Women

About

The Commission for Women of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) is a pastoral body committed to empowering and uplifting women within the Church and society. The vision of the Commission is to serve as a platform to nurture spiritual growth and leadership development by strengthening women spiritually, socially, and economically. The National Commission for Women envisages bringing about an attitudinal change regarding the dignity and role of women in the Church and society (Pastoral Plan 2013).

Brief History

The Commission for Women was established at the national level by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on 16 February 2008 to work for the welfare of women in all the Catholic dioceses of the Latin Rite in India. It is headed by a team consisting of a Bishop Chairperson, two member Bishops, and a National Executive Secretary. The Commission operates from the office of the National Executive Secretary.

During its initial terms, the first Chairman of the Commission for Women was Most Rev. Bishop Edwin Colaco, Bishop of Aurangabad, and the Executive Secretary was Sr. Philomena D’Silva. Most Rev. Francis Kalist, the successor of the previous Chairman, had three sisters serve for one year each, namely Sr. Tessina FSLG, Sr. Josain D’Souza MSA, and Sr. Liliy Francis SMMI, along with the succeeding Executive Secretary Sr. Lidwin Fernandes UFS, who served for a long period of eight years.

At present, Most Rev. Kishor Kumar Kujur serves as Chairman, and Sr. Lidwin Fernandes is continuing her second term as Executive Secretary until 2027.

The Commission has its own guidelines, which were approved by the bishops at the 37th Plenary Assembly 2025, held at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore. Every year, apart from celebrations dedicated to the upliftment of women such as International Women’s Day (March 8) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), the Commission also celebrates the cultural diversity of different regions and conducts enrichment programmes. These include national conferences, exposure programmes, annual training programmes, pilgrimages, Women’s Justice Rally, Charity Drive and retreats.

The National Executive Secretary carries out the mission through the various ecclesial regions. The 14 ecclesial regions of the country also have a Chairman for the Women’s Commission and a Regional Executive Secretary to assist in this mission. The same structure is followed at the diocesan and parish levels.