Parishes invited to celebrate International Women’s Day with special prayers and reflections

Catholic parishes are being invited to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday, March 7 with the assistance of a kit filled with resources to help parishioners pray for all women who contribute to the Church through a great diversity of roles and tasks.

In the welcome letter to the kit, Patricia Banister, Chair of the Council for Australian Catholic Women poses the questions: “As women in the Catholic Church are we letting God challenge, change, bless and heal us as we walk with God in our everyday lives? Can we resolve to be women who are passionate for God and in being passionate work towards improving the dignity, equality and justice for all women in our church?”

“Our prayers on this day are for all women and we especially remember those women who have struggled for a place in the Church,” she said.

The parish kit contains a parish bulletin notice and liturgy notes. In the homily suggestions by Bishop Michael Malone, the Chair of the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry, we’re reminded that the “season of Lent encourages everyone to confront areas of injustice in themselves and their communities”.

Included in the kit is a brochure entitled ‘Decisions and Proposals of the Social Justice Statement 2000’.

The brochure refers to the ACBC Social Justice Statement which responded to the major research report, ‘Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus’. The Statement contained nine decisions at the national level and 31 proposals for action in dioceses.

For more information, please contact the ACBC Office for the Participation of Women on 02 6201 9864.