Founded in 1910,  WUCWO now represents 100 organisations of Catholic women in 60 countries and now has over 5 million members worldwide.  http://www.wucwo.org/

WUCWO Day of Prayer – 13th May this is the link to the prayer service

https://www.wucwo.org/index.php/en/prayers/wucwo-annual-day-of-prayer

For the latest newsletter/message from WUCWO please click on the links below

https://www.wucwo.org/index.php/en/240-en/newsletter

https://www.wucwo.org/index.php/en/messages-resources/mensajes-de-la-presidenta-general

World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations – World Assembly in Dakar, Senegal

Report given at National AGM by VERONICA CROSS  – YOUR WUCWO REPRESENTATIVE.

I, AS YOUR VOTING DELEGATE, ALONG WITH FOUR CWL MEMBERS, ALL OF WHOM HAVE CONTRIUBTED TO THIS REPORT, HAVE JUST COME BACK FROM ATTENDING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WORLD UNION OF CATHOLIC WOMENS ORGANIZATIONS WHICH TOOK PLACE IN DAKAR, SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA AND THE MUSIC YOU HEARD WAS OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE MUSIC OF SENEGAL.

IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT A GENERAL ASSEMBLY, WHICH TAKES PLACE EVERY FOUR YEARS, HAS TAKEN PLACE IN AFRICA.  IT WAS ATTENDED BY OVER 500 WOMEN, REPRESENTING 50 CATHOLIC WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS, MAINLY AFRICAN, UNDER THE FIVE DESIGNATED AREAS OF

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN,

ASIA PACIFIC,

EUROPE,

NORTH AMERICA

AND AFRICA.

Photos of : Cathedral & Congregation

OUR PRESIDENT GENERAL MARIA GIOVANNA RUGGIERI WELCOMED EVERYONE AT THE OPENING CEREMONY AT THE DAKAR GRAND THEATRE, AFTER OUR MAGNIFICENT OPENING MASS AT THE CATHEDRAL OF DAKAR, SAYING WE HAVE GATHERED FROM FAR AND WIDE TO BE HERE, FROM EVERY CONTINENT.  WE HAVE GATHERED TO WORK TOGETHER IN FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE, TO BE CARRIERS OF LIVING WATER TO A WORLD WHICH THIRSTS FOR PEACE WHICH WAS THE THEME OF THIS ASSEMBLY.

YES WE HAD A UNFORGETTABLE TIME MEETING OLD FRIENDS AND MAKING NEW, AND OF COURSE THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER HELPED, BUT WE WERE THERE FOR SERIOUS BUSINESS.

BEFORE THIS ASSEMBLY I WAS REQUESTED BY THE WUCWO SECRETARIAT TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF THE WORK DONE BY THE CWL REGARDING THE RESOLUTONS PASSED IN FATIMA FOUR YEARS AGO. IF YOU READ THIS REPORT IN THE WOMENS VOICE YOU MAYBE TOTALLY AMAZED AT THE HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK YOU HAVE ALL DONE DURING THESE PAST FOUR YEARS.

BUT WE NOW HAVE NEW PRIORITIES OF RESOLUTIONS AND THE WUCWO

DECLARATION FOR 2018 -2022 TO TAKE ON BOARD.

THEY WERE INITIALLY VERY LENGTHY AND DURING ONE OF OUR WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS, WHICH WERE ATTENDED BY WOMEN OF EACH COUNTRY, THUS  ALWAYS GIVING A GOOD OVERALL PICTURE, IT WAS DECIDED TO SUMMARIZE AND CONDENSE THESE WITH THE FOLLOWING RESULT :

1. NORTH AMERICA

PRAYER, EDUCATION, ADVOCACY.

FOR THE EARTH.

FOR ALL HUMANITY.

2. LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN AND EUROPE

WOMEN IN EQUALITY FOR A WORLD AT PEACE FOR A PEACEFUL                                       WORLD

3. AFRICA

WUCWO WOMEN CALLED TO HOLINESS TO SANCTIFY THE WORLD FOR HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT

4. ASIA PACIFIC

HOLINESS AND EDUCATION

AS YOU KNOW THE CWL PUT FORWARD A RESOLUTION ON ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ‘A HEALTHY PLANET DEPENDS ON ALL OF US’ WHICH WAS ADOPTED AND AS YOU CAN SEE IS INCORPORATED UNDER THE HEADING ‘EARTH’ IN RESOLUTION 1.  A FULL REPRESENTATION OF THESE RESOLUTIONS IS AVAILABLE FROM NATIONAL SECRETARY.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TOUCH ON OURS FOR A MINUTE: WE ARE AS YOU KNOW ‘DROWNING IN PLASTIC’ A WASTE CRISIS THAT IS FLOODING OUR OCEANS AND LANDFILLS.  THE RATIONALE FOR THIS ONE IS THAT WUCWO AND ITS MEMBER ORGANISATIONS WILL PROMOTE THE PROTECTION AND RESPECT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, IN PARTICULAR DRINKING WATER.

WE CWL MEMBERS CAN TAKE THIS ON BOARD NOW, STRAIGHT AWAY CAN’T WE, WITH ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH EDUCATION AND COOPERATION PROJECTS, THE URGENT REDUCTION AND EVENTUAL ELIMINATON OF THE USE OF NON-RECYCLABLE PLASTIC WASTE. TO ADDRESS THE USE OF DISPOSABLE STRAWS, SHOPPING BAGS, DISPOSABLE NAPPIES, RAZOR BLADES, FACIAL CLEANSING CREAMS WITH PLASTIC PEARLS ETC.ETC. I APPRECIATE WE ARE MOST PROBABLY ALL DOING THIS ANYWAY.

I DID ALWAYS USE MY CWL CONTAINER, SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE, AS ALWAYS!!!!

THE GENERAL DYNAMICS PROPOSED FOR OUR WORKSHOPS WERE INTENDED TO PROMOTE:  PRAYING, LISTENING, DIALOGUE AND DISCERNMENT – WE FOLLOWED THE METHOD OF ‘SEE’, ‘JUDGE’ AND ‘ACT’.

TO ‘SEE’ THE REALITY OF OUR WORLD A ‘WORLD  WHICH THIRSTS FOR PEACE’

TO ‘JUDGE’ IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL AND THE  SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH, AS WUCWO WOMEN, CARRIERS OF ‘LIVING WATER’

AND TO DISCERN THE ‘ACT’ OF WUCWO WOMEN  CARRIERS OF ‘LIVING WATER’ TO A WORLD WHICH THIRSTS FOR PEACE IN THE  FUTURE.

WE HAD MANY SPEAKERS AND WE SPENT MANY HOURS IN DISCUSSIONS ON PEACE, FAMILY, MIGRATION, PAPAL DOCUMENTS, THE CHALLENGES FOR THE CHURCH AND WHAT PRIORITIES WOULD WE RECOMMEND FOR WUCWO.

Photos of delegates in national dress

IN ONE OF THE WORKSHOPS A MEMBER FROM SOUTH AFRICA SAID CORRUPTION OF OFFICIALS, PRIESTS AND POLICE ETC. WAS THE WORSE THING.

USA – SUGGESTED WE GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE.

NIGERIA SAID WOMEN IN HER COUNTRY WERE ‘NOWHERE’

FROM EGYPT – MUST HAVE EDUCATION WHICH THEN CHANGES MENTALITY AND THINKING

GAMBIA – WE NEED THE BALANCE OF ANIMALS, PLANTS ETC.

SWAZILAND – CLIMATE CHANGE A BIG CHALLENGE, YOUNG FIND CHURCH BORING AND A LOT OF KILLINGS.

MALAWI – YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

GHANA – WE ARE WOMEN WE STAND FOR THE FAMILY WHICH IS DIFFICULT.

CANADA – THE ENVIRONMENT

IT WOULD APPEAR MORE THAN EVER THIS WORLD THIRSTS FOR PEACE: WE HAVE TOO MANY SIGNS OF VIOLENCE, HATE, ANGER, OPPOSITION, PROVOCATION.

The young women address the conference

WE WERE ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO HAVE HAD A COMMITTEE OF YOUNG WOMEN FROM DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONS UNDER THE WUCWO BANNER WHO HAD COME FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES TO DISCUSS WHERE THE FUTURE LIES. WITH A RESURGENCE OF ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM TO REVITALISE, OUR NEW PRESIDENT GENERAL MARIA LIA SAID FOR THEM TO LET HER KNOW THEIR OUTCOME, THEIR STRATEGY AND FOR THEM TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE, THE BANNER, AND SHE SUGGESTED THEY BECOME THE ‘YOUNG WOMEN OF WUCWO’.  WE HAD AN INVITATION FROM THE YOUNG REPRESENTATIVE FROM HUNGARY TO ATTEND THE 52^nd INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS IN BUDAPEST NEXT SEPTEMBER – MIGHT GO……

Photos of Goree

WE MADE A PILGRIMAGE TO GOREE, SENEGAL’S SLAVE ISLAND WHERE MILLONS WERE HELD IN SLAVE CAVES AND WAREHOUSES, FROM 1536 WHERE IT WAS HALTED 321 YEARS LATER, TO BE PASSED THROUGH TO BE TRADED ON TO WORK IN THE PLANTATIONS OF THE NEW WORLD INCLUDING AMERICA.  PRETTY HORRIFIC STUFF.

WE VISITED THEIR SMALL VERY OLD CHURCH AND SAID A PRAYER FOR US ALL.

WE WILL BE HAVING A MASS SAID IN DAKAR FOR ALL CWL MEMBERS.

Left Photo of Maria Govannia Ruggieri

And then right new President General

Maria Lia Zervino 

MARIA GIOVANNIA  RUGGIERI HAS NOW FINISHED HER TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS OF OFFICE OF 8 YEARS AS OUR PRESIDENT GENERAL. THERE WERE 3 CANDIDATES, ONE FROM THE USA, SPAIN AND ARGENTINA FOR THIS POST AND MARIA LIA ZERVINO FROM ARGENTINA WAS VOTED IN – WE DID ACTUALLY VOTE FOR HER.

Photo of new board members 

WE ALSO HAVE A NEW WUCWO BOARD CONSISTING OF 24 MEMBERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING ONE OF OUR ‘YOUNG WOMEN OF WUCWO’ FROM HUNGARY.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WUCWO IS OUR CONDUIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM WITH OUR OWN INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AT UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, UNESCO, PARIS, UNITED NATIONS, GENEVA, FAO, ROME AND COUNCIL OF EUROPE STRASBOURG.

WE HAD WONDERFUL MASSES EVERY DAY IN FRENCH, SPANISH OR ENGLISH BEFORE THE START OF ASSEMBLY BUSINESS.

AND OUR LAST MASS WAS AT POPONGINE AT THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF LIBERATION AND IT NEEDED TO BE SEEN AND HEARD TO BE BELIEVED. 10,000 THOUSAND WOMEN IN NATIONAL DRESSES WERE THERE. THE WORD OF GOD IS DEFINITELY ALIVE IN AFRICA.  THE CARDINAL OF SENEGAL OFFICIATED WITH 20 PRIESTS.  THERE WAS THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE GOSPEL PROCESSION CONSISTING OF DANCING, SWAYING AND SINGING WOMEN, ONE HOLDING THE GOSPEL ON HER BACK.  WE WERE THERE FOR 4 HOURS, YES THAT IS FOUR HOURS. THE PRESIDENT WAS THERE AND THERE WERE LOTS OF PRESENTATIONS!!!! OUR PAST AND PRESENT PRESIDENT GENERALS EACH GAVE A SHORT TALK, AND IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE OUR ‘YOUNG WOMEN OF WUCWO’ DOING READINGS – WE WERE VERY PROUD OF THEM.   APPROXIMATELY 94% OF SENEGAL’S POPULATION IS MUSLIM, THEREFORE CATHOLICS ARE A SMALL MINORITY, BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL TO HAVE A MUSLIM CHOIR OF YOUNG WOMEN TAKING PART IN THE OCCASION.

OUR PRESIDENT GENERAL ENCOURAGES US TO :

TAKE UP OUR DUTIES TO BE CARRIERS OF LIVING WATER AND ‘FORGETTING

WHAT IS BEHIND AND STRAINING TOWARDS WHAT IS AHEAD’.  LET’S

‘PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL AND MAY THE VIRGIN MARY ACCOMPANY

US ALONG THIS PATH.

This video was shown – giving much food for thought

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jPUJbeEyuI

NOW WE COULD GO ON AND ON TELLING YOU ALL ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES, THE LAUGHS AND THE FRUSTRATIONS, THE JOY AND EXUBERANCE, THE ELATION AND EXHAUSTION YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE US, WE COULDN’T HAVE MADE THEM UP, BUT DO ASK AFTER IF YOU WISH TO HAVE FURTHER INFORMATION.  YOU WILL HAVE TO SIGN A DISCLAIMER, IN BLOOD OF COURSE, BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW ‘WHAT HAPPENS IN SENEGAL STAYS IN SENEGAL’.

I WOULD ASK IS THIS US – DO WE FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE GEESE !!