Dear friends,

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” (African Proverb)

This month of March is dedicated to women all over the world in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the upholding and liberation of society. The official celebration of this day began on March 8th with the celebration of International Women’s Day. That day got me still in Uganda, and I was struck by how, with great excitement and fanfare, the day was celebrated. Men took turns cooking food, washing dishes, and generally spoiling their wives and mothers to commemorate that day. Not to be outdone, politicians and religious leaders made great but generally hollow speeches about women's emancipation at rallies.

However, these great shows and speeches vanished as quickly as they came, especially the rural women reverting back to their daily burdens of taking care of their families, including the men with no change in their status or livelihood. This got me reflecting deeply on the significant roles our women, mothers, wives, and sisters play in our society and how less appreciated they are. However, fortunately, as God’s vessel of salvation, the Church has been leading in the liberation of women and recognizes their role in salvation history. That is why I sincerely want to honor the women of our parish here at our Lady of Mt. Carmel for all they do for our Church.

This reminds me of the Philosopher Confucius (551-479 B.C), who says, “Where the woman is, faithful, no evil can befall. The woman is the root, and the man is the tree. The tree grows only as high as the root is strong.” Confucius implies here that men cannot be men without the strength of a woman. However, long before Confucius, the Bible clearly teaches that God made man and woman equal in dignity, to be helpmates. But of course, as we know, sin dismantled this arrangement when Adam and Eve ate that forbidden fruit, and it is only God who can restore this original order. We know he did so through Jesus, and it is this same Jesus who also began the real women’s liberation movement with his devotion to Mother Mary. As mother of Christ, Mary is referred to as the new Eve and Jesus as the new Adam. As Eve was the cause of sin through her disobedience,

Mary is the cause of salvation through her obedience and cooperation with her son in his mission. During his ministry, Jesus was very much aware of women's concerns. He cared deeply about them and also learned from them. He recognized their need and their suggestions. For instance, he consented to his mother’s prompting, which resulted in the miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

Contrary to the Old Testament practices, Jesus was also the first Master to make women his disciples, so to speak. Through the Samaritan woman at the well, he gained credibility among the Samaritans. While dying on the cross, he gave his mother to the Church through John. He also made Mary Magdalene the first witness of his resurrection and sent her to announce the good news of the resurrection to the apostles. So, from these few examples and throughout history, there have been numerous women who serve as powerful reminders of the strength of faith and the incredible resilience of women in the face of challenges and even persecution. Their faith was instrumental in establishing a strong Christian foundation.

So, my dear mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and women of my beloved parish, I want you to know how profoundly grateful I am for your tremendous support not only as your Pastor but also to our parish through your various involvements. You are indeed the movers and shakers in every aspect of our parish life. From ministries to church attendance, parish missions, and events, you always attend in large numbers compared to your male counterparts. As I appreciate you, I wish to request you to assist me in recruiting more adorers for our perpetual adoration chapel which will be blessed next week. We still need more to sign up to spend time with Jesus daily, weekly, or even once a month so as to take full advantage of this great treasure our parish has been gifted with. I know I can rely on you to make this happen. Know that during this entire month of March dedicated to you, I will keep you all in my prayers.

I honor you, and I love you!

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