Beginning in March 2020, Catholic Women’s Council began gathering women’s voices from across the world. We had enthusiastic participation from our network members across the continents calling for “Dignity and Equality” in the Catholic Church, as “Women for Change”.
A Pilgrimage is envisioned over a two year period March 2020 to March 2022 ending in a final gathering or Synod that will bring together the voices of women globally to speak with one voice to the leadership in the Church calling for Dignity and Equality for all.
As we have entered the second year of our Pilgrimage in March 2021, Catholic women worldwide are invited to reflect and share their diverse experiences, diverse needs and visions with diverse faces on the basic theme that deeply concerns our Church: "Equal Dignity - Equal Rights" for all genders.
We encourage our network members to continue organizing local “Pilgrimages" to facilitate discussions on the goals of CWC towards reforming the Church. Our network members are invited to read, reflect on and discuss the CWC Manifesto, to work towards our common goal.
We are happy that our network members Sr. Philippa Rath OSB Abtei St. Hildegard, has Launched the Vocation Story Project and the #Walk in Her Shoes Project by CWC Switzerland, both of whom have invited global participation in their projects.
We welcome three new members to our Executive Committee: Catherine Cavanagh – Canada; Karen Castilo – Mexico; Carolina del Rio – Chile, representing North, Central and South America.
The UN theme for 2021 ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.’ fits in well with our vision for Equality and Dignity.
In this past year of the Covid 19 pandemic lockdown, women have been creative in coming together to pray, reflect and support one another using social media platforms. They have kept their faith alive with vibrant online liturgies, discussions and reflections. Women have reached out to help neighbours, the poor and the sick. Women as healthcare workers, doctors, teachers and caregivers having been living their faith and exercising leadership and ministry in their homes and neighbourhood communities.
Many women heads of State around the world have demonstrated how their leadership has exemplified woman’s unique skill to handle a crisis and have steered their countries out of the Covid 19 pandemic with best practices that helped their countries cope with least loss of life or mass infections.
With the progress of the vaccination drive picking up momentum in countries, we expect the planet to emerge into a changed post Covid 19 world where women will continue to lead communities and countries into wholeness.
CWC affirms that women in the Church have the dignity and the right to equality to occupy positions of leadership, decision-making as they have been doing during the pandemic, because the world post Covid 19 will never be the same.
CWC Executive Committee.
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To celebrate International Women’s Day we offer a Prayer and video for the full Equality of Women in the Catholic Church.