Gordons, Port Moresby: The Conference of Women Religious in Port Moresby gathered on Saturday 23rd October to commemorate the opening of the Synodal Process by Pope Francis on October 9th.
It was held at the Catholic Bishops Conference and had 10 representatives from the different religious congregations present.
The meeting was chaired by Sr. Mary McCarthy and aimed at preparing for the Synod of Bishops that will be held in October 2023 and to evaluate the Conference Pastoral Plan and draft the plan for the next five years.
Sr. Mary acknowledged the presence of those who participated stating that their role as Religious Women is very important as they are capable of going out to the margins to empower the marginalized people in our society, especially women and children to participate in the synodal process of the church.
“As religious women, we have a mission, and that is to go out to the margins and empower the women and marginalized”, She said.
Sr. Mary stressed that their role as Religious Women is to empower and not to speak on behalf of the people.
The program also included a discussion session that had the Religious Women discuss how each congregation was going to carry out their outreach ministries in the marginalized communities to encourage the participation of the Catholic faithful in those communities in the society.
There were also prayer and reflection moments where the sisters meditated upon the Holy Father’s homily at the Mass for the Opening of the Synod 2021-2023 where he spoke about the importance of ‘Listening’.
Two insightful reports about Covid-19 were also presented by Sr. Susan Imperio from the Hohola Clinic and Sr Grace SCSA from the Gerehu Clinic at stage six. They highlighted the challenges and dedication they have witnessed in the recent weeks in the clinic.
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