Report by Patricia Gough

In an age when it is not considered fashionable to join an organisation, the Catholic Women's League is happily bucking the trend and attracting hundreds of new members.

Four hundred women joined our organisation during the past year. New sections have opened in the diocese of Middlesbrough, Southwark and Hexham & Newcastle. With requests from 14 parishes around the country for publicity days/weekends during 2001, we look forward to reporting an even bigger increase by this time next year.

The legacy our founder Margaret Fletcher left to the Church was the Catholic Women's League. Members are caring with love in a variety of ways: Creches in HM prisons, giving family support, counselling, child care, pensioners' rights, support of refugees and asylum seekers, support for HM forces, education for women, catechesis in parishes, parish work, visiting the sick, ecumenism. Support is given to human rights and those unjustly imprisoned and we promote the advancement of women all over the world through education and our links with the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations.

The legacy Margaret Clitherow our patron saint left in the 16th century was the continuation of the Mass and the Priesthood.

The indomitable spirit of both our Margaret's continues in the members of the Catholic Women's League as we continue to expand our work and representation on public bodies ensuring that a Catholic voice is heard.