UCWLC XXVI National Congress – October 3-6, 2019
Celebrating 75 Years! Eparchy of Toronto
Important registration and accommodation info below.
UCWLC XXV CONGRESS – JUNE 30, JULY 1 & 2, 2016
Ukrainian Catholic Organizations of Canada, including the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada (UCWLC) and Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada (UCBC) and Ukrainian Catholic Young Adults of Canada will be holding their 25th Congress in Winnipeg on June 30, July 01-02, 2016.Our Canadian eparchies are seeking delegates to attend this 25th Congress in Winnipeg.
UCWLC XXV CONGRESS
JUNE 30, JULY 1 & 2, 2016
HOTEL RESERVATIONS:
BEST WESTERN AIRPORT HOTEL
1715 WELLINGTON AVENUE
WINNIPEG, MB. R3H 0G1
PHONE NUMBER: 1 204 775 9889
COST/NIGHT: $112.00 plus taxes
PRICES EFFECTIVE UNTIL MAY 30, 2016
UCWLC DELEGATE CODE: 51955
Only 60 rooms have been reserved for the Congress, so please book early!
Please complete and send in this registration form to participate!
Blessed are the Merciful – 25th Congress
UCWLC – Resolutions at the Congress
Elsie Marykuca, Legislation Convenor, National Executive
Resolutions are action plans formally written for the UCWLC members in their parishes after the closing of the Congress. Every three years at the pre-congress plenary, the members of the National Executive discuss the resolutions that each eparchy has presented. Several are presented to the delegates on the convention floor. There is a further discussion; sometimes there are additions or changes. The delegates then vote on the resolutions.
Following is a list of the resolutions that were passed at the UCWLC Congress in 2013, so that everyone who opens our website will be aware of the work in which the UCWLC is currently engaged. We hope to keep adding the resolutions that will be passed at the next congresses to this page.
2013 – 01 (Eparchy of Toronto)
FAMILY LIFE
WHEREAS the family is the bedrock of civil society – the primary teacher of right and wrong, the place where values and morals are instilled, the place where children learn to love, give, compromise, forgive and pray and where they learn to become good mothers and fathers, and
WHEREAS marriage and family are social institutions that must be promoted and defended, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada through its branches undertake activities, programs and initiatives which support marriage and the family reflecting our Ukrainian traditions and Catholic teachings.
2013 – 02 (Archeparchy of Winnipeg)
ADDRESSING POVERTY
WHEREAS a large number of Canadian families are below the poverty line and are dependent upon government social assistance and privately funded charitable organizations such as food banks and meal programs, and
WHEREAS these programs do not fully meet the needs of the target clientele, and
WHEREAS children are frequently the ones who suffer the most, and
WHEREAS Metropolitan Archbishop of Winnipeg Lawrence Huculak is encouraging efforts to feed, clothe, and house the less fortunate of our community, specifically in November of each year in prayerful remembrance of the atrocities of the Holodomor, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the National Executive of the UCWLC in Congress on June, 2013, formally request UCWLC branches in parishes across Canada to undertake new initiatives or step up their existing programs and efforts to address shortfalls by making donations to such causes in their localities.
2013 – 03 (Archeparchy of Winnipeg)
ENLIGHTENED REVERENCE FOR LIFE
WHEREAS many UCWLC members may not be fully informed of the principles of our Catholic faith which teaches us that all human life is sacred and must be protected and respected from the moment of conception to its natural end, and
WHEREAS scientific technology has made it impossible to refute the humanity of the unborn child, and
WHEREAS the Federal Government decision (1969) making abortions legal under certain circumstances in Canada has been overruled (1988) by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, leaving unsettled the moral crisis that denies full humanity to the unborn child, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the National Executive of the UCWLC, in Congress on June, 2013 formally encourage UCWLC branches in parishes across Canada to do any or all of the following: convene meetings, consult relevant authorities, conduct research, invite community input, sponsor discussions or study groups with the objective of developing a clearer understanding by the membership of these issues, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the UCWLC exercise compassion and understanding towards men and women who are suffering and are traumatized as a result of an abortion.
Resolutions Presented by Eparchies to Government or Other Organizations
An Overview of the Development of Legislation and Resolution Committees
On September 21-23, 1990, the UCWLC National Executive Plenary decided to create a National Congress Resolutions Committee “to acknowledge the league’s responsibility to active social action in all sectors of life, and the need to expand its commitment to this field. The league needs to give priority to the legislation that is being enacted at every level of government, and the effects of legislation on society – on us all, at some time or other, in our lives or in the lives of our children.” (Legislation Handbook)
Between 1992 and 1996, Chairpersons of the National Legislation Committee, Catherine Chichak and Lena Sloboda of Edmonton,sent position papers to the Federal Government on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (1994), wrote letters to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, and Members of Parliament (1994 and 1996). In 1997, a handbook – Legislation- was distributed.
On May 03, 1999, representatives of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg presented position papers to Premier Gary Filmon on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, Sexual Orientation and Child Poverty. Archeparchial Vice- President Helen Manilla-Babiniec wrote: “This is the first time that we are meeting with Government to communicate our concerns on social issues. We appreciate this opportunity, and are happy that this meeting has been arranged.”
In 2000 and 2001, the Archeparchy of Winnipeg presented more information and more position papers on Euthanasia and Palliative Care to the Government of Manitoba.
On October 15, 2011 at the Archeparchial Convention of the UCWLC, two resolutions were passed. These were Palliative Care and Hospices and Housing and On-Site Services for Mentally Ill Persons.On March 5,2012, both resolutions were presented to the Manitoba Government caucus consisting of four Ministers, six MLAs, their caucus secretary and five observers. The following are the resolutions:
Resolution 1. Housing and On-Site Services for the Mentally Ill
Whereas in our society a significant number of people (1 in 5) suffer mental illness, ranging from mild to severe, and
whereas this has serious impact on their quality of life and that of their families, and
whereas there is lack of safe housing and support services for them, and
whereasthe provincial government has recently committed to a range of housing with on site support services for those with mental illness,
Therefore be it resolved that the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada (UCWLC), Archeparchy of Winnipeg, request the Manitoba Provincial Cabinet to increase significantly the numbers of such community-based housing units and on-site support services throughout the province.
Presented by Mary Kuzminski, St. Anne UCWLC
Resolution2. PALLIATIVE CARE AND HOSPICES
Whereas all Canadians deserve the right to a quality end-of-life; and
Whereas many Canadians wish to die in the comfort of their homes, in the presence of their families in a faith-based environment; and
Whereas the number of older Canadians/Manitobans has increased greatly over the last years and is projected to be greater in the next ten years,
Therefore be it resolved that the Provincial Government of Manitoba make palliative and end-of-life programs a top priority by providing more palliative care units and hospices and more palliative care worker education programs for all communities in Manitoba;
And be it further resolved, that the Government of Manitoba request that the Federal Government of Canada initiate a National Plan to incorporate hospice and palliative care as an integral component of the Canadian Health System.
Presented by Elsie Marykuca, St. Anne UCWLC
National Congress ● June 27-30th, 2013
Book your accommodations for the 2013 Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada and Ukrainian Catholic Brotherwood of Canada National Congress in Saskatoon, Sk on June 27-30.