrine at Aylesford. I will do so in the knowledge that millions across this good earth will do the same and touch the lives of the people that they will meet in the course of their work and play. And the world is better for it. Fr. Damian Cassidy, O.Carm is the current Prior of the Carmelite Community in Aylesford. NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE The National President invites all members to Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 16 th July 2016 for the National Pilgrimage. Further details will be available later but please put the date in your diary.

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Page 6 CWL News Summer 2015 ARUNDEL AND BRIGHTON BRANCH Plans are now well under way for the 50 th anniversary of the Diocese. CWL members will be acting as welcomers on the day, which is being held in the Amex Stadium in Brighton. A stall will be set out with information on the League and members will also be available to talk to ladies from all over the Diocese. Mass will be celebrated at 3pm by Bishop Richard Moth. Activities for adults and children will be running all day. At our AGM, it was lovely to welcome Jane Dawson who gave an interesting talk on the work of the Relief and Refugee Committee. Sunday 10 th May saw St Martha’,s Parish in Bexhill processing along the road with the statue of Our Lady for the annual May Procession. After the Procession, parishioners enjoyed a late breakfast at the popular sausage sizzle run by the CWL in the grounds of the church. BRENTWOOD BRANCH Grays Section recently played host to the Branch Annual Retreat. They were joined by members from Sections all over the Brentwood Diocese for a spiritual day of prayer, reflection and discussion. Father Brian O’,Shea led the retreat, held at St Thomas of Canterbury Church, in a series of inspiring and thought provoking talks on the themes of “,Journey”,, through the ups and downs of life as well as concentrating on Our Lord’,s journey to Calvary, ‘,The Way of the Cross’, - very apt in the lead-up to Easter –, as well as our own share in the Cross: our own crosses to bear, our own spiritual journey. Members enjoyed refreshments, including the delicious hot soup lunch provided. Pam King of Grays Section summed up proceedings as a “,…, most meaningful, happy day: truly inspirational talks by Fr. Brian O’,Shea. Excellent food shared with so many of our fellow members from other Sections.”, Soupʼ,s Up! On Sunday 2 nd April, Great Dunmow Section (Our Lady and St. Anne Line) held its second Vintage Tea Party. A member’,s husband plays in the Bishops Stortford Ukulele Band and she cajoled, bribed, pushed, shoved and just begged him into asking his members to play for us. Approximately 80 people attended and everyone had a fantastic time. The work involved is enormous as you can imagine, with the bunting (an essential part of the proceedings), the lovely tablecloths, fabulous vintage china for the spectacular, sandwiches, scones and cakes with tea being served in teapots. Tea in the afternoon is so very civilized, and we in Gt. Dunmow, are nothing if not civilized! The music was great with everyone joining in with the singing. The afternoon raised over £,1000, divided between our church hall restoration project, CAFOD and our local community minibuses. We always say never again - but you know what they say: never say never again! Vintage Tea at Great Dunmow CARDIFF BRANCH Briton Ferry Section enrolled a new member at one of their meetings and held a ‘,fish and chip supper’, afterwards. Section Members took part in a Talent Show which is held every year in a local community hall, organised by ‘,Churches Together’,. This year is the 50 th Anniversary of the Church of the Assumption, Briton Ferry, therefore the Section organised a May Ball in a local hotel with entertainment, music and carvery. The proceeds, which amounted to £,300, were donated to the Nepal Disaster Fund. On Pentecost Sunday members together with their Parish Priest attended a ‘,bring and share event’, in a local Anglican church hall followed by ‘,Songs of Praise’, organised by ‘,Churches Together’,. Surplus food was taken by a member to the Sisters of Charity in Swansea to help feed the homeless. Cardiff Section has continued with monthly Charity coffee mornings. Our charity of the year for 2015 is The Medaille Trust. On 11 th June we will be going on our Annual outing to Corsham and Corsham Court in Wiltshire. CORNWALL BRANCH held its AGM on the 25 th April at St. Austell. During Mass six new members were enrolled by the Branch President, Noreen Hall, and members renewed their commitment to the League. The 25 th Anniversary of St Augustine’,s Church, St Austell was on 5 th May, when Bishop Mark O’,Toole concelebrated the Anniversary Mass of the dedication of the church. Many members of CWL helped with the celebration, with music from the Cornwall Catholic choir which has CWL members, flower arrangements and all the refreshments. In his homily the Bishop talked about his aunt who took him to Mass when he was a boy. She told him when the Priest lifts the chalice, put all your worries and problems in the chalice. As the Priest offers this to the Father, so he will offer up your problems to the Father too. A very beautiful and moving thought. The evening ended with the Bishop meeting and greeting everyone and, of course, cutting the cake. DEVON BRANCH Abbot of Buckfast, Rt Rev David Charlesworth On 16 th May, Region 4 met for the annual pilgrimage to Buckfast Abbey, this year organised by Devon Branch . The procession of Section and Branch Banners through the grounds and into the Abbey is always a very moving sight. Holy Mass was concelebrated by the Abbot of Buckfast, Rt Rev David Charlesworth. It was a beautiful Mass with wonderful music. The procession of the lamp at the end of Mass was led by the Regional Representative and guest Jill Sims, our Conference officer. After the photo call outside the Abbey, we all went for the traditional cream tea, another wonderful and spiritual day. The Parish of the Blessed Sacrament held a half day of recollection. Each parish group was asked to prepare half an hour on a Lenten theme. The Exeter Section chose ‘,neighbour to Jesus during his Passion’,. The morning was well attended and hopefully will be repeated next year. Paula Park is a member of Ottery St Mary Section and with her husband Mike celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary in May. Paula has been a CWL member for 45 years and has been Section Secretary. She is also very involved with OLC and was Plymouth Diocesan Representative, Paula and Mike Park Also in Ottery St Mary, OLC’,s newest course, Mysteries of the Christian Life and Doctrine through the Holy Rosary, has been completed. If you want to use it contact your OLC representative. Our Lady of Lourdes Section in Plympton celebrated St George’,s day as they have done for over thirty years. It was a good afternoon and members from the other Sections came along as did people from the parish. The Apostleship of the Sea is very important in Devon. Our Branch President, Joan Screech, hails from Plymouth, a naval base and a shipping hub so it was not surprising that it is her chosen charity. It is a Catholic charity though it works with other churches and welfare organisations. In Devon it runs two seafarers’, centres - one in Teignmouth and one in Plymouth, where the crews of any ship can go for welfare or spiritual purposes. As a Branch we continually provide gifts in kind especially hand knitted hats, gloves and sometimes pullovers. We also provide gifts at Christmas. However, the centres are funded by donations so this year we are raising money as well. At the Branch AGM a talk was given by Wendy Sword, a ships’, visitor and member of South West Port Welfare Committee, on the work of the Apostleship of the Sea and her role within it. Joan Screech presented her with a cheque for £,768.20 the amount collected so far from Sections. In addition, All Saints Section which includes Teignmouth, raised £,206 at their fundraiser quiz in October last year. This Section also, together with the rest of the parish, collected Easter Eggs for the Seafarers. On Easter Sunday morning the replica boat, Girl Pat, was lowered from her place high at the back of Our Lady &, St Patrick’,s(OLSP) Church to be placed before the altar. The members and the parish then filled her with Easter eggs to be distributed by our AOS Ships’, Visitors to seafarers on ships that come in to Teignmouth Docks. Girl Pat was built by a member’,s brother-in- law, shipwright Pete Newbery-Thornton of Devon Wooden Boats, from oak taken from the old pews removed from OLSP when the Church was reordered last year. Some Sections are still to hold special events for AOS. Girl Pat filled with Easter Eggs DORSET BRANCH After Fr John Rice had celebrated the Dorset AGM Mass, Frances Canning, CWL Parliamentary Officer addressed members. Frances explained that this was not to be about politics but more to do with the development of parliamentary democracy over 800 years starting with Magna Carta. She was an enthusiastic speaker who captivated her audience and gave us all more to think about. Branksome and Parkstone Section had a games night, and went to the dogs! The winning team, shown here, worked hard to race their dogs around the track. During the evening meeting, the whole Section said one decade of the Mysteries of the Rosary for Bishop John Crowley’,s intention. The winners! BRANCH NEWS New members being welcomed by Cornwall.

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CWL News Summer 2015 Page 7 Wareham Section . Crowning of Our Lady. The ceremony was held at St Edwards Church, Wareham at the start of the first Sunday Mass in May. Four children were given the task of walking in procession carrying flowers and Mary’,s crown which they placed on the statue of Our Lady. As it was the WUCWO Mass, Mary Rickaby spoke after Mass on the work of the charity and a collection raised £,38 for WUCWO funds. Members of the Wareham Section who had prepared the crown of flowers EAST ANGLIA BRANCH Dr Therese Coffey (local MP) invited members of the Felixstowe Section to visit the Houses of Parliament, which a group of them did and found extremely interesting. On a previous occasion, Dr Coffey had given a very informative talk on life as a woman in Parliament and a Catholic. So ladies, get your MP to invite you and have a day out. Two ladies from Wymondham Section represented the League at Evening Prayer at the Margaret Beaufort Centre in Cambridge. They enjoyed the evening and were pleased to tell some of those present about the CWL. HEXHAM &, NEWCASTLE BRANCH A mile out of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne is a ruined chapel dedicated to Our Lady. This is the oldest ecclesiastical building in Newcastle. It was built before 1125 and became a place of pilgrimage following a number of miracles associated with the chapel from 1125 to 1250. For the next 200 years it was one of the premier pilgrim sites, on a par with Our Lady of Walsingham, St Thomas of Canterbury and St Ethelreda of Ely. It was to this site that on 16 th May 2015 women from all Christian and Muslim religions met to pray for peace in the world, and the Catholic Women’,s League was well represented at this service. Welcome prayers were read from the Qur’,an, followed by a Christian Hymn Be still in the presence of the Lord. Readings from the New Testament and the Qur’,an were read relating to the Visitation, and the hymn O Mother blest was sung. A prayer was chanted by the Muslim women, Surat Al- Fatihah (The Opener). We prayed for all war- torn countries and then lit a single candle, in our joint recognition of the united need to pray for peace. Having prayed together we were all invited to share together afternoon tea at the local Catholic Church hall. MIDDLESBROUGH BRANCH The Cottingham Section, at Holy Cross Church on National Coffee Morning day. NORTHAMPTON BRANCH held its retreat on Saturday 18 th April. The Leader for the day was Derek Williams, a Catholic Evangelist. The day gave us much food for thought and we all went away feeling refreshed and hopeful for the future of the church. Aylesbury Section Our Section Chairman, Marion Payne, spoke with great feeling at the Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Church and also during a successful National Coffee Morning at St Joseph’,s which resulted in three new faces at our next meeting. Six members attended our Branch Retreat at Gerrards Cross in April and all felt renewed by the experience. The Section’,s 60th Anniversary is this year and plans are afoot for a celebration. Three members have already celebrated very special events - Phyllis and Brian Day and Jean and Bill White - Diamond Wedding anniversaries and Anne and Geoff Cox - Golden Wedding anniversary. Congratulations to all! One of our own National charities - Health and Social Welfare - will benefit from £,186.80 following a well supported afternoon tea held at Marion’,s home in May. Burnham Section This year, we advertised our WUCWO Service in the Parish weekly bulletin a few weeks before the event. We invited ladies of the parish to the service and to a cheese and wine party after. We were delighted to welcome eleven visitors who shared the evening with us. Two of our visitors have said they wish to become CWL members and another wishes to rejoin having recently retired. It was a very enjoyable evening and great to be able to share it with so many parish members. This year members of the Gerrards Cross Section will be attending special events to celebrate the St Joseph’,s parish centenary. Following the WUCWO prayer Service and a Mystery of the Rosary for Bishop John at our monthly meeting, Section members enjoyed a “,Knit and Natter”, session. For our annual outing in July we are going to a garden centre for Brunch following the Section Rota Mass. Also during July, members will join in the Parish pilgrimage to the Carmelite Priory at Aylesford, Kent. We will also attend the centenary Mass in the parish church, to be celebrated by Bishop Peter Doyle. Knitting and nattering! PORTSMOUTH BRANCH On Sunday 10 th May at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Southbourne, Shirley McCarthy, one of Southbourne Section members, was presented with the Bene Merenti medal by Father Gerry Onyejuluwa. This award was in recognition of all the time and effort in the Parish and the wider community outside. Shirley is a member of eight ministries within the Church and also volunteers for at least eight other duties and this is only some of the things mentioned at the award. We are very proud of Shirley, she is also the President of Portsmouth Branch. Nearly all of the members of Portsmouth City Section attended the National Coffee Morning. Well over 100 teas/coffees were sold and lots of gorgeous cakes made by Audrey, who was very ably assisted by her granddaughters. A tombola type raffle and a bring and buy table were also very successful. We were also pleased to welcome some members of Gosport Section who were able to join us. National Coffee Morning 2015 is proving to be a busy year for Jersey (East) Section. After our visit from the National President and the National Coffee Morning our next meeting included a talk from Mary Cahill, currently our Youth Co-Ordinator and shortly moving to becoming our Co-Ordinator for Marriage and Family. In May we held a Flower Arranging Evening in conjunction with St Martin’,s Flower Club. Maureen de Gruchy and Sandra le Vesconte are flower arrangers of international renown and will shortly be taking part in a Flower Festival in Winchester Cathedral. Several of our members are accomplished flower arrangers but most of us were complete novices and under their expert guidance we were able to complete a pretty good arrangement. For the June Meeting we got out our needles and thread to customise our new sashes –, practice had shown that one size does not necessarily fit all! In July for our Summer Meeting we will be visiting our oldest Manor House dating from the 12 th Century. The Chapel has magnificent stained glass windows created by Henry Thomas Bosdet, a Jerseyman, well known for his stained glass. For examples of his work look online at The Glass Rainbow Trust www.glassrainbowtrust.org The meeting was followed by a meal at a restaurant in St Brelade’,s Bay. We will also be joining with our friends from the West for a Quiet Day at The Oasis of Peace, the Spiritual Centre attached to the Church of St Matthieu. A group of us will be travelling to Torquay for the National AGM by which time we will be into our Autumn Programme which we hope will prove as interesting and as rewarding as our Spring/Summer Programme. Fleet and Church Crookham Section (as we are now known) have done another first. We invited ladies from all the other Christian Churches in Fleet and Church Crookham to an Afternoon Tea –, after all that is what we do best! We had a marvellous response with twenty two visitors who all not only enjoyed a special tea but also had a good two hour chat with us and with members from the different Churches. This event was to replace our usual Ecumenical lunch after our AGM. Instead after our AGM Section members enjoyed a carvery which was well received. We also put on a fantastic feast for one of our members celebrating her daughter’,s sixtieth. Does this indicate the average age of our very dedicated members and hard workers? SALFORD BRANCH AGM was attended by 70 members and guests, held once again at St Bernadette’,s, Whitefield. Holy Mass was celebrated by CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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Page 8 CWL News Summer 2015 Whitefield. Holy Mass was celebrated by our new Bishop, John Arnold. We were delighted to have our National President with us this year. Our guest speaker was Mrs Christine Joyce a Trustee of Grace’,s Place Children’,s Hospice, which is our Branch Project for the year. Anne Fox, our Branch President, surprised Mrs Joyce when she stepped forward to present her with a cheque for £,1500. This is in addition to the donation we made last year. Of interest in our reports was the continued friendship between the UCM, Mothers’, Union and the Jewish Ladies. Margaret Murray reported on the continued membership in the Council for Christians and Jews and the meetings and social time shared with them. We are planning another United in Support social evening with the UCM and Mothers’, Union which will be on July 29 th at Holy Cross College, and our aim this year is to raise £,2000 for equipment for Grace’,s Place. Lisa Lilley told us about the work being done in Heywood with the Impact Group she leads. These are the 11-16 year olds linked to YCW. Following their motto of ‘,See, Judge, Act’, the young people have worked to raise awareness of homelessness and the right to work. They raised £,500 for the homeless. The meeting was a great success even apart from the Secretary losing her report and having to read it from the President’,s IPhone. See the uses technology can provide? SHREWSBURY BRANCH Cheadle Hulme Section knitted around 40 daffodils and raised just over £,92 but with donation from Section funds will be sending a cheque for £,100.00 SOUTHWARK BRANCH Roehampton Section. Every year invitations are given by hand to all on the Home Communion List and other frail parishioners of St Joseph’,s Church, Roehampton, for this lunch held shortly after Easter. We deck our two halls with fresh flowers, lay tables as for a banquet in the Old Hall, arrange collection of our guests and welcome them from midday onwards with tea, coffee or sherry and a chat in the New Hall. This year we had our African choir followed by our Filipino choir (both excellent in their own languages and English), who prompted Ed to take his 90- year old wife Ellen (our oldest CWL member) onto the dance floor, quickly joined by others! Sr Anne then sang with her guitar in Gaelic. Lastly a very professional dance group of teenagers from our parish performed as a climax. It was a joyous occasion. Our Section has recently been blessed with a goodly number of new younger members who, together with invaluable help from other parishioners, made it all possible Marjorie Farrell, one of the founder members of Orpington Section, has been in frequent contact with Fr Garry Jenkins who has been in Northern Liberia at St. Dominic’,s parish, Bomi Hills for 38 years. After his Ordination, Fr Garry spent some time in Orpington and has always kept in touch. The Ebola outbreak affected Liberia badly. From his Easter Newsletter to Marjorie, we learned that there had been no new cases in Bomi for a week, thank God. The Easter celebrations were joyful with 13 adult baptisms and 25 children also baptised. One weekend, Gerry Fane, chairman of the Section, told the congregation all about Fr Garry and his missionary work. As a result, one of Holy Innocents’, parishioners, Andrew Jones, suggested to Fr Victor Vella, Parish Priest, that we have a collection for St. Dominic’,s. This raised £,4,000. WESTMINSTER BRANCH held its AGM on 23 rd May at Adeyfield (Hemel Hempstead). Angela Greenidge, and Teresa Baldwinson were presented with flowers by Margaret Richards (Region 7) as they came to the end of their period of office. Angela had organised some certificates for members who had served the League for 40 years. This is a new idea which will now continue and take the form of Long Service certificates, a lovely way to recognise individual member’,s dedicated time and work with the League. Cockfosters Section held its annual Lenten Retreat, this year led again by Sister Catherine Quayne of the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy - a peaceful, spiritual and very inspiring day away from our daily routine, beginning with Mass and ending with the Stations of the Cross, as seen through Mary’,s eyes while following her Son to His passion. In May we visited Buckden Towers, near St Neots, Cambridgeshire, owned by the Claretian missionaries. The Claret Centre offers a range of facilities for individuals and groups and we were made very welcome with refreshments on arrival, followed by a guided tour informing us of the fascinating 900 year history of the site, formerly, for several centuries, the residence of the Bishops of Lincoln. The buildings in use today date from the late 15 th - 20 th century and Queen Katherine of Aragon’,s lovely Tudor Knot garden was reconstructed in 1995. Lunch was served following the tour. As it was WUCWO day, Fr. Christopher Newman, CMF, celebrated Mass for us during the afternoon in the modern chapel of St Hugh of Lincoln at Buckden Towers and we were delighted to be joined by the Buckden CWL and the UCM from St Neot’,s parish. The weather was dry and warm, and we set off for the return journey fortified with the tea and biscuits provided - tired, but spiritually enriched by God’,s blessings on this lovely day. BRANCH NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 Great entertainment at Roehamptonʼ,s Party for house-bound parishioners

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CWL News Summer 2015 Page 9 Doctor Attracta Genevieve Rewcastle OBE CWL National President 1936-1939 In the almost 110 years of the history of the Catholic Womenʼ,s League there have been many dynamic National Presidents, some of whom held the office for many years. One such President was Doctor Genevieve Rewcastle. On Monday 23 rd May 1938 an estimated 10,000 Catholic women from Canada. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Ceylon and Malta filled the Albert Hall, attending a rally organised by the Catholic Women’,s League of England and Wales. In the presence of Cardinal Hinsley, the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Bishop of Achonry in Ireland and other members of the Hierarchy, they heard the National President of the CWL, Doctor Genevieve Rewcastle, explain that the object of the rally was to profess publicly their interest in the physical, mental and moral needs of their peoples and to hold up the traditional Christian ideals of British manhood and womanhood to the younger generation. Attracta Genevieve neé, Candon was born in 1897 in the county of Roscommon in Ireland, in the small town of Ballaghedeeren. She was the third of six daughters and one son of Bartholomew and Winifred Condon, who lived at 10 Main Street, at the time of the 1911 census. Her upbringing was decidedly very Catholic. In 1860 the large Church with a clock and very tall steeple, in this small town, was dedicated as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Anchory. There were Catholic schools aplenty in the area, many run by teaching orders of nuns who fostered a sense of vocation in young women and also encouraged them to pursue educational goals and university education. At this time Southern Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom Enabling Act of 1876 allowed women to become medical students. However, the Irish Medical Institutions of the 1880s to the 1920s were more open to the idea of women studying medicine. As a result Genevieve decided to study at Queen’,s College Galway where she matriculated in 1915-16 and later graduated M.B. BCh. BAO (Bachelor of Obstetrics,) from the National University, Dublin, in 1921. After being House Physician at St. Ultan’,s hospital in Dublin she applied for and was appointed Assistant School Medical Officer in Sheffield. In 1926 she married Cuthbert S. Rewcastle KC and they had three children. By 1931 Dr. Genevieve was in private practice but also working part time in the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children as personal clinical assistant to Doctor Donald Paterson. He was Canadian and something of a pioneer in treating children suffering from coeliac disease. At the Annual Council and Conference of the Catholic Women`s League, held in Liverpool from 21 st –, 24 th October 1936, the Archbishop of Liverpool opened the Conference speaking on Phases of Catholic Citizenship. Dr. Rewcastle in her Presidential address stressed the two points –, ‘,the need for a strong well-informed Catholic public opinion and the duty of Catholics to take their full share in the responsibility of administration by standing for election to municipal bodies’,. In WWI a 1916 recruitment poster urged women to volunteer to “,Free a man for sea service”, as they were needed to take on the jobs previously done by men. Women certainly proved their worth in munition factories, machine shops, building the airplanes and even domestic postal and delivery services. In 1939 when war broke out this poster was used again. Doctor Genevieve volunteered and was appointed Medical Superintendent for the Women’,s Royal Naval Service, the WRNS, which was rapidly re-established, to replace men in supporting roles on shore but also to fill new roles previously open to men only. In 1940 she was commissioned in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and so had the distinction of being the first woman doctor to be appointed to the Royal Navy. This fact was reported overseas in major newspapers and eventually in such as the Deseret News, of Salt Lake City, Utah the edition of January 1941 under the heading, “,British Women Work well in Emergencies. War Makes places for patriot women never dreamed of in peace times.”, She was appointed to the Staff of the medical director of the Royal Navy as his assistant. In 1945 she was promoted to the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant Commander and at that time was the only woman to hold that rank. Her professional skills and experience enabled her to play an important part in maintaining an efficient medical service for women in the Navy and she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her wartime services. War, once again, had given women the opportunity to show what they could achieve, there were 460000 women in the armed forces, 74000 of whom were in the WRNS and a further 6.5 million in civilian war work. Without their contribution, our war effort would have been severely weakened. Even so it wasn’,t until 1990, that women first became integrated into the Royal Navy and actually went to sea, the WRNS subsequently being abolished in 1993. Women have continued to achieve success in many fields in the RN since. From 2013 it was announced that women would join their male counterparts in submarines and women have also been given Command of Frigates and recently a fleet of 17 Fast Patrol Boats. In 1945, released from the Royal Navy, Dr. Rewcastle returned to Great Ormond Street where she took the Diploma in Child Health (DCH) but still found time for her Catholic aspirations and served as President of the National Board of Catholic Women, from 1945 to 1947. After the war the health of children was generally better than at any other time in history. Vaccines against polio, measles and rubella were developed in the 1950’,s. The 1948 National Health Service was one of the major achievements of Atlee’,s Labour government which in turn gave rise to many agencies and Dr. Genevieve went to work as a maternity and child welfare officer in South-East London. In 1950, perhaps recalling her address at the Catholic Women’,s League Annual Meeting and Conference in Liverpool in 1936, “,that the duty of Catholics was to take their full share in the responsibility of administration by standing for election to municipal bodies,”, she stood as the Conservative candidate in the 1950 General Election for Willesden West but was defeated by the Labour candidate. In 1951 tragedy struck the family. On 16 th April the submarine HMS Affray set out on a simulated war mission, for training. She and her entire ships company were declared missing on 17 th April having vanished in the English Channel in an area called Hurds Deep. On board was Sub Lieutenant A.G.C. Rewcastle, Genevieve’,s son. Despite extensive searching the submarine was not found until almost 50 years later. HMS Affray is a war grave and the final resting place of 75 naval personnel. A dedicated professional woman committed to using her talents for the benefit of others, especially women and children- Doctor Attracta Genevieve Rewcastle, died on the 18 th February 1954. Barbara Stitt, Leeds Branch President Courtesy of Planet News / Science &, Society Picture Library. Courtesy of Planet News / Science &, Society Picture Library.

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Page 10 CWL News Summer 2015 CathCom are very proud to be the publishers of the CWL News To advertise please contact Caroline Gonella at CathCom on 01223 969506 or email carolineg@cathcom.org We are asked to remember in our prayers the following members who have died BRENTWOOD BRANCH CHAPLAIN Fr James McCormack, the long-standing and much loved parish priest of Our Lady of Light &, St Osyth in Clacton, died suddenly but peacefully on 16 th May. He will be much missed by his parishioners and CWL members in the Diocese. The feast of St Margaret Clitherow in 2012 was celebrated by members of CWL Brentwood Branch with a trip to Clacton. A superb lunch was followed by a visit to the Parish of St Peter and Paul, Osyth and a visit to St Michael’,s Convent and Care Home. Throughout the day Fr Jim regaled us with the history of St Osyth, St Margaret Ward, St Anne Line, St Margaret Pole and of course our Patron St Margaret Clitherow. The latter three are each commemorated in stained glass windows within the Convent/Care Home. CARDIFF BRANCH Helen Lawrence, former member of Cardiff Section. Anne Melita Dowson, member of Swansea Small Section, died on 31 st May. DEVON BRANCH Kitty Wort, Paignton Section Maureen Tickle, Mary Kneble and Gill Courtis, Ivybridge Section DORSET BRANCH Kathleen Cheeseman, who was 92 when she died this year, was well known in Dorset and in the Region as she was Area ( now Branch) chair from 1977, then Plymouth Branch President and served on the National Executive in the 1980s. She was a dedicated representative for Our Lady`s Catechists even while she was serving as an officer in CWL. From 1974 until she retired in 2004 she was active on the children`s postal course and prepared a number of children for confirmation. She reported regularly at Branch meetings beginning always, ‘,The work goes on...’, She gained recognition for her work when she was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice cross in 1989, the highest award given to the laity by the Pope. In 2001 she received the Diocesan award from Bishop Christopher Budd for faithful service and in 2013 an Apostolic Blessing for her long and devoted service to the church and to the parish of Holy Trinity, Dorchester. EAST ANGLIA Jean Stobbart and Maureen Easter, both from Fakenham, died within a few days of each other. Both ladies had been members of the League for many years and been Section Officers on more than one occasion. HEXHAM &, NEWCASTLE BRANCH Mary Stavely of Birtley Section. As a young girl she lived in Leyland in Lancashire. While waiting for a place at College to do her training, she used to go with her mother to help at the Forces Canteen in Preston. Mary received a medal for her work from the Services Committee. After her retirement as a teacher at Birtley she joined the League and was a great help doing all the usual League work. She did Church cleaning well into her 80’,s. She is sadly missed. Maureen Birkett of Fenham Section. LEEDS BRANCH Mara Russell- Pavier, 1929-2015 was a loyal member of Harrogate Section and Leeds Branch for 55 years and in that time rarely missed a meeting. Her interests during her years in the CWL included the plight of refugees, affordable housing projects, International relations, and WUCWO. She was also a member of the United Nations Association, chaired many committees in Harrogate and District, taught Italian, organised student exchange visits, and tours to Italy, especially Rome. She reached out to others, always ready to greet a newcomer, engage them in conversation and rarely forgot anyone’,s name. Mara was a Great Grandmother to an extended family and friend to multitudes. MIDDLESBROUGH BRANCH Christine Clarke, of Cottingham Section, died suddenly on 6 th March. She was a loyal and active member. Christine, a retired teacher, was a school governor, a catechist and Chair of the Diocesan Women`s Commission, She will be very much missed. Mary Dodds, aged 97 years, a founder member, with Lady Phillips, of the current Middlesbrough Branch which was inaugurated in 1956 by the late Bishop Brunner. Mary was the first Branch Secretary 1956-1959 and 1970-1971. She was Branch President from 1971-1975. Mary was a JP for many years in the Hull Courts and at the time of her appointment was the youngest lady Magistrate in the country. NORTHAMPTON BRANCH Edna Driver a long-standing and supportive member of Aylesbury Section. Pauline Rafter of Burnham Section. PORTSMOUTH BRANCH Catherine (Kay) Robinson and Marguerite Horrigan, Portsmouth City Section –, Catherine travelled in from Fareham to the Cathedral each month in order to attend meetings and joined in all our planned activities both spiritual and social, contributing to everything with her great sense of humour. She also served as our Section Secretary for 5 years until 2013. Marguerite was a very private lady with a sharp and intelligent mind. She was very knowledgeable about world affairs and had a strong sense of justice. Sadly, she had been unable to attend meetings for a while but kept in touch with our secretary by phone. SOUTHWARK BRANCH Nancy Boorer was a much-loved member of Orpington Section. She died in December 2014 in her nineties and had been an enthusiastic member of the Section. Anne Brown died on 16 th May. She had been a very active lady at Holy Innocents helping with the Luncheon Club, Chairman of the Parish Council as well as an active member of CWL. She hailed from Canada and in her youth represented Canada as part of the Olympic Skating Team. WESTMINSTER BRANCH Chris Neumann sadly passed away on 23 rd March following a long illness. Chris was a valued member of Welwyn Garden City Section. She joined the League soon after she returned from Australia (c 1977) and held the role of Treasurer for some years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was also involved in setting up weekly coffee mornings which she loved to attend despite the illness which she bravely lived with.She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE COPY DEADLINE DATE 16 th October 2015 Any amendments to distribution, notify the National Secretary CWL AT WORK From the National Treasurer I attended a Reception at the House of Lords on 21 st April 2015 as your Catholic Women’,s League representative. The Reception was hosted by Baroness Hayman GBE and was held by the Disasters Emergency Committee as a ‘,thankyou’, to major supporters during 2014. On behalf of the CWL, the Trustees had donated a total of £,15,000 towards the Gaza Appeal and the Ebola Crisis. The Disasters Emergency Committee is made up of 13 major charities including British Red Cross, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Action Aid, Oxfam and Save the Children. After a Welcome speech by Baroness Hayman we were invited to listen to 4 speakers, most of whom were leading doctors/ consultants who had volunteered to go out and work in the troubled areas of Gaza and Sierra Leone. The talks were very graphic and certainly brought home to all those present some of the horrific conditions in which they had to work. Indeed, there was a protective suit available for anyone to try on and one person who did said how hot and uncomfortable the suit was for a period of five minutes and that was on a glorious spring evening on the banks of the Thames - so imagine what they were like to be wearing them for long periods in countries like Sierra Leone. Since then I have received another invitation to attend a talk in Jersey on the 3 rd July 2015. This is being given by Chris Bain, Director of CAFOD. As I live in Jersey there will be no travelling involved! CWL have, of course, supported CAFOD over the years on many projects and it must also be remembered that when the CWL received a very generous legacy from Marjorie van Den Bosch that CAFOD also received an identical amount. I shall look forward to having the opportunity to meet with Chris Bain and will report in the next CWL News. Jeanette Collins

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CWL News Summer 2015 Page 11 Church Pews Uncomfortable? Why not try top quality upholstered foam pew cushions? Safefoam, Green Lane, Riley Green, Hoghton, Preston PR5 0SN www.safefoam.co.uk Freephone 0800 015 44 33 Free Sample Pack of foam &, fabrics sent by first clss mail When phoning please quote MV101 Our five superb hotels offer a warm, family welcome, providing the very best in Christian hospitality in some of the most beautiful parts of England We have 100 years of experience in arranging school visits, church conferences, group visits and holidays, so call or email us today! We’,re more than happy to discuss your requirements with you. Email groups@christianguild.co.uk or call 015395 32896 www.christianguild.co.uk Abbot Hall Hotel, South Lakes –, 015395 32896 Lindors Country House Hotel, Wye Valley –, 01594 530283 Sidholme Hotel, Devon –, 01395 515104 Treloyhan Manor Hotel, Cornwall –, 01736 796240 Willersley Castle Hotel, Derbyshire Dales –, 01629 582270 A Christian Guild hotel is the perfect venue for your School Visit, Church Conference, Holidays or Groups Visits When the National President gets baking she looks for inspira- tion from CWLʼ,s very own Recipe Book. Here are her sugges- tions for Summer Afternoon Tea. English Paradise Cake - a recipe from an early-20thcentury pastry/pie shop in Lancashire sent to the Millenium Cook Book by Sylvia Richmond –, Cromer Section Oven Gas Mark 4/180C/350F Baking time 35-40 minutes Ingredients 4 oz (110g) butter or margarine 4oz (110g) Caster sugar 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp chopped nuts 2 tbsp Ground rice 2oz (60g) red cherries 2oz (60g) Mixed peel 3oz (85g) Sultanas For Shortcrust Pastry 4oz (110g) flour 2oz (60g) fat (lard or margarine) Method 1. Make shortcrust pastry with the fl,our and fat. Rub together until they form breadcrumbs. Add a little water at a time and mix (use your hands for this part) until the mixture comes together in a ball and wipes the bowl clean. 2. Line the base of a 9x11x1 ½, inch (23x28x4cm) tin with grease- proof paper. Place the rolled out pastry on top and up the sides of the dish. 3. Cream the butter with the caster sugar and add the beaten egg. Add all the other ingredients and spread the mixture over the short-crust pastry in the tin. 4. Bake at Gas Mark 4/180C/350F for 35-40 minutes until firm to the touch. Scotch Pancakes from Mary O. Somers, St Hugh’,s Section, Borrowash, Derby, Not- tingham Branch Cooking time 20 minutes Serves 12 Ingredients 1 teacup plain flour 1 level tsp cream of tartar ½, tsp bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 egg ½, tsp olive oil 2 tbsp milk Method 1. Mix dry ingredients. Beat the egg and add to mixture. Add milk and mix to make a dropping consistency. Add olive oil. 2. With a small piece of fat in a thin cloth, grease a griddle pan. Take a little of the mixture in a dessertspoon, drop into pan. Turn when the bubbles rise. Repeat to lightly brown the underside. 3. Repeat the process until the batch is completed. 4. Serve the same day, lightly buttered. Irish Barm Brack From Marie Honan - Ealing Section, Westminster Branch Oven Gas Mark 3/160C/325F Time 1 ½, (+) hours, leave for 24 hours Serves 12 (+) Ingredients 1lb (450g) mixed dried fruit 1 tsp mixed spice 1 cup (breakfast cup) soft brown sugar 1 dessertspoon brandy 1 cup cold tea 1 large egg beaten 2 cups self-raising flour pinch of salt Method 1. Overnight, soak the fruit, sugar, tea and brandy in a large bowl. Stir well and cover 2. Next day add egg flour salt and spice. Mix with a metal spoon and put in a loaf tin, lined and greased. 3. Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 3/160C/325F. Test after 1 ½, hours, it may need a little longer. Leave in the tin for a further hour 4. Transfer to a wire rack. Leave uncovered for 24 hours before cut- ting and buttering. Welsh Cakes From Joan Harvey - Beckenham Section, Southwark Branch Ingredients to make 20 cakes 1lb (450g) self-raising flour 4-6oz (110-170g) Lard A little margarine 6oz (170g) sugar 2 eggs beaten A little milk Dried fruits, peel, glace cherries as preferred Method 1. Rub fat into flour. Add all other ingredients and mix to a pliable dough, using beaten eggs and as much milk to give the right consistency for rolling out and cutting circles ¼, inch (6mm) thick. 2. Using a greased hotplate or heavy based frying pan, cook cakes slowly turning once when brown. 3. Place on a tea towel to cool 4. Serve sprinkled with sugar or spread with butter (if feeling extravagant) Recipes from around the British Isles Owing to the shortage of space in this edition there follows here a brief summary of the work of CWL Team members. Full Reports are available from the National Secretary at natsec@cwlhq.org.uk A total of 24,914 applications from refugees and asylum seekers were received by the Home Office in 2014. During that same period some 282 families/individuals applied for a grant, via a registered agency, to the CWL Relief and Refugee Team. All your donations, and clothing via the Catholic Clothing Guild, have made such a difference to the lives of asylum seekers struggling to live in the UK with little support. The grants have been gratefully received and the Team’,s sincere thanks to you all are offered here. Alison Love, Health and Family Officer, has attended two conferences - Family Life International Conference on 2nd May and in June a conference hosted by the National Spirituality and Mental Health Forum. The General Election has meant that there has been very little activity in Parliament. Frances Canning is looking forward to the private members ballot when the measures surrounding assisted dying will be before Parliament and she will keep members up to date. Branches and Sections have been asked to look at the action points for two of the Resolutions agreed at the WUCWO World Assembly in Fatima, October 2014. Margaret Valentine (contacts page 2) is keen to hear what CWL is doing to support this important work. Bernie Townsend, Services Committee, is pleased to report that a plaque, presented to Mrs Edna Swan from CWL Branches (British Forces of the Rhine) in 1951 has found a new home in the Army Foundation College in Harrogate. Finally, Margaret von Speyr, Publicity Officer, reports that she was able to attend two very different locations for the 2015 National Coffee Morning –, one in the heat of Brisbane and the other in the somewhat cooler climes of St Alban’,s. This year East Anglia are the winners of the number of cups served. We will let you know as soon as possible the date of next year’,s Coffee Morning. CWL AT WORK The plaque

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Page 12 CWL News Summer 2015 A Dorset link to St David of Wales On Sunday 1 st March, St David’,s Day, a new statue of the patron saint of Wales was unveiled and blessed at Mass in the RC Metropolitan Cathedral in Cardiff by Canon Peter Collins, Dean of the Cathedral. This large statue was designed and hand carved from one piece of Welsh oak by Dr Beatrice Fannon, who has been resident in Wales for almost 15 years. However, formerly she attended St Augustine’,s RC Primary School in Weymouth, Dorset, and was a parishioner at St Augustine’,s Church in Weymouth until leaving for University in Cardiff to read for a degree in English Literature. Proud mum, Joyce Fannon, CWL Weymouth Section member, other family members, friends and colleagues of the sculptress joined the congregation to celebrate the Mass. The wonderful Cathedral choir sang the Kyrie from The Mass for Three voices (Byrd), the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei in plainchant and in addition there featured a Communion Anthem from the Office of St David. The final hymn was in Welsh, with words by Lewis Valentine to the music Finlandia by Sibelius, praying that the faith in Wales be defended and Wales become a haven for truth and loyalty to Christ. St David was a sixth century saint and a contemporary of St Patrick, both giants of the Celtic Church. The statue shows him with a bishop’,s crozier but also shows him dressed simply as the monk he was too. The dove resting on his shoulder represents the Holy Spirit inspiring his life and his preaching. Canon Peter Collins and Dr Beatrice Fannon in front of St David

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