Have you heard of WWA—Women of Wisdom and Action?
It is an initiative from which the whole Church in India can benefit, especially in the way we learn and teach theological subjects.
It was the title of a new and creative program held at Navjivan Renewal Centre, Delhi, on November 18-21, 2017.
It was jointly organized by Vidyajyoti College of Theology, the CRI Women’s Section and the Jesuit School of Theology, California.
An invitation was sent to women religious who had completed their doctorate or Master’s or Licentiate in a theological discipline in the last ten years.
The objective was to bring together young women theologians—for mutual knowledge and support, for increasing competence in their field and particularly their writing skills. Most of the theological writing in the Catholic Church is done by men. Women are poorly represented. This needs to change. So, too, we need more women to teach in theological colleges.
Thirty-one young women theologians attended the programme. Fr Michael Raj SJ, Rector of Vidyajyoti Theologate, gave the opening talk, and invited women theologians to teach at Vidyajyoti.
The resource persons present all through the programme were: Fr Valan SJ (Dean of Vidyajyoti), Sr. Julia Prinz (Professor at the Jesuit School of Theology, California), Fr John Endres SJ (who teaches both at JST and at the Gregorianum, Rome), Fr Joe Mannath SDB and Sr Jacinta D’Souza DHM (Vice-President of the CRI-Women’s Section).
Every participant was given the chance to make a presentation of their work, and also invited to share with the group their main concerns and interests, their dreams and intellectual passion.
Time was provided for planning some writing, together with access to library resources.
A ten-day follow-up seminar is planned for June 2018 in Bangalore. It aims at helping young women theologians to publish their work.
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