2005 Annual Report of Newfoundland and Labrador
Provincial President Marie Raymond

Workshops and spiritual reflections were held with the support of the National Development Fund and religious sisters. A Liturgy of Awakening was held with 11 councils present and the same services were held in 19 other councils. A service for the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel was held and every council prayed together as companions on the journey.

Spiritual development
Spiritual nourishment of members was taken very seriously over the past year. Events such as beginning meetings with a mass or prayer services, honouring the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, holding days of reflection and retreats, taking part in the World Day of Prayer and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and participating in lay ministry helped in members' spiritual growth. Members supported Catholic Missions In Canada.

Organization
Membership is up to 1,003 in 30 parishes and includes 11 life members. Maintaining membership was one concern of councils, and it was felt that personal invitations were the best tool for doing this. Some of the membership activities over the past year included orientation programs and receptions for new members, workshops, and discussions of articles in The Canadian League. At the end of the year, members gathered to compile reports.

Christian family life
Members supported the Right to Life Association and Elizabeth House financially and in kind. They continued to write letters to government members concerning the legal definition of marriage, protection of human life and child care expenses. They set up displays and provided attachments in their parish bulletins for National Family Week and held workshops with guest speakers on elder abuse and euthanasia.

Community life
Members placed wreaths at local war memorials and held socials for seniors. They supported Gathering Place, Seniors Recourse Centre, Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Kids Eat Smart program and parish food banks, both financially and with donated goods.

Education and health
Members kept informed about education and health by: visiting health websites significant to women; encouraging members to monitor their usage of water as millions of people do not have clean water; reminding members of genetically modified foods; inviting guest speakers to talk on ovarian cancer; supporting the children's catechetical library; writing letters to federal ministers concerning the National Strategy of Suicide Prevention, healthy living for life and education on marijuana. Members supported the Canadian Cancer Society and MaterCare International and donated blood.

Communications
Councils took an active part in the Ribbon of Signatures campaign by sending the ribbons and signatures to Ottawa as well as sending letters and petitions to members of parliament (MPs). Photographs were taken at all functions and placed in albums for members and potential members to see. Various kinds of cards, including mass cards, were sent to twin councils. Get well cards and congratulations were sent to members. Use of parish bulletin boards, local newspapers, telephone and local television channels helped to get messages and information out to members and the public. Minutes of meetings were mailed to members who could not attend.

Resolutions
A complete list of resolutions adopted at the national convention was given to members to act upon. Two resolutions were explained and discussed at each monthly council meeting. Councils supported the resolutions with letter writing and petitions.

Legislation
Members looked at how a government bill is passed and the status of other bills and will continue to monitor the resolutions and write letters to their MPs if need be.