Executive Profiles

President
Directive: President

Linda was born in Timmins and raised in the town of Schumacher.  After graduating from North Bay Teacher’s College she moved to Sudbury.  She taught several grades and special education in the Catholic schools over her 28-year career.  While teaching she earned a B. A. from Laurentian University, a B. Ed. From Nipissing University and two educational specialist certificates.  She married Tullio in 1970 and they have two sons, a daughter and eleven wonderful grandchildren.

Linda joined the League in 1975 at St. Paul the Apostle Parish and served as president, president-elect, vice-president, secretary and chaired the standing committees of resolutions, legislation and education. She was awarded the Maple Leaf Service Pin in 2007.  She was appointed to the Sault Ste. Marie Diocesan Council in 2002 to chair the resolutions and legislation standing committees.  She later held the positions of regional chair, recording secretary and chaired the standing committees of organization, spiritual development and historian.  While on the diocesan council, she worked on four resolutions, one of which was approved at a national convention.  She served as diocesan president from 2011 – 2013.  She has developed and presented several leadership workshops.  Linda is the archivist for the Sault Ste. Marie Diocesan Council. On the provincial council, Linda has chaired the standing committees of legislation, resolutions, Christian family life and organization. She also served on the Restructuring Working Group, part of the national strategic planning.  Her greatest thrill was being part of the delegation from the Ontario Provincial Council to visit Queen’s Park and personally express the League concerns to members of the legislature.

At the present time, her daughter, mother, granddaughter, two sisters and mother-in-law are al League members.  She is a member of Holy Redeemer Parish in Sudbury.

Linda is a breast cancer survivor for over 20 years.  Her favourite pastimes are reading, knitting, embroidery, travelling, spending time with her grandchildren and doing League work.

Linda was awarded a Life Membership on a Lucky Friday the 13th in 2016.  She is currently the president of the Ontario Provincial Council.

Spiritual Advisor

Motto: “Cor Et Anima Una”

Thomas Dowd was born in Montreal on September 11, 1970, and ordained a priest on December 7, 2001.

Following his theological studies at the Grand Seminary of Montreal, he did pastoral work in numerous parishes in the Archdiocese of Montreal. He also served as a hospital chaplain and taught theology at Concordia University, McGill University and the Grand Seminary of Montreal. He served the Archdiocese of Montreal as Associate Director of the Office for Pastoral Personnel and later as Director of Formation.

On July 11, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named Fr. Dowd as auxiliary bishop of Montreal. He served as Episcopal Vicar to the English-speaking faithful and later as Vicar General for Economic and Administrative affairs. He obtained his licentiate in Canon Law in 2018 from the University of Strasbourg. On October 22, 2020, Pope Francis named him the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, and was installed at the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption, in North Bay, on December 17, 2020.

Follow him on social media: http://thomasdowd.ca/social-media

Past President
Directive: Historian

1st Vice-President
Directive: Spiritual Development

Wilma was born and raised in St. Catharines. She is married to Robert, and they have two children and one grandchild. Wilma joined the League in 1987. She served at her parish council as Health & Education, Communications, President-Elect/Organization and President. She received the Maple Leaf Service Pin in 2011. She became a member of the Diocesan Council in 2002. While on the Diocesan Council she chaired the standing committees of Spiritual Development, Health & Education, Resolutions, Organization/President-Elect and became President in 2012. Wilma has been on the Provincial Council since 2015 and has chaired Community Life, Education and Health, Resolutions and presently Spiritual Development. Serving on the Provincial Council is an honour and a wonderful opportunity to get to know members across the province. She became a Life Member is 2016. She has developed and presented several leadership workshops for the Diocese and a Resolutions workshop for the Provincial Council in 2020. Wilma was a co-leader for training and presenting Catch the Fire. A lifelong parishioner of Star of the Sea, she serves currently in the ministry of hospitality. In 2001, she completed the Diploma in Ministry program from St. Francis Xavier University. Her joys are her family, reading, travelling, and spending time with her sisters in the League.

2nd Vice President
Directive: Community Life

Karen is a single gal who was born and raised and lives in Sudbury, Ontario.  She obtained a B.A. (Hons) degree in Law & Justice from Laurentian University and has worked as a legal assistant since 1990, the year she joined the CWL.  Karen is an avid sports fan, enjoys gardening and being outdoors, cherishes her time spent with special friends, and loves a challenge!  Karen credits her grandmother and mother for her faith and love of the League.  In 2002, Karen was president-elect of her council when it amalgamated with a ladies auxiliary to form Our Lady of Hope council of which she is a proud member.  In 2015, Karen was honoured to receive the Maple Leaf Service Pin from her council. In 2020, she was honoured to receive her life membership.  Active in her parish, one of her greatest pleasures is singing ‘alto’ in the choir. Karen co-chaired the 86^th diocesan convention in 2006 and was appointed to the Sault Ste. Marie Diocesan Council that year.  At the diocesan level, Karen chaired the spiritual development, resolutions and organization standing committees, and served as treasurer, Sudbury regional chairperson, president and past president.  Karen presented League workshops across her diocese including Leadership and Public Speaking, Knowing the League, and Catch the Fire!  Elected to the Ontario provincial council in 2017, she is blessed to have been chairperson of legislation, education and health, and is currently community life chairperson. Karen enjoys the personal interaction with members and feels blessed to serve through her League involvement. 

Treasurer
Directive: Treasurer

Marie-Theresa has been married to Larry, ordained a deacon in 2011, for the past 52 years in November 2021. They have three children and four grandchildren. She worked at the Bank for 8 years, then moved on to Chrysler Canada where she held various positions of increasing responsibilities. She retired after 30 years in 2003, worked at home doing book-keeping, then worked as Pastoral Minister for the parishes of St. Joseph and St. Ursula in Chatham from 2008 to 2014.

Her ongoing formation includes attending University of Windsor and receiving her Bachelor of Commerce in 1994, her Masters in Business from Central Michigan in 1996; certificate in Pastoral Ministry from St. Peter’s Catholic Foundation in 2010 and Masters in Religious Education from Assumption University, Windsor in 2014. Marie-Theresa has been a member of The League for 31 years and has held various positions at the parish level and the diocesan level and has facilitated at many of the workshops. She has had many roles in the convention planning for diocesan, provincial and national conventions. She received her Maple Leaf Service pin in 2015 and was elected to Provincial in 2017, as the Communication Chair. She received her Life Membership in 2019. The League has been a gift and a blessing to her! She has had the opportunity to put many of the objects of the league into practice by reaching out to others in Christ Centered love. She has served as Treasurer since 2019 and has just recently completed a 3-yr term!  She was re-elected in July 2022 for another term as treasurer. She considers herself blessed to serve on the Ontario Provincial Council!

Recording Secretary
Directive: Recording Secretary

Anna and her husband, John, were married in 1971 and have raised three adopted children, now all in their early forties. She was a medical secretary before leaving the work force to raise her family. After the children were in school, she became Parish Secretary, a position she held for 20 years until her retirement in 2006. Both Anna and John are now retired and their best days are spent visiting their 12 year old granddaughter, Hayleigh, in London ON. They are both true northerners and look forward to spending summers at their log cabin on Lake Talon, just outside North Bay ON, where they have lived since 1980.

Her love of scripture led her to become a Lector in 1983 and since then she has developed and facilitated Lector Workshops, annual Days of Reflection for the CWL and earned a Diploma in Theological Studies from Newman Theological College in 2009. A CWL member since 1967, she didn’t become active until 1981 when she was invited to become Communications Chairperson in her home parish of St Peter the Apostle, from whom she received her Maple Leaf Service Pin. She served in several positions on the Sault Ste. Marie Diocesan Council, including North Bay Regional Chairperson, and thoroughly enjoyed ‘birthing’ Catch the Fire! in her diocese before assuming the role of Diocesan President. When not busy fulfilling her League duties, Anna likes to knit, make chocolates and spend time at the cottage. In 2017 She was re-elected for a second term to the Ontario Provincial Council as Spiritual Development Standing Committee Chairperson, in 2019  she was appointed as Administrative Assistant, and now she is thrilled to be elected as Recording Secretary in July.

Administrative Assistant

Directive: Administrative Assistant

Rebecca and her husband Buz were married in 1974 and have 2 adopted daughters whom have blessed them with a family of 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.  Buz went home to the Lord shortly after she became London Diocesan President in 2018.  Rebecca is thankful for her CWL sisters who carried her through the shock of losing her life partner.

Rebecca’s passion is with Resolutions and Legislation.  She has worked with her committees to have several resolutions passed that have gone on to change laws within Canada.  She has sat on the London Diocesan Council for 22 years and on the Ontario Council in 2007 – 2009, and 2018 – 2021.  She has been active in various committees of the League at all levels.  Her husband, children and grandchildren have accompanied her to many diocesan, provincial and national conventions.  Rebecca enjoys time with her family and traveling.

Communication Chair
Directive: Communications

Emma was raised in the small village of Monkland, with her six older brothers! The small community along with her parents influence was the perfect background to instill her love for being involved in all things community oriented.

Emma has been a parishioner of St. Anthony’s/St. Michael’s all her life and made all her sacraments there; obviously in no rush to make the remaining sacrament! In September of 1992, she and Kevin were married at her home parish, now theirs, and they have been and continue to be involved in many ministries. Their daily lives are busy as self-employed entrepreneurs. Emma enjoys many hobbies and has turned scrapbooking, cardmaking and quilting into her little business called Auntie Em’s Scrapbooking and Quilting.

The Catholic Women’s League has been Emma’s blessing in disguise. Upon joining the League she was quite content at attending meetings here and there and oh yeah, even said yes to being St. James council’s organization chair – having no idea what it was all about. Her first convention was the game changer! Oh the things she learned! The more she learns the deeper she falls in love with the League, the works and the many blessings received. Plus now she has more sisters then she could have ever dreamed of!

Her mantra has been – If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you.

Resolutions Chair
Directive: Resolutions

Mary was born and raised in Toronto. She has been happily married to her husband Vincent for 44 years. They are blessed with a son Michael, daughter-in-law Shannon, daughter Kathryn and three beautiful grandchildren, Nico, Selina and Noelle. She retired in 2011 after working for Bell Canada for 36 years.

Mary joined the CWL in 1992 at her home parish of Nativity of Our Lord after hearing an appeal from the pulpit during an annual membership drive. Shortly after joining she was elected as the Spiritual Development Standing Chair. She attributes this position for changing her relationship with God, moving Him from the back seat in her life to be her driver and constant companion. Mary continues to serve her parish as a lector and member of the finance committee.

Mary then went on to hold various standing committee chair positions at the parish level before serving as parish president 2000-2001 and received her Maple Leaf pin in 2003. She went on to hold standing committee chair positions at the regional and diocesan levels including serving as the Toronto diocesan president 2013-2015. In 2015 she was appointed as the Provincial Newsletter Editor and a member of the National Resolutions Review Committee. She was also appointed as the Toronto Representative on the Capital Campaign Cabinet for the Catholic Women’s Leadership Foundation.

Over the years Mary has led the Leadership Public Speaking Course throughout the diocese, rolled out the Catch the Fire initiative and delivered the Diocesan Parish Executive Training Course fondly known as PET; she co-chaired numerous Toronto Diocesan Conventions, was part of the organizing committees for the 2005 and 2009 Provincial Conventions and the 2011 National Convention. In 2017 Mary was honoured to receive her Life Membership as well as her 25-year service pin. In 2018 Mary co-chaired the Ontario Provincial Convention and she is currently the co-chair for the 2025 National Convention which will be held in Toronto.  Mary currently chairs the Training and Development using Technology working group, part of the national strategic planning initiative. 
 
Mary has served on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Catholic Children’s Aid Society for 6 years.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities and is the chairperson for the Social Justice Committee for the Archdiocese of Toronto. 
 
In 2017, Mary was elected to the Ontario Provincial Council as Recording Secretary. In 2019-2021 she was the Community Life Standing Chair and now she is honoured be serving as the Resolutions Chair.

Christian Family Life Chair
Directive: Christian Family Life

Betsy joined the League with her mother’s encouragement in 1993 and has held several executive positions in her home council at St. Jerome Parish in Sault Ste. Marie. In 2011, she was appointed to the diocesan council and has served terms at that level as recording secretary, first vice president / Sault Ste. Marie regional chairperson, president, past president/historian, and is currently spiritual development standing committee chairperson.

As president Betsy chaired the 98^th and 99^th annual Sault Ste. Marie diocesan conventions in Sudbury (2018) and Sault Ste. Marie (2019). She participated in a very successful diocesan-wide food drive and many other projects which addressed the 2017-19 provincial theme of homelessness. She was blessed to present a CWL Life Membership, 2 Bellelle Guerrin Awards and the Ontario Provincial Social Justice Award to some sister CWL members in the Sault Ste. Marie diocese.

She has presented workshops on the Objects of the League and Health Care Ethics (Informed Consent, Substitute Decision Making & Privacy). She was a facilitator for Catch the Fire! and presented a “discernment” workshop as an introduction to the “S’Mores” program.

On a personal note… Betsy was born, raised and still lives in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. Her legal birth name is Elizabeth, but she was always called by her nickname “Betsy” since she was a toddler.

After graduating from Mount St. Joseph College, she was married and had two children, Trish and Stephen.  When her children were in school for a full day, she returned to Sault College and then Laurentian University and graduated with a diploma and then a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.  She also earned a certificate from St. Michael’s College in Toronto in Education and Healthcare Leadership. After being blessed with a wonderful career of bedside nursing, teaching and management she retired in 2011. She and husband, Steve Larocque, have a blended family of three adult children, six beautiful grandchildren ranging in age from fifteen to thirty-eight, and two great-grandchildren.

She enjoys volunteering at the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) and loves nature and camping in the RV all summer at the lake. She is also an avid reader and motorcyclist.

Education Health Chair
Directive: Education and Health

Hilarion is thrilled to be serving on the Ontario Provincial Council 2022-2024 Executive as Education and Health Chair.

She is from the Toronto Diocese and served a 3-year term 2019-2022 as Diocesan President during the historic 100^th anniversaries for national (2020) and the Toronto Diocesan Council (2021). The term was transformative with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic which required the ability to adapt using virtual and livestreaming to engage members when in-person gatherings were not possible. Hilarion is now serving as Past President/Historian.

 At the diocesan level, she also served as President-Elect/Organization, 2^nd VP/Spiritual Development, 1^stVP/Resolutions, Legislation, Christian Family Life, Peel Regional Chair, various committees and relaunched the Leadership & Public Speaking Course (2017).  Hilarion was national CWL Catch the Fire Spark for Ontario (2012-2014) and member of the Strategic Plan Working Group Embrace Diverse Cultures and Ages (2020-2021).  Hilarion received her Maple Leaf Service Pin in 2009.  Hilarion joined St. John Fisher CWL Council in Brampton in 1998 on her mother’s advice. She credits the League for the influence in raising her family, Catholic values, professional life and the importance of volunteerism. Hilarion is a lector at her parish.

 Hilarion is married to Glen for 27 years and they have three sons. She is a late convert to football with her youngest son in the CFL. She is a Registered Dietitian and promotes healthy eating throughout the lifespan. She likes to cycle and take long walks. She grew up listening to Desiderata and maintains that “God is in Control”. Hilarion strongly believes that the CWL is an excellent organization for Catholic women.

 Legislation Chair
Directive: Legislation

Joanna Sisk was born in Ottawa and raised in Arnprior and Ottawa. She is the eldest of five siblings.  Growing up, she was involved in the Girl Guides and has been involved in the parish activities her entire life.  She studied at the University of Ottawa and obtained a Degree in Nursing Science and also studied at St. Paul University in Ottawa. Joanna, as a registered nurse, worked at Sault Ste. Marie General Hospital, St. Anthony’s Hospital in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and with the unstably housed in downtown Ottawa through Street Outreach.  Joanna has been a CWL member since 1974 and has held numerous positions at parish and diocesan levels.  In July 2017, she was elected to the Ontario Provincial Council as the community life standing committee chair. She was awarded her life membership in 2020.  In 2022 she was again elected to the Ontario Provincial Council and looks forward to the challenge of serving as the legislation standing committee chair.