Catholic Women: Our Unique Role in Renewal

A message from 2024 CWL Convention keynote speaker Dr. Bonnie Annicchiarico:

​CWL’s annual convention in Calgary was focused on the renewal initiative by the Diocese of Calgary this past year. Grateful for the invitation to share information and encourage discussion, I was pleased to facilitate conversation around the theme: You are Called, You Matter, You Belong.

Catholic women are uniquely created and placed to initiate and lead renewal. With Mary as our model, we put ourselves at God’s service and at “the service of others; a service of love.” (John Paul II, 1995) Service is one of the three pillars of the CWL. Life in our parishes centers around the work and faith-in-action of these women.

Renewal begins in the hearts of those who love Jesus. Thank you to the women of our homes, parishes and workplaces; to Catholic Women everywhere who witness their love of Jesus in service, faith, social justice and love." ~Bonnie Annicchiarico 

In June 1995 Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to all women in which he used the phrase “the genius of women”.  In his letter he reminds us that the "genius of women", not only considers great and famous women of the past or present, but also “those ordinary women who reveal the gift of their womanhood by placing themselves at the service of others in their everyday lives”.

Renewal begins in the hearts of those who love Jesus. Thank you to the women of our homes, parishes and workplaces; to Catholic Women everywhere who witness their love of Jesus in service, faith, social justice and love. 

Let us stir the longing for renewal in our own lives and families as we seek a closer relationship with Jesus. Let us continue to mentor our parishes, through the “genius of women” as we create a church of encounter and witness, as we strengthen our families and create missionary disciples.

To our dear Catholic Women’s League: Thank you!

Bonnie Annicchiarico

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Photo credits: Catholic Women's League. For more photos, click here