Empowering women to be ‘Unstoppable’

Feb 10, 2024

By Carmel Dominic
The Diocese of Penang hosted a Catholic Women’s Conference, January 20 - 21 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception. This empowering event was organised by the Shekinah Glory Renewal Group (SGRG), a Catholic Charismatic Renewal group, in collaboration with KASIH House of Mission (KHOM).

A diverse group of 143 women, hailing from various locations including Kulim, Sg Petani, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Miri, and even two from New Zealand, participated in the conference. Over the course of two days, attendees engaged in four enlightening plenary talks and 16 tailor-made workshops.

The theme Unstoppable was chosen to remind the participants that nothing should stop them from sitting at the feet of Christ, just like Mary did in Luke 10: 38-41. It is only by sitting at the feet of the Lord will we be able to understand what our purpose is and how we are to approach the situations that we face in life. It is also by His feet that we pour out the burdens and pain in our hearts for Him to take so that He can fill us with new wine, as stated in Luke 5: 37-39, to rejuvenate our spirits and give us the grace to endure the trials and tribulations of life.

The main speakers for the conference were Veronica Antoine from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, and her two daughters Lavinia and Alicia Antoine, who are full-time missionaries with KHOM.

The most interesting part of the conference was the workshops. Each participant would attend four workshops over the two days. They could choose which workshops to attend based on the topics that were provided for the day. Among the topics presented included How to pray for the salvation of your children, How to discern for the right partner, How to step into the new thing God is doing in your life, How to increase the oil of intimacy in your relationship with God and How to overcome burnout in ministry.

In an interview after the conference, Sharon Cornelius-Xavier of SGRG explained that the workshop topics were inspired by the feedback received from past faith-formation programmes. The women’s evident hunger for spiritual support and guidance prompted the decision to host a conference exclusively for them.

Plenary talks and uplifting praise and worship sessions interspersed with workshops, reinforced the central message that Christ should always be at the core of their lives. Msgr Jude Miranda, the parish priest of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, delivered a general absolution to participants before Mass, emphasising the spiritual significance of the event.

Testimonies shared towards the conference’s conclusion revealed the profound impact it had on the women, providing spiritual validation, comfort, and instruction for their daily struggles. Emotional healing was palpable, offering fresh perspectives on life and leaving the participants empowered to be ‘Unstoppable’ in the face of whatever challenges lie ahead.