Media Release

Mumbai, Mar 8: To mark International Women’s Day, the archdiocesan commission for women organized a function on Sunday March 3 at Canossa Secondary School Hall, Mahim. The theme was 'Balance for Better: We are stronger together'. The focus was on gender balance because, we believe, better the balance between genders the better the world.

In her welcome speech, Sunita Machado, executive secretary of the Commission, said we need to correct the gender balance that exists at home, at work and in church. Women comprise half the world and half the church and we must overcome our silence and let our voices make a difference to balance for better.

After reciting the Women’s Creed and singing the Women’s Anthem, a prayer dance was performed by the children of Our Lady of Dolours School, Sonapur (trained by Emerita Pereira)– a wonderful way of worship.

Nirmala Peters-Mehendale conducted a session on the theme. She is a corporate trainer and she brought her experiences to illustrate the focus. She said in order to find balance we need to be aware of what our core values are. In life there is no absolute win-win situation. You win some, you lose some, but the key to achieving a balance is to know your priorities and thereby make your choices. Equality can be achieved only when women and men have equal access to resources and equal opportunities to benefit from them. She believes the youth of today are more accepting of gender balance, giving examples from her personal interaction with them. She closed with Pope Francis’ appeal to youth to build a better world.

Then followed a ribbon dance performed by the Canossa Special School children to the song, ‘The heavens are telling of the glory of God’. It was well coordinated and appreciated by the audience.

The commission felicitated three young women for their achievements. Deane De Menezes is a recipient of Queen Elizabeth’s Young Leaders Award 2018 for her project ‘Red is the New Green’ that seeks to break the social taboos and raise awareness on menstruation. Captains Keithair Misquitta and Aarohi Pandit were honoured as the first Indian women to attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a Light Sport Aircraft.

Bp Barthol in his address, while commending the three young women for their astounding achievements, said that women are the real change agents in society and in the archdiocese.

To bring a touch of lightness to the day, there were four spot prizes for which there was a lively competition. At the close there was the celebration of the eucharist. The choir comprised women and men from St Anthony’s Church, Mankhurd. The function ended with delicious lunch packets.