| Mayor's Award |
|
| The 17th September 2008 was a great day for St. John the Baptist High School as our primary section headmistress, Mrs. Josphine Pinto was awarded the best Teacher award by the Thane Municipal Corporation (Mayor’s Award) at a function at Gadkari Rangayatan Hall. |
|
| Mrs. Josphine Pinto joined St. John’s as a teacher in 1981 and was promoted to the post of headmistress in 2005. She is very dedicated and sincere in her work. She goes out of her to improve the standard of the primary school which she has done very successfully. We wish her the very best and CONGRATULATIONS ! |
| |
| Women’s Leadership Training Programme |
|
| A 10-day Certificate Course in Women’s Leadership, organised by the Archdiocesan Women’s Desk in collaboration with Sophia College Women’s Centre, was held from 9th Aug. to 07th Sept '08 at St. John’s, Thane. Members of Women’s Cells, Women’s Groups, Family Cells and other women leaders interested in working with women and women’s issues participated. The course was very interesting, enlightening, interactive, fun as well as it was like a new door being opened and all of us discovering new hidden talents. |
|
| Sessions on Counseling, REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy), Women’s Legal Rights, Public Speaking and Stress Management, Women Leadership and Women Empowerment stressed the need for more women to become leaders and developing women power. |
|
| Traditional patriarchal structures, have resulted in a situation Julie Ann Cooper described thus, “This world has been limping with the wobbling gait, one-sided hesitancy of a man with one eye. He sees only a segment instead of a circle.” Man has mostly exercised power by Power Over (domination, oppression…). Women are against the sinful structures of oppression, domination and exploitation and want to use power differently. Not oppressive hierarchical power… but circular power… Not President, Vice-President, Secretary… but Co-ordinators. No pyramids, only circles – Circular style of leadership. What a lovely thought! The Women’s Commission envisions a society where women and girls are valued and respected as equal, able to enjoy their rights without discrimination or fear of violence. |
|
| It was truly an empowering programme for me and I end with a few beautiful lines from the Women’s Creed by Jeanne Devos which became my very own – I BELIEVE that God’s image in me is dishonoured when I am ill-treated, beaten, abused or dehumanized. I BELIEVE that women’s silence is breaking whenever we speak up for them and with them. I BELIEVE that God rejoices for the birth of each girl as he does for each boy, and that God wants to protest through us when female foetuses are aborted because they are female. |
|
| Thanks to Fr. Milton and Fr. John Lopes for the facilities available to us, Sr. Philomena D’souza, Ms. Marcia D’cunha, both from the Women’s Commission, and Sr. Ananda from Sophia College Women’s Centre, for organizing this programme. |
| |
| Lunch for the Poor |
|
| The Sodality of the Immaculate Conception will host a lunch for the poor on Sunday, 12th October, 2008 in the School Auditorium. |
| |
| Hope and Life Movement |
|
| 'Come One, come All,
Patronize Our Stall'
Was a reminder to our
parishioners to patronize the
snack stall put up by the
widows for a week during the
Novena to Our Lady of the
Mount. Indeed it was a
success. |
|
| Our sincere thanks to our Spiritual Director Rev. Fr.
Milton Gonsalves who encourages, helps and
supports our movement. Our gratitude goes to all
our Committee members and other members of
our group for not only preparing snacks but also
spending time in packing and helping at the stall.
We are grateful to our members for their
contribution in cash and kind, to Crislin caterers
and Hy-Cyl caterers for donating snacks, also to
our generous parishioners who donated and
others who supplied us with delicious snacks at
cost price. |
|
| Our efforts were to get a substantial amount to
finance our expenses for the year namely :- |
- Parents day celebration in the month of July
- Pilgrimages to 2 or 3 churches in October
- Annual X'Mas get-together with a gift to
every member in January
- Contribution for X'Mas projects to the Hope
and Life Movement (Centre) from our unit
- All widows Annual Rally at Bandra in February
- Annual 3 days retreat at Vinalaya Andheri in
March
- Recollection during the Advent season
- Easter hampers to our poor widows
- Monthly meeting refreshments
- Mass offered every month for our deceased
spouses
- Annual picnic in April
- To purchase a statue of our Lady for our
group
|
| The hamper draw was held on the feast Day 8th
September 2008. The lucky winners were:- |
|
1st Prize – Ms. Shirley Almeida
2nd Prize – Mrs. A Rego. |
|
| A big Thank You to all and God Bless. |
