Happy Easter! And may the joy of the Risen Christ shine in your lives!

This year I will be completing my five year term as Spiritual Advisor for the League. By all counts, it was an invaluable experience of education and growth! I was taken by surprise when Bishop Doug Crosby asked me to take on this assignment and wondered how it would turn out. From the first gathering in Marystown to the present day, I have had nothing but peace and joy in this ministry. I enjoyed the traveling and gatherings very much! So I am very grateful for the opportunity to have served in this capacity. I see in the League a very strong group of members dedicated to the goals and objectives of the church. I also see a group who conduct lively meetings, faith development sessions and practical outreach services in all the parishes in which they serve. Above all, there’s a wonderful sense of joy and happiness in the members! All this speaks to a wonderful association of women who are promoting peace and dignity in our province, and our country.

Our Provincial convention in June will see a new Spiritual Advisor being named and I will have gone full circle in this ministry. I hope it will be equally rewarding for him. In the meantime, I will hold this experience dear and be eager to contribute in any way I can to the great work of the Catholic Women’s League. From the beginning, I was struck with the League Prayer and it richness. I have it tacked on to my regular prayer and say it daily.

Congratulations to Marie Raymond, Ellen Kilfroy and Agnes Kenny who served as Provincial President during my tenure. I took part in all the gatherings and even made it to three National Conventions! Let us be renewed in the fun and faith development the League promotes. May our Lady of Good Counsel guide and direct you in all your efforts to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.

Rev. Edward Terry, Spiritual Advisor.

Easter 2011

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“Teach us to share with each other.....”

I don’t know about you, but I’m wondering what’s taking Lent so long to come round this year? Not only is Lent late, but Easter is, from what I gather, the latest date possible. All this seasonal timing has to do with the movements of the moon of course so we simply have to wait it out. The countdown to Lent is on, nonetheless, so it’s a special time to focus on what God wants of us in preparation for Easter. Church is about one thing: community. We build that community where God finds us. We also reach out to other communities at home and throughout the world to share our Faith, Hope and Love with the many. For me, sharing takes us to the heart of God. The word is built right into the League prayer. It’s a constant call to Christian maturity. Sharing is what the Gospel is all about, the proclamation of the Good News. God shared life with us. We are missioned to do the same. The Catholic Women’s League takes great comfort in sharing the blessings we have received with others. Now is the time for each of us to consider how we will share our time, our talent and our treasure this Lenten season. It presents us with special opportunities to make our work vibrant and alive. My prayer is that this graced time will lead us into new sharings - the kind that will bring us to where the need is, perhaps, the greatest. Happy Lent!

Rev. Ed Terry, Spiritual Advisor

February 17, 2011

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“God loved the world so much...” Jn. 3:15.

I recently heard the radio announcer say, “most of us don’t realize we’re into the final week of shopping before Christmas.” That’s because the feast falls on Saturday this year - a day most of us associate with the buying of everything from groceries to furniture. It also suggests we are so busy, we hardly know the days of the week anymore. And that’s the way things are. We’re programmed to go. Christmas is a call to wonder - at God and ourselves. It all took place to remind us of God’s plan of salvation kept secret through the ages but shown in the face of the new born king. It becomes incumbent on us, therefore, to get the work done yet to bring wonder to the work and make everything a ministry - a service to God and each other. If this is to happen, we need to make frequent stops along the way to thank God for the great love we have known in Christ. It means thinking of God in everything and lifting ourselves into the spirit of joy and celebration. True, there are many challenges to this thinking; yet, God never forgets us so why should we get bogged down in the business of the day and so risk forgetting his great love for us. We can’t do much about the steady pace, but we can make it more meaningful through constant thanks and praise. It’s in this spirit, I wish you - the Catholic Women’s League of Canada - every blessing in this year’s celebration of Christmas. Remembering our League prayer, we ask God to make us generous so as to share with everyone the gift we received in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.

Rev. Ed Terry, Spiritual Advisor

December 19, 2010

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BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WAIT:

We are into the season of Advent - the period of joyful waiting for the Christmas season in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus our savior. The old lament that Advent gets lost in the cards may hold some truth but it don’t have to be the case for active believers. The fact remains that it can be a very productive period of preparation. Each of us can and should examine ourselves and do some personal stock taking as to how we can spend this time making the most of the moment. Options are ample: Extra prayer especially daily participation at Mass; the advent wreath in the home with prayer for meal times as we light the various candles, and a host of excellent works ranging from visitation to those in need, participation in seasonal concerts, assisting in the food drives etc. All these can become big signposts of our disposition to celebrate Christmas with minds and hearts renewed. So how about it? What personal stamp will you and I put on standard material in preparation? The big ticket items - gifts, Santa shopping, cooking and cleaning usually take care of themselves. God is looking for the little things that make the house a home. With so much to be done here and abroad, that home extends itself to the ends of the earth. Happy Advent!

Rev. Ed Terry, Spiritual Advisor

November 24, 2010

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November: Month of the Holy Souls

I think I love the month of November but I’m not sure! I always looked on it as a drag to December! And on with you know what! The Church sees it differently. This is designated as the month of the Holy Souls - a special time of remembrance, a time of prayer for our deceased family members, relatives and friends and, indeed, all the faithful departed. There’s a song in the Catholic Book of Worship III which captures the reason for this remembrance nicely. It’s #641 and goes, “Remember those, O Lord, who in your peace have died, yet may not gain love’s high reward till love is purified!” It changes the focus from suffering to purification. I think it’s a lovely reason to pray for the dead. They were wanted by God from the first moment of their conception; but now, their response to that love may need purifying. From that comes the word purgatory - literally the purging of the soul. Combined with our faith, it makes good sense. So we pray for them this month. We also visit our cemeteries as a reminder that we, too, are moving forward to the kingdom. Many of our parishes invite people to submit names of their dead for remembrance s in the intercessions. It’s all part of a vision of being reunited with our brothers and sisters where, “every fear will be undone and death will be no more.” Amen.

Rev. Ed Terry, Spiritual Advisor

November 2, 2010

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At the start of a new semester, I extend every good wish and prayer to the members of the League. I have been keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. The League prayer is part of my regular reflection. In particular, I commend those who offered to serve on the executive - some with relatively short notice. Your energy and enthusiasm is obvious and very heartening.

Our annual Fall meeting is fast approaching. I look forward to this gathering. It provides the executive and the presidents with an opportunity for faith development and updates; it’s like a retreat experience and is always refreshing.

All of us are looking forward to the provincial convention next year in Corner Brook. There’s much to be done and I’m mindful of the planning process.

This will be our best year yet as we strive to make our league vibrant and attractive for new membership.

Rev. Ed Terry, Spiritual Advisor

Thursday, September 2, 2010

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COMMENTARY ON THE LEAGUE PRAYER:

We humbly pray you, O God our Father, to bless the Catholic Women’s League of Canada

Comment: We are the biggest national association of women in the country.

We are for God and Canada. We exist because of blessings bestowed on us.

Bless our beloved country, our homes and families

Comment: Canada is among the richest nations on earth. We promote the family, Christian marriage, the love of husband and wife, the begetting and education of children in ways of Faith, Hope and Love.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us to give light to our minds and strength to our wills that we may know and fulfill your great law of charity.

Comment: Only in the Spirit can we be enthusiastic about our work as members of the league. In the end, the only question that will matter is, “Did you love one another?”

Teach us to share with others at home and abroad the good things you have given us.

Comment: Concern for and outreach to others is what we specialize in.

This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ and the intercession of our patroness, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Amen.

Comment: Our prayer, like all prayer, combines praise of God with petitioning God to continue blessing us. Mary has a pivotal role in asking God’s blessing on us. She is mother to all of us and everyone who asks her intercession will know the peace and joy she obtains for us.