The Beginnings
‘Catholic women will have a great responsibility in the future of the world’.
This was the vision of our foundress, Margaret Fletcher, and so in 1906, the Catholic Women’s League was formed in England. Margaret insisted that CWL needed women with “balanced commonsense”, and that they should “utilise the average woman in convincing the Catholic world that business-like methods and intellectual gifts are excellent weapons in the service of God”.
CWL Today
The League today is still flourishing and proving to be every bit the “weapon for God” that Margaret Fletcher first envisioned. Her intent in establishing the Catholic Women’s League was for Catholic women to play a greater role in civic life. She would be delighted that her ideals and aspirations have blossomed into global unity.
CWL was established in New Zealand in 1931.
Support for the missions is a major work of CWLANZ The Catholic Women’s League is the largest Catholic Women’s organisation in WUCWO – the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations.
Our Motto: Conforming with the motto of “Faith and Service”, members are spiritually well provided for, and through the opportunities offered by the League. Members are actively involved in faith and service in their communities by giving voluntary help where needed and through their representation on other local and national bodies.
‘Faith in action is love and love in action is service’ – Mother Teresa
Ecumenism: The intellectual and spiritual life of the community is foremost, with members participating in ecumenical roles relating to community life in NZ.
A theme for CWL one year was ‘Vital, Visible, Vibrant’, it is a very fitting way to describe members of CWL.