06/08/2022
CWL NATIONAL COUNCIL VISIT TO PRETORIA JULY 2022
An invitation was extended to the CWL National Council to attend Pretoria’s diocesan AGM. Anne Deary, Pat McEwen, Susan van der Valk, and Michaela Peart were happy to accept the request and travelled north to meet their fellow CWL members.
The AGM began at 9am on Saturday with Mass at the parish of Maria Regina in Lyttelton, celebrated by Archbishop Mpako, parish priest Fr Joseph Puliyilakat, and CWL chaplain Fr Thomas Vanderkunnel. The CWL members in attendance raised the roof with their joyful and exuberant singing.
The business part of the morning got underway in the parish hall and was efficiently run by Nthabiseng Chipane. Nkuli Shinga, who had served as the interim president since the resignation of the elected president due to ill-health, presented the annual diocesan report. As has been the case country wide, the Covid restrictions had severely hampered their activities but despite this, they have managed to continue with works of charity.
Anne Deary was asked to speak on the theme chosen by Cape Town for their 3-year stint as the national management committee – Unity in the Spirit through the Bonds of Peace (Eph 4;3). She was given a rousing welcome by the meeting, with singing to raise the roof again. In her talk, she stressed that as members of the League, we are united in prayer, work, and spirit. She urged us to concentrate on what unites us, not what divides us, and in doing so, to remain united in peace, prayer, and faith.
Then it was time for the election of a new president and vice-president for the diocesan council, and it was here that we visitors from Cape Town earned our keep, so to speak, by counting the votes.
The new office-bearers were greeted with more wonderful singing and the business part of the day came to a joyous conclusion, after which we all enjoyed a delicious finger lunch.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Pretoria Catholic Women's League for the invitation to join them, their warm and friendly welcome, and the gifts presented to us. We wish them every success in their term of office and may God bless them and all their branches in their endeavours to serve their communities.