Experts in Humanity
103rd Regina Diocesan CWL Convention
President’s Oral Report of April 18th, 2026
I am pleased to report to you today; to let you know what members in their councils and communities have accomplished since we last met. There are many numbers and statistics about our councils and regions that you can delve into in the report book. But I would like to give you a broader overview, a view from the balcony so to speak.
Since our beginnings 103 years ago, we have built and continue to maintain a strong foundation as Catholic Women of faith, in service and mission in the Regina diocese. This slide is from the national manual on leadership. The images and titles depicted are the ten themes that were prayerfully selected by each incoming national president for their two-year terms from 2002 to 2024. These images really capture the qualities of our members and the League.
We are each called, one by one, to join this body of women who have seen the Lord, who are centered on faith and justice[1], who cast out into the deep, to love one another, as companions on the journey.
We live as women of peace and hope, inspired by the spirit, to be Catholic and live it.
And with one heart, one voice, and one mission, we care for our common home and for all the souls that dwell here.[2]
Wow! Don’t you agree that this aptly describes the CWL in the Regina diocese, and everyone assembled here? Who, when asked, have responded: “Here I am, Lord, send me”, 2024 – 2026. You are inspirational.
From Dilexit Nos[3], Pope Francis speaks to us about the human experience. Life is complex, life is fragmented; this is the human condition. We will have joys, we will have failures, we will know growth, and we will all know loss. But there is hope in our hearts.
Papa Francesca says, “The heart that beats in each of us, makes all authentic bonds possible.”
He goes on to say, “This profound core, present in every man and woman, is not that of the soul, but of the entire person in his or her unique psychosomatic identity.
Everything finds its unity in the heart, which can be the dwelling-place of love in all its spiritual, psychic and even physical dimensions. In a word, if love reigns in our hearts, we become, in a complete and luminous way, the persons we are meant to be.
For every human being is created above all else for love. In the deepest fiber of our being, we were made to love and to be loved.” 21
Across the diocese, our members have met the challenges of our ordinary lives and also attend to the needs of those around us in a multitude of ways. Every day. We have gathered in the Morning Star, Regina, Southwest, and Weyburn regions for retreats and workshops. We have gathered for semi-annual regional meetings.
Local councils continue to serve the needs of the bereaved, in ministries for vigils and funeral Masses, funeral choirs, and funeral lunches. Many local councils provide social gatherings to maintain friendships with our members and elderly parishioners; with Christmas socials, potluck suppers, membership teas and a June social gathering.
We give aid to school lunch programs, food banks and shelters. Many nimble fingers create lap quilts and crochet baby blankets. We offer gifts of prayer books and other religious items to children in our sacramental programs, and scholarships to a graduate of our catholic high school.
And we pray. We pray as individuals; we pray as a sisterhood wherever and whenever we gather. We offer prayers of supplication and petition for our families, our parishes, and our communities. We pray for our deceased CWL sisters and for all of the loved ones who have gone before us.
We are the experts in humanity that Pope Francis calls for. He tells us, “The heart of Christ is ‘ecstasy’, openness, gift and encounter. In that heart, we learn to relate to one another in wholesome and happy ways, and to build up in this world God’s kingdom of love and justice. Our hearts, united with the heart of Christ, are capable of working this social miracle. Taking the heart seriously, then, has consequences for society as a whole.” 28-29
This heart of Christ is what I see in you as catholic women. It is what ignites the passion in each of us to empower His mission. It is exactly what compels us to speak out for social justice, and to listen and accompany each other through the hard parts of life. It is the strength and gentleness of spirit that prompts us, with open palms, to hold not only the brokenness, but also the hope.
With the immensity of love we have, echoed and multiplied through the hearts of all of the women of the CWL in our diocese, we are working a social miracle. Every day.
Well done, good and faithful servants. Well done.
This concludes my report.
Linda Maddaford is the past-president for the Regina Diocesan CWL. She is a retired businesswoman and accountant now living in rural Saskatchewan. Gardening, berry picking, pickling, preserving and jam making occupy the summer months and provide balance to her volunteer commitments.
Motto : “Bloom where you are planted.”
[1] Centered on Faith and Justice was the theme of own HLH Velma Harasen of Regina, Sask during her term as national president.
[2] Slide 7 from The Joy of Leadership CWL Workbook, Module 2.
[3] Dilexit Nos Encyclical Letter, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/20241024-enciclica-dilexit-nos.html
Linda Maddaford is the past-president for the Regina Diocesan CWL. She is a retired businesswoman and accountant now living in rural Saskatchewan. Gardening, berry picking, pickling, preserving and jam making occupy the summer months and provide balance to her volunteer commitments.
Motto : “Bloom where you are planted.”
