Mothers Union All Ireland president and Trustees commissioned; Fear of reporting sexual assaults is ‘shameful indictment’, says Irish President; 100th Anniversary of Mothering Sunday; Women’s struggle for equality and peace marked in Sierra Leone; Women with disabilities take a stand against violence
Mothers Union All Ireland president and Trustees commissioned
On Sunday 3 March 2013 in St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny former Mothers’ Union Diocesan President of Cashel & Ossory Phyllis Grothier was commissioned as All Ireland President.
She was supported by her husband George and her family Albert, Noelle, Elaine, Graham and Louise who was in Australia. Phyllis Grothier was born in Clonegal Co. Wexford and now lives in Fenagh Co. Carlow with her husband George and family. Mothers’ Union membership started in Tullow Branch in 1984 when she was enrolled but attended her first meetings at the age of 7 when she went with her mother and grandmother to the local Branch meetings in Clonegal. Since then has been Branch Leader, Branch Secretary, Young Members representative, Diocesan Vice President and Diocesan President in Cashel and Ossory for the past 6 years.
The service was led by the Bishop of Cashel & Ossory the Rt Revd Michael Burrows and the commissioning of Phyllis and the Board of Trustees was undertaken by the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland the Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke. Also in attendance were the Rt Revd Trevor Williams (Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe), the Very Revd Raymond Ferguson (Chaplain to the MU), the Very Revd Katharine Poulton (Dean of Ossory), the Revd Canon Ian Poulton (Diocesan Chaplain MU) and members of the Cathedral Chapter. Many clergy and diocesan readers were present to support Phyllis as she had herself recently become a diocesan reader.
The Worldwide Mothers’ Union was represented by its President Lynn Tembey. Also present were Lady Eames (former Worldwide President), Ruth Mercer (out–going All Ireland Mothers’ Union President), Anne Barrett, Paddy Wallace and Margaret Crawford (all former All Ireland Presidents) and Mothers’ Union members were present from every diocese including representatives from the Link Diocese of Sodor and Man.
In his address Bishop Burrows took his text from Jacob’s Dream and elaborated on the theme of when taking office not to be afraid of engaging the debate in the ‘public square’ with those who seek law reform. The Mothers’ Union has never been afraid to speak out on behalf of the family in relation to marriage, equal pay for women, the right to work in the public service after marriage, serving on juries and the debate on divorce. All the ‘Jacob’s ladders’ and bridges are needed for coping. When great social change is on the horizon, it is vital to have experienced and compassionate women.
There is nobody better qualified to this task of leadership than Phyllis Grothier. In her diocesan leadership of the MU she has brought honesty, intelligence, compassion, generous judgment and practical wisdom all of which will be relevant to her new task ahead.
The Commissioning then took place. In a very simple moment the former All Ireland President Ruth Mercer presented Phyllis to the Archbishop asking him to commission the new President. He in turn asked Phyllis was she willing to commit to the office and work. She answered affirmatively. The Archbishop then admitted her to the office and the congregation welcomed Phyllis with applause.
Similarly the Archbishop commissioned the Board of Trustees presenting them to the congregation: Hazel Sherlock, Margaret Schutz, Jean Fox, Norma Bell, Mildred Gilmore, Pat Gray, Moira Thom, Kathy Trimby, Joy Gordon, Joy Silcock, Marion Cole, Ina Blackwell, Joy Little, Valerie Ash, Iris Suitor, Patsy Devoy, Maureen Lanigan and Alison Rooke. (Susan Cathcart, Kay Clarke and Margaret Knox were unable to be present). A reception was held in Kilkenny College where presentations were made by Maureen Lanigan the newly elected Cashel and Ossory Diocesan President and others. Lynne Tembey also spoke and Phyllis replied bringing the proceedings to a climax by cutting the cake made especially in her honour.
Fear of reporting sexual assaults is ‘shameful indictment’, says Irish President
On International Women’s Day, the President tells an audience at Áras an Úachtaráin that Ireland must support assault victims more.
The Journal.ie – PRESIDENT MICHAEL D HIGGINS has said Ireland’s culture where women are afraid to report sexual crimes and assaults is “a shameful indictment” on Irish society.
The President said Ireland had to ensure that “those experiencing sexual or domestic violence have the appropriate supports accessible to them and that we combat any negative attitudes towards victims within society and within services or structures of the state.”
President Higgins was speaking at an event in Áras an Uachtaráin to mark International Women’s Day.
He cited statistics from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, which believed Ireland had one of the highest rates of sexual crimes ‘falling out’ of the criminal justice system – where a victim fears an unwanted reaction and withdraws their complaint – in the world.
“I congratulate all those who work so assiduously, many in this room tonight, to break the silence on gender based violence. In particular I salute the victims who by breaking the silence on their own dreadful experience have shone a light for others.”
Higgins said International Women’s Day was a day to “acknowledge and celebrate all those who have fought for women’s equality”, but should not be used to deny or ignore diversity among women.
“While all of you here share the common experience of being a woman in a society dominated by men and oriented to serve best the needs of men, there are those here whose lives have been and are infinitely more difficult than others,” he said, referring to those from impoverished backgrounds and ethnic minorities.
100th Anniversary of Mothering Sunday
One hundred years after the campaign to re-establish Mothering Sunday was launched at Coddington in Nottinghamshire, the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, called for a celebration of thanksgiving for mothers and motherhood to mark the centenary.
Bishop Paul Butler said: “This diocese has a special connection with Mothering Sunday, going back to the initiative of Constance Penswick-Smith from one of our parishes who put the day on the national agenda again. Mothering is something we all need at times although it’s something we can take for granted. This year I’m especially aware of all those children and young people who don’t have mothers or even fathers and are without the care and love of a family. In Southwell and Nottingham we asked parishes to focus on the work of Family Care – our local adoption and family support agency that gives practical help to children and young people. This special Mothering Sunday is an opportunity to think and pray for mothers and pray about how we can be a ‘mother’ to someone who desperately needs care and love.”
Women’s struggle for equality and peace marked in Sierra Leone
A team of United Nations agency representatives has arrived in Sierra Leone to support gender equality and to gain international attention for a new national policy to recognise the critical role of women in achieving broad-based economic growth and consolidating peace efforts.
The visit was consciously planned in the run-up to International Women’s Day, which is marked and celebrated globally on 8 March each year.
“This mission is a unique demonstration of the UN ‘working as one’ on one hand, and a great example of partnership with civil society and the private sector, on the other,” said the Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Kandeh Yumkella.
Mr Yumkella is leading the delegation along with the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, and the founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Cherie Blair, at the invitation of the Government of Sierra Leone and the UN system in the country. The team also includes representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN Women.
During the visit, the UN officials will participate in a conference marking International Women’s Day on 8 March, which aims to draw international attention to the active involvement of women in Sierra Leone’s socio-economic development through the President’s Agenda for Change, and the new policy direction, Agenda for Prosperity, according to a UN media statement.
The policy is intended to lift some of the constraints preventing women from taking part in and benefitting from economic development in Sierra Leone. The country ranks as one of the lowest on the Human Development Index produced by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
“Women’s empowerment and economic diversification are crucial if the country is to chart a new course for prosperity in the post-2015 context,” Mr Yumkella said.
The UN officials will also meet with Government and civil society in their respective areas, and discuss health, economic empowerment and climate change.
For 11 years, Sierra Leone was torn by a civil war after the rebel Revolutionary United Front intervened in an attempt to overthrow the country’s then-President Joseph Momoh.
The conflict, which lasted from 1991 to 2002, was often punctuated by acts of extreme brutality as marauding bands of armed youths terrorised the countryside, conscripting child soldiers and using the amputation of limbs as an intimidation strategy.
With acknowledgements to the UN News Centre: http://www.un.org/
Women with disabilities take a stand against violence
Women with disabilities “are often excluded from the society, and are no longer seen as recipients of the gift of God,” said the Rev Micheline K. Kamba at a recent World Council of Churches (WCC) conference.
It is vital, she said, to work and pray for action amidst the alarming situation of growing violence against women with disabilities.
Ms Kamba, herself a person living with disability from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and member of the WCC Central Committee, works as a volunteer coordinator for French-speaking Africa for the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (EDAN), a project of the World Council of Churches.
It was at a recent EDAN conference which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 27 February to 2 March 2013, that Ms Kamba spoke about the marginalization of women with disabilities, encouraging churches to be more proactive in advocating and protecting their rights.
“[Many] women with disabilities experience severe psychological problems. They have difficulty in seeing that God is on their side. They think they are cursed, and that they are ‘bad luck’ for the society,” said Ms Kamba.
“There is great urgency that a solution is found in light of the WCC’s strong statement on seeking peace and reconciliation. It stresses that ‘real peace’ is possible when women who are crushed in their inner beings could find their raison d’être, the meaning of their existence,” said Kamba.
She went on to say that testimonies shared by women with disabilities at the WCC’s 9th Assembly in Brazil, 2006, and the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Jamaica, 2011, manifest such women’s vulnerability to abuse, harassment and rape.
“Therefore, peace, reconciliation and healing would take place when our efforts allow us to reconstruct a positive image of the survivor women with disabilities,” she noted.
“These efforts need to be accompanied by promoting ecumenical co-operation between women from different backgrounds. This awareness can empower women and help them to stand against all sorts of abuse,” concluded Ms Kamba.
The EDAN conference invoked these reflections on “violence against women with disabilities” focusing on the prayer “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”, the theme of the WCC’s upcoming 10th Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea.
The conference gathered around thirty international participants, including women with disabilities from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Burundi, Kenya, South Africa, Togo and the United Sates.
The event was hosted by “The Haven”, a shelter in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa which provides protection to victims of domestic violence and abuse.
* Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network: http://www.edan-wcc.org/
* WCC programme on Just and Inclusive Communities: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/unity-mission-evangelism-and-spir…