HAY RIVER - Theresa Swallow has always had a strong faith in God and one of the ways she expresses it is through the Catholic Women's League.

Theresa Swallow, president of the Catholic Women's League (CWL) in Hay River, stands next to the CWL banner in Assumption Church. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

She has been a member of the group for about 20 years, and for the past year has been president of the CWL at Assumption Roman Catholic Church in Hay River.

"I think what I initially started going for was the spiritual component," she said of her involvement with the CWL, which began when she was living in Inuvik. "Like when you're working all day and you've got kids, it's just crazy. Sometimes you just need to realign yourself."

That spiritual component includes such things as prayer, reflections on life and occasional mini-retreats.

"We're a prayer community, so our meetings are spiritually based," Swallow said. "There's a spiritual component to our meetings, which draws a lot of women in just for that."

Occasionally, members are also called upon to pray with someone in hospital or to say prayers for families of those going through difficult times.

Swallow noted the CWL is involved in helping people from the community to the national level.

Its motto is 'For God and Canada.'

"I interpret it to mean that God comes first in our life and he's working through us for Canada," Swallow said.

The Hay River CWL is involved in fundraising through such things as a Mother's Day tea and a raffle. Proceeds are donated to groups like the Soup Kitchen, the food bank, the women's shelter, the Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities and Secret Santa. Donations also go to the church's international development organization and to sponsor a student through the Canada-Ghana Education Project.

Swallow said the CWL also lobbies government on issues like euthanasia, pornography and human trafficking.

"On the national level, there's a lot of lobbying going on right now," she noted. "There's one because Canada sells asbestos to Third World countries and that's wrong."

The advocacy involves the 95,000 members of CWLs across Canada, including the 43 members in Hay River, she said.

"So we're quite a strong voice when we do (speak out). A lot of women get involved because of that. It's a strong voice that is heard," she said.

Swallow believes the CWL is making a positive difference in its lobbying efforts, pointing to human trafficking as an example.

"We lobbied quite heavily on getting stricter laws against the trafficking of humans for the sex trade," she said. "So there were changes on that."

Swallow said she was attracted to the CWL because it offers a sense of belonging, especially for those who move from community to community.

"If you're willing to help out and get involved, I mean you meet lots of people," she said.

Swallow, who is from Alberta, moved north with her husband and their family in 1979. They lived in Sanikiluaq in Nunavut, Norman Wells, Aklavik and Inuvik before arriving in Hay River in 1992.

She works as a bookkeeper at MSS Ltd., which is co-owned by her husband, Doug.

Swallow hopes to remain president of the CWL at Assumption Church for a while longer.

"I'd consider doing it for another year because you just kind of get your feet wet in your first year," she said. "You really don't understand what everyone has been doing all this time to plan for a meeting and what your responsibilities are. Suddenly you're in it."

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