Written by Welcome to the National Board of Catholic Women, an old organisation but reconstituted with the synodal aims of accompanying women, forming them and equipping them for mission. I am the new president of this dignified and valued organisation which over the years has witnessed to women transforming the Church through prayer, voice and action. Notwithstanding the fact that the organisation was instrumental in the formation of CAFOD, it has, through its mission, contributed to Parliamentary debate and European human rights policy ensuring that the Catholic voice of women can shape our world according to the gospel values of the Kingdom.
As a long-standing organisation, we retain some of our umbrella principles in that we “shelter” women of different organisations, but largely we support individual Catholic women so that they can explore their ministry and calling with other women. While some of these women have leadership positions in the Catholic Church, there are the others who quietly get on with the woman’s ministry in their own parishes, and it is a delight to hear their voices as they humbly shape the parish so that it can witness to its missionary mandate. Sometimes sadly this voice goes unrecognised, but as the synodal principles are embedded in both parish and diocese it is hoped that the voice of women will grow louder.
As I write this, I am recalling the lecture I attended last night on the new encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas, and what came across quite loudly was how the document was permeated with the synodal principles of listening, accompanying and subsidiarity. The analysis of the document highlighted those areas which recognised the importance of listening to the “grass root voice” through the principal of subsidiarity. This voice of the Church, the Pope emphasises, is vital as it can ensure that the Common Good can become more of a reality in this technocratic age, thereby enabling truth to speak to power. We have those voices and those women who have the desire to do exactly that.
So, welcome to this transformative organisation. Whilst we operate mainly online as we are a national organisation, there are women working at diocesan level as NBCW links who engage locally with groups. Please do look them up. If you are new, it is often useful to join one of our committees, and they will welcome you with open arms. If you have talents that you can offer the organisation, please do contact our administration.
And lastly, as the Synod emphasised we do need to listen to and amplify all voices in the Church, and this includes the voice of women. We have dignity and wisdom and, in the words of Sr. Joan Chittister, the “courage to persevere” in our unique Christian mission. Our patrons St Winifred and St Hilda of Whitby are exemplary historic figures who changed the shape of the Church, and they have been followed by so many other amazing women. Why not be one of them? The venerable Mary Ward wrote that “in time women would do great things”, we have done great things, but we have greater things to do.
With many blessings
Jacintha Bowe
President of the NBCW