By Amanda Murthy
Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan stressed the importance of being true witnesses of Christ during his homily at the opening Mass for the 49th National Biennial Conference, of the Catholic Women’s League of Australia Inc (CWLA) in Bunbury from Monday 9 to Thursday 12 September.
The conference themed ‘Behold the Miracle of Creation” saw a gathering of more than 150 participants hailing from Perth, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria Wagga Wagga, South Australia and New Zealand.
Bishop Holohan was joined by State Chaplain for WA, Salvatorian priest Father Laurence Murphy SDS as concelebrant and assisted by Deacon Ian Lewis at the opening Mass held at the St Patrick’s Cathedral on 9 September.
In his homily, Bishop Holohan reflected on the words of St Paul who urged the people of God ‘to proclaim the Gospel outspokenly’ and ‘to bring Jesus to others,’ posing an important question to those present.
“‘Do you know and are you really sincerely conscious and believe that you are people in which Jesus Christ is present?”
Noting that in Australia alone, there are some 230,000 people who are employed in the various organisations of the Church, of which 90,000 work in schools, 140,000 work in detention centres, prisons, facilities for the aged, people taking care of the homeless, people in the medical world, as well as organisations that work in voluntary ministries such as the Catholic Women’s League, Bishop Holohan said that being a witness of Christ is more than just doing good.
“The Good news that we always need to remember is that as the Church, we touch millions of Australian’s lives here for good, millions,” Bishop Holohan exclaimed.
“But it is important that when we are engaged in good work to remember that we need to be striving always to give Christian witness because some people think that Christian witness is just being a good person, but it is far more than that.
“Of course people practise good works because we are all created in the image and likeness of God. But Christian witness is being an instrument of Jesus and through the spirit, touching the hearts of those whom we are giving witness,” he added.
Drawing inspiration from the story of Saint Peter Claver who was called by Christ to champion the voiceless, despite facing much rejection from his community, Bishop Holohan added his hopes for the CWLA conference participants at the end of his homily.
“May he (St Peter Claver) be an inspiration for each of you as you continue your marvellous work here in CWLA,” Bishop Holohan said.
“Don’t waste it, ensuring that you are Christian witnesses by each day, reflecting on areas where it is not as Christ taught (because there are always areas), then identifying one area and asking in Christ’s name for the grace to change.
“Because as we become new creations and instruments of Christ, we will be able to touch the hearts of those around us,” he concluded.
Fr Murphy in his address on day two of the conference said that his CWLA journey by far has been an enriching and enjoyable one, adding that his hope for all attending the conference is to never take their eyes of Christ, who is the centre and purpose of everything we do as Christians.
“I am hoping that the speakers during this conference will imbue you with their words and induce the spirit of adventure going forward,” Fr Murphy stated.
“First of all, we never really retire from our faith in Christ and we never really take our eyes off Him.
“What each and every one of you have to offer is important, regardless of your age– By giving of yourself to others, you will reveal to others something of the warmth of our Christian faith, that is the place where we are rooted in Christ and are able to continue to grow,” he added.
CWLA National President Valma Ivory in her opening address, expressed her gratitude to all members, for their commitment, dedication and contribution to the mission of CWLA.
“Our organisation is blessed to have dedicated women who juggle their professional and family responsibilities to share their gifts to assist the executive to carry out their roles in keeping the membership informed on national and international issues and current events.”
Keynote Speaker Malcolm Hart, who is Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Director of the Office for Youth, reflected on his experience as a Youth leader, then shared his wisdom on Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation ‘Christus Vivit.’
Guest speakers included Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) Executive Director Dr Debra Sayce who delivered on the topic ‘What are the cultural, spiritual and educational challenges along the road to renewal for our Youth?’ and CEWA Co-ordinator Catechist Services Dr Pina Ford highlighted ‘The Call to Holiness in accordance with the Magisterium and in light of Resolution 4 from WUCWO General Assembly 2018 held in Dakar Senegal”.