Catholic Women Meeting in Bembeke Cathedral 5-10 Dec. 2011

CATHOLIC WOMEN MEET IN BEMBEKE CATHEDRAL- Dedza diocese.

The 34th Annual Meeting for the Catholic women in Malawi took place at Bembeke Cathedrawl in Dedza Diocese under the theme ‘Be Converted and Live’. The five days’ meeting was between 5th and 10th December, 2011.

Bishop of the Diocese His Lordship, Emmanuel Kanyama opened the meeting which convened women from all the eight Catholic Dioceses. In his address, Bishop Kanyama asked the women to use their God given gifts to benefit the Church. He reminded them that women have been enormously endowed by God to assist in the Church. He however, reminded the women that like Eve in the Bible, women can choose to be disobedient and use their gifts selfishly. He called on them to choose like our mother Mary, who was full of obedience and used her gifts to give salvation to the whole world.

The First Lady, Madam Calista Munthalika graced the occasion. She encouraged the women to meet regularly so that they could share and learn. Mutharika reminded the women to make a choice on whether to go to heaven or not saying demonic behaviors like gossip, malicious attitudes and immorality cannot take them there.

A resolution was passed at the end of the conference which included; To be converted everyday …, to be exemplary all the time, to be Prayerful  women, to be conversant with the Bible and do according to God’s will, to encourage the children to go to School and pray with them in families all the time, to be empowered,  Spiritually, Socially, Literally and Economically, to take a reading role as CWO on the issues of Human Trafficking, HIV and aids and all malpractices, to  start preparing for the AMECEA Meeting to be held in Malawi in 2014 and give full support to Bishops.

Additionally, women discussed the CWO constitution forth edition, the CWO Strategic Plan and they also had deliberations on World Union of Catholic Women Organisation (WUCWO) as next year there is WUCWO African Regional  Conference end October, in Nigeria.
About 500 Catholic women attended the annual meeting from all the eight dioceses.