How can one do more than touch the fringes of 75 years of Faith and Service in a few short papers? But try we must in order to honour our past - the past being that band of brave and fearless women who took up Archbishop Liston’s challenge to form our first Catholic Women’s League group - a formidable task in an era of women being seen and not heard! With whole-hearted and prayerful enthusiasm they began the work which we keep alive today. Some of their areas of endeavour are no longer relevant in this day and age, but the basics are still the same and follow the original concept as laid down by Margaret Fletcher in 1906.

The Archbishop appointed a committee and they were in business - circles for specific needs were set up which encouraged more women to join and resulted in membership being 411 by the end of the first year. Interesting to note that the Carmelite Circle commenced in 1938 and still flourishes today. In their second year they approached country parishes gathering more members and after three years they incorporated. What a wonderful achievement for such a short time. Community concerns were taken on board and they found that their ladies were in much demand as representatives on various committees, some of which we still work with today. Thus we started to make our presence felt in many areas of the Auckland Province.

This productive activity gained momentum and set the pattern for a future full of hope and promise. The first Diocesan Conference was held in 1947 at Knock-Na-Gree. Oh how we remember those halcyon days of ‘living-in’ (for the majority of us it was a big step to take, horror of horrors we left hubby to look after the family ON HIS OWN!!) Much was gained from this mingling of town and country women, all with a common goal, and it proved to be an excellent opportunity for both groups to gain a greater appreciation of the diversity of their respective lives.l

What a notable tribute this thumb-nail report is for Mrs J J O’Brien our first Diocesan President, and what a special show of leadership for her and her dedicated band of women. One other woman who was outstanding in this period of our young life was Diocesan Secretary for 24 years - Miss Aileen Markey. Her contribution and heartfelt loyalty to our Catholic Women’s League has been unsurpassed.

It behoves us while gathered at conference to offer prayers of thanks to those pioneer ladies who were instrumental in enabling us to be here together in this year of 2006.

Our middle years were full of commitment and achievement. By 1964, sixty-one branches had been formed and the scope of our work had widened to an extent beyond our wildest dreams. The list of our many and varied areas of action, as shown in our National history published in 1990, takes one’s breath away. Community work, Honouring Age, NCW, Homemakers Circle, Maori Women’s Group, (who could forget June Mackintosh?), Indoor Bowls to mention a few. Numbers were becoming such that when the Dioceses divided in 1980 and became Auckland/Hamilton, Catholic Women’s League followed suit and we then had a more manageable situation.

During the 70s many alternate groups reared their heads and of course we embraced all aspects of the Decade for Women, culminating in International Women’s Year and all those women’s conventions! This was done with the usual fervour but mainly in order that a Christian viewpoint be recorded on the many ‘no-go’ topics of the time - abortion and contraception being the main ones. We certainly graduated from The School of Hard Knocks at the end of that decade, and thanks are due in the main to Frances Gregory MBE, our first Auckland nominee for National President CWLNZ. Nothing daunted her and she certainly took our League to great heights. She was a really special Catholic lady.

Is it any wonder our participation in international affairs burgeoned too in this period, thanks to the sterling efforts of Dame Stella Casey. Her unbounded faith in Catholic Women’s League and what we had to offer enabled us to be recognised and respected among women from all over the world.Her valuable input into WUCWO and NCW will be talked about for many years to come.

Verena Butler worked with WUCWO first as International Secretary CWLNZ and later as Australian WUCWO Board member leading to her election as National President Catholic Women’s League Australia, and further cemented the rapport which exists between our two countries.

Mission work in this period escalated as a direct result of the firm foundation laid down by the first Mission Secretary, Mrs Cath Davis of Invercargill and each branch has formed an amicable communication channel with its particular station. Mission at Home, set up in the late 80s, is now firmly established and recipients chosen and supported by all. This was a very fruitful period entirely due to the zeal and commitment of our members.

And so we come to our third semester - 1981-2006. Surely the highlight in this period must be the Papal Visit in 1986 of his Holiness Pope John Paul II. A wonderful, prayerful, and at times hilarious exercise, for who will forget the “Knitting Pretty” project; and more to the point who would have thought that the response would be so overwhelming. Hilarious it was as we packed and repacked those splendid garments. What great publicity it was for Catholic Women’s League all through New Zealand, and all due to a suggestion from our own Cassie Moody. Remember too, the hostessing carried out by Anne Trevena and her willing band at the Papal Rest Centre especially erected in the Domain for those “quiet moments” so necessary for events such as this.

Lone Leaguers was set up in this period and has been successful in some areas but not in others. The Australian outreach has always been much appreciated and two members joined us for our 2006 Jubilee Conference.

Some extra highlights have been:

Suffrage Year 1993 saw us very active especially at the Auckland War Memorial Museum manning an exhibition stall and working behind the scenes for a panel presentation by students from one of our Catholic Colleges; and our Kate Sheppard camellia still thrives in the garden at Pompallier Centre.
We were guests at a Civic Reception for the Irish President, held in the Town Hall.
In the Year for Older Persons we received a Lottery grant and treated senior members to a special lunch. The venue for the Annual Mass was altered in the 90s to St Mary’s Ellerslie because of accessibility.
Year 2000 saw us joining our national sisters in Catholic Women’s League for the Golden Jubilee Celebrations which were held in Napier.
Sadly Tamaki Makaurau went into recess after many excellent years of shared work wherein we all learned to appreciate one another’s cultural diversity.
And so we face the future once again - where can we see it going?

Author: Verena Butler.