At the Annual General Meeting of the Catholic Union, held on 21st November 2013 in London, Robert Rigby was re-elected as Chairman for a further year. At the same time, John Barrie, a long –serving member of the CU Council was elected one of the vice- chairmen, together with Jamie Bogle. Retiring vice chairman, Dr Tony Cole, remains chairman of the Parliamentary and Public Affairs Committee.
Chairman Robert Rigby said “I want to pay tribute to Tony Cole for his tireless commitment to the Catholic Union and to thank him for all he has done as vice chairman. His sterling work in helping to bring about the demise of the Liverpool Care Pathway, must surely stand as his lasting legacy and is a shining example of his integrity and desire to promote the Common Good. I am very pleased to be able to welcome John Barrie to one of the vice chairmanships. Along with Jamie Bogle, he brings a wealth of invaluable knowledge and experience to the position”.
Also at the AGM, the Catholic Union Charitable Trust (CUCT) was formally endorsed by the membership. The Catholic Union will build a series of high profile events, which bring to the public arena social, moral and ethical issues of the day under the umbrella of the Catholic Union Charitable Trust (Registered Charity No 1137317) which will allow the Catholic Union to add a Gift Aid element to its fundraising activity. Robert Rigby commented: “These seminars and open discussions will showcase Catholic social action and Catholic social teaching including education and moral responsibilities in today’s ever secular world. As the voice of Catholic laity in this country, we are uniquely positioned to undertake this sort of activity, building on our established provenance, capabilities and support of our membership as well as developing partnerships with other interested bodies. 2014 is going to be a year of real growth and development for us”.
This will also be supported by an active Public Relations campaign with special emphasis developing and implementing a social media strategy which positions the Catholic Union at the heart of the debates around social and moral issues of the day.
The Chairman’s speech can be downloaded here: Catholic Union AGM Speech Nov 13