Mass to recognize women

By KATE BLAIN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Among many days set aside to honor specific groups during this Jubilee Year is March 25, the Jubilee Day for Women. In the Albany Diocese, it will be celebrated with a diocesan-wide liturgy, themed "Women Saying Yes to God."

The event is sponsored by the diocesan Women's Commission, a group of women appointed by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard to look at the needs of women in the Church.

"The commission is interested in offering spiritual opportunities for women. We're really excited" about the liturgy, said Karen Dehais, a commission member. It's no coincidence, she added, that the Mass will take place on the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Blessed Mother said "yes" to God.

Readings

To highlight women in another way, the Mass will begin with reflections read by women at different stages of life: a child, teen, young adult, adult and senior citizen. The reflections are adopted from those used in a celebration by the Louisville, Kentucky, Archdiocese.

At the end of each reading, the congregation will be asked to respond in English and Spanish with a chorus of "Digo Si, Senor" ("I Say `Yes,' My Lord"). That song, Ms. Dehais noted, is just one example of how the music chosen for the liturgy will celebrate all people.

Women will also take "the majority of ministerial roles," she said, from lectoring to serving as Eucharistic ministers. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard will preside at the liturgy and address in his homily the theme of "Women Saying Yes to God."

Gifts of prayer

Women's Commission members will serve as greeters for the liturgy, but they have one extra duty: handing out a gift to those who attend. The commission has assembled a packet of prayer resources to "help women develop new opportunities for personal prayer."

The packet includes such prayers as the "Beatitudes for Women," as well as a form asking women of the Diocese to give their ideas on how the Commission can address their concerns.

"We want to listen and figure out how, together, we can respond," Ms. Dehais said. While the Commission is already educating people on issues like domestic violence and the plight of incarcerated women, other issues can be addressed, as well.

Ms. Dehais told The Evangelist that the Diocese already does "a very good job" in welcoming women, especially in leadership roles. However, she added, "we can always do more."

(The liturgy for the Jubilee Day for women is open to all people of the Diocese. It will be held on March 25, 5 p.m., at the Provincial House of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Latham. For information, call the diocesan Women's Commission at 453-6650.)

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