Rolande Chernichan, National Chairperson of Faith, September 15, 2024
FOR: Provincial Chairpersons of Faith
ENCL: Our Lady of the Rosary Webinar Poster
“We sin against hope when we remain anchored in the past” (Pope Francis).
Dear sisters in the League,
We are in the final months of the year of prayer in preparation for the Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee 2025. We return after summer respite with opportunity for a fresh start! Are we stuck in a pattern of doing what we’ve always done? Do we seek new ways of presenting spiritual programs, preparing new content, enriching and sharing faith experiences, or using different mediums to appeal to our various senses?
Recent operational changes at national level regarding communication should ensure that provincial chairpersons receive fewer communiques. The aim is that they will be issued quarterly, and the information will be shared using a communication flow chart. Provincial chairpersons are entrusted to relay information that requires specific action by members to facilitate planning and priority setting by chairpersons of faith at all levels in conjunction with the Calendar of Faith Events (#186) that is linked with the Events Calendar found on the national website. New faith resources: Prayers & Spiritual Programs (#626) and Prayer Services Planning Workshop/Speaker Notes (#628) provide guidance to plan meaningful liturgies.
The following is information for prayer and spiritual development during September, October and November to be shared by provincial chairpersons to diocesan and parish levels.
- September 21: Designated by the League as National Faith Day, members are invited to celebrate sisterhood and to come together in thanksgiving for the graces received through service within the League. Host a gathering where non-members are invited to attend, and where faith, fun and fulfillment are in evidence by the joy that radiates in your togetherness.
- September 21: The CWL National Day of Prayer for Christians in the Holy Land and International Day of Peace. This date is occasion to pray for peace in the Holy Land, the Middle East and Ukraine and for councils to donate to the League’s permanent voluntary fund in support of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Learn about the impact of League donations to the Holy Land.
- September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is occasion be in solidarity through prayer, to explore engagement with Indigenous peoples, and to dialogue about the “That We May Walk Together” series of pastoral letters on reconciliation published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
- October 2–27: Pray for those meeting in the second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Bishops as they continue the work of the Synod on Synodality.
- A Great Symphony of Prayer: Mary, the Saints and Scripture on October 3, 10, 17, 24: Register for the webinar series led by Dr. Josephine Lombardi, in preparation for Jubilee 2025.
- October 6: Our Lady of the Rosary Webinar—mark your calendar and register!
- October 7: World Rosary Day In response to the Holy Father’s call for a direct petition “to the Virgin Mary to accompany the Church on the path of preparation for the event of grace of the Jubilee,” World Rosary Day will be marked starting at 7:00 p.m. on October 7th, as a day of global prayer focused on the Holy Rosary. The prayer will be recited from East to West at that time in each participant’s local time zone, circling the whole earth. Chairpersons are encouraged to organize an online rosary event in their province with invitation for families and friends to join with the League in praying for the spiritual success of the Jubilee of Hope.
- Novena of Hope: This novena, which begins on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and ends with the Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus, invokes Our Blessed Mother and seven women—both religious and lay, both saints and servants of God—who have been extraordinary mentors for the Catholic women of Canada.
- In October, the annual Day of Prayer for Canadian Home Missions is set by each diocese, to pray for Catholic Missions In Canada (CMIC). It differs from World Mission Sunday which is dedicated to prayer and collections for foreign missions. Councils are invited to join in prayer and to donate to the League’s permanent voluntary fund in support of CMIC.
- November: Pray for all saints, the faithful departed and an end to wars, remembering the sacrifice of those who fought in them.
Pope Francis closed the first session of the synod, urging that “the Church strengthen cooperation in all areas of her mission” by using the path of synodality. The holy father said, “We do not need to be afraid to respond to this call. Mary, the first on the journey, accompanies our pilgrimage. In joy and in sorrow, she shows us her Son and invites us to trust. And He, Jesus, is our only hope!” May the League respond to that call by saying, Here I am Lord, send me.
Rolande Chernichan
National Chairperson of Faith