The Catholic Women's Leadership Foundation provided a wonderful time of connection with other ladies in faith, regardless of age. I was the youngest in the 2019-2020 cohort. Since the time of the program, I was working at a local distress center, completed my provisional psychology placement at a Calgary based counselling agency, and completed all the components (and yes, tests too!) to become a fully registered psychologist in Alberta. Each of us have our own experience of living and navigating through the trials, tribulations, successes, and celebrations of life. Life, with its trials an ..read more

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is asked: “Which commandment is the first of all? (12:28b).  Jesus answers:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12: 28b-31).  The theme for the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, Here I am Lord.  Send Me (Isaiah 6:8), resonates with the joy that the love of God and the love of neighbor brings, but it also ..read more

Hello Fellow Alumni …    God’s grace to each and every one!  I am reaching out to seek each cohorts participation in propagating our program to foster growth of faith and knowledge we all have enjoyed.  As we all know … our journey does not end when we graduate but merely just the beginning as we put our acquired learnings into action.  As empowered Catholic women, we strive to shine bright and give light to others – within our cohorts, the foundation, our community, across the country and beyond.  We hope to nurture the r ..read more

You are invited to join an online summer book study. Details about the book and how to register here. No fee except you need to purchase your book or loan from a library. open to anyone – bring a friend! no fee except for purchasing your book email acastellon55@gmail.com to join/get Zoom link It’s summer – if you’re away and miss a session – no worries! 4-5 pm CST 3-4 pm PST Timeline July 4 Assigned reading to prep for the session: Foreword Preface Introduction eg. pages 11-26 Welcome, Territory Acknowledgement and Opening Prayer Book Overview and Commentary: Adrienne Castellon BREAK ..read more

When I was young, Mother’s Day was an exciting time. It meant the end to a long, snowy winter, the appearance of spring flowers, and a chance to give something special to our Mom. Mother’s Day was one of the rare days when she slept in. As a mother myself now, I see the other side of the coin – the work, the worries, and the difficulties in balancing the constant need to be available to my children with own my work, school, and other obligations. Fr. Ron Rolheiser discusses just these challenges in his beautiful book, Domestic Monastery. Using the monastery as a model for family life, he show ..read more

We often hear about “planned giving.” In the simplest of terms, it is your plan to support a worthy cause. It also refers to making a provision in your Will to leave a bequest to the charity of your choice – your legacy. However, this does not always have to be the case. You can plan or schedule your gift-giving while you get to enjoy the benefits of doing so. You can have an ongoing plan to support your favourite causes without amending your Will. In today’s uncertain and challenging world, many of us are watching our pockets with an eye to making sure our families are secure and safe. At th ..read more

Calls to Action 59 and 60 in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada implore Church leaders to collaborate with Indigenous spiritual leaders on curriculum to open the eyes of congregations, theology students and seminarians about the Church role in the legacy of residential schools and the necessity of a Church apology. In Saskatoon, these efforts have seen one group complete such a course, with a second group beginning its path this past fall. The Diocese of Saskatoon, St. Thomas More College and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools developed the Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader Mi ..read more

Time Magazine, in its September 2019 issue entitled 2050 The Fight for Earth included an article Meet 15 Women Leading the Fight Against Climate Change. Included in that group is Nova Scotia-born actor and activist Ellen Page. Page had read two books: The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest by Joan Baxter and Ingrid Waldron’s There’s Something in the Water. Both books document the environmental racism plaguing generations of indigenous and black communities in her home province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Page returned to Nova Scotia for her documentary based on Waldron’s work, and sharing her ..read more

Being part of the CWLF Program, for me, was a highly positive and impactful learning experience not just restricted to didactic content to learn but opened me to a holistic resonance in the way I think, feel, and act as a Catholic woman leader. This program offered me a unique opportunity to connect and engage with other Catholic women, by sharing our experiences, and insights, and deepening our understanding of faith. Through this Program, I could explore more of the vertical dimension of my leadership by looking inward and connecting with my relationships with God, creation, and my inner se ..read more

Our Home and Treaty Land: Walking Our Creation Story Authors: Raymond Aldred and Matthew Anderson Publisher: Wood Lake Publishing Inc. Reviewed by: Jessie Parkinson “An Indigenous write and scholar, and a settler scholar and pilgrimage enthusiast together explore what it means to live and walk in harmony on the land” reads the description of this wonderful book on the Curious Cat Tea & Books website. Reverend Dr. Raymond Aldred is a status Cree from Swan River Band, Treaty 8. He is the director of the Indigenous Studies Program at the Vancouver School of Theology and is ordained with the ..read more