Finding joy in the face of adversity

PETALING JAYA: Some 250 women commemorated International Women’s Day at the Church of St Francis Xavier on March 3, sharing their life experiences at a day-long gathering recognising their many contributions to society and their important roles as mothers, wives, citizens, and care-givers. The entire day’s events were wrapped around the theme Facing Adversity, Finding Joy.

“Women have come a long way,” noted parish priest, Fr Norris Seenivasan, SJ whose opening remarks set the tone for the day.

The event began with a grand opening of a pantomime on the Sabah legend of Huminodun, depicting what defines a woman when she or her loved ones suffer. Huminodun, a princess, sacrificed herself for the people so they could have an abundant harvest. It was further interspersed with other entertainment including a lively Zumba dance which got all the participants on their feet.

The gathering featured inspiring sharing by women from all walks of life. There was a forum with Hannah Yeoh, Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly and author of Becoming Hannah and Dr Anasuya Jegathesan of HELP University who has a doctorate in Counselling. The forum was moderated by Malar Villi, an EQ specialist.

Hannah shared her belief that women could better cope with adversity by surrounding themselves with like-minded people. It was important to find a right balance between work and family. In her case, her duties as a politician and her obligations to her two daughters and husband.

Dr Anasuya pointed out that women were often the care-givers in a family. Women should not say they had no choice when taking on the role but, rather, acknowledge that they had taken the hard choice when others in their family turned away.

Other women, aged from 18 to 81, shared their experiences, thoughts and struggles. These ranged from surviving cancer to the trials of being a migrant worker.

Archbishop Julian Leow visited the event and told the women, “You hold up more than half the world.”

In her closing remarks, Organising Committee Member, Regina Morris, said, “The take-home message today is, I am enough! We don’t need to reinvent ourselves to please others. Despite imperfections or brokenness, women still have achieved so much. Imagine, if we put our talents together, how much more could be achieved for a better world.”

The participants closed the event with a therapeutic and enthusiastic beating of drums in a Drum Circle.

The commemoration, organised by Sisters Abiding in Light and Truth (SALT), the Women’s Desk of SFX Church, PJ, was aimed at inspiring, educating and empowering women to find joy amidst life’s difficulties and challenges.

SALT, established in 2016, aims to create a space for women to grow together in faith, draw support from one another to build inner strength and maintain their distinctive qualities. SALT can be reached at saltsfxpj@gmail.com and on Facebook @salt.sfxpj

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online