Manipur’s Catholic women discuss role in society

(April 23, 2012) Women from all over Manipur state in northeast India, ended a four-day convention on Monday where they discussed how they can be catalysts of change in their society. The April 20-23 meeting was the first of is kind organized by the Manipur Catholic Woman Organization(MCWO). About 3000 delegates from all parts of Manipur converged on the Catholic Mission Campus, Mantripukhri, Imphal to discuss the theme ‘Women: Agents of Social Transformation’. Bishop James Thoppil of Kohima gave the key note address and several eminent speakers spoke on transformation through gender sensitive education, women in public forum, women as the backbone of village economy, women and dysfunctional families. The speakers highlighted issues affecting the family, such as alcoholism, migration of the youth to the metros, and the role of women in bringing about peace and social transformation. The first recorded Baptism in Manipur can be traced back to 1952, Ever since, through the active evangelization by the laity as well as the missionaries both priests and women religious from other parts of India, the Catholic church grew rapidly to raise it to a diocese in 1980 and to an Archdiocese in 1995. The missionary work in Manipur is particularly noteworthy because of the multiplicity of ethnic groups, languages and a difficult terrain. Till today, there is no single language which all the people in Manipur understand equally well.