St. Andrew Parish, Bandra Launches The Bandra She-Link Project

To commemorate International Women’s Day 2018, Fr. Magi Murzello of St. Andrew Parish, Bandra conceptualised a novel project – The BANDRA SHE-LINK Project. On 08 March 2018, Bishop Barthol Barretto, Bishop-in-charge of the Archdiocesan Women’s Commission was invited to celebrate the Eucharist and inaugurate the same.

In his homily, His Lordship emphasised the importance of women not only in the home but also in a larger arena like Mumbai or even India. He cited the example of a woman living in the Archdiocese of Bombay; a polio patient who suffered abuse at the hands of her husband over an extended period of time. Diagnosed with Tuberculosis and suffering immensely, she prayed for release from this life. It was then that her life changed. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she fought for survival and now helps other women throw off their shackles of abusiveness and pain.

He then elaborated on ‘The BANDRA SHE-LINK Project’ that the Women’s Cell of the Parish would launch later that evening. Just as the Bandra Worli Sea-Link connects Bandra to Worli, this project aims to connect the women of Bandra to Sheroes – victims of acid attacks, domestic violence, rape, female infanticide, human trafficking, honour killings, etc. who have had the fortitude to pick up the pieces of their lives and carry on. His Lordship emphasised the importance of raising awareness about these issues as well as embracing the spirit of these women who carry on and help others despite all odds. 

After the celebration of the Eucharist, His Lordship laid the foundation stone of the project; its theme being “built to inspire”.  He felt that this project should be an inspiration to the other parishes in the archdiocese. A stage, erected outdoors, displayed the stories of two women – one from Tamil Nadu (a case of honour killing) and the other from Mizoram (fighting for the plight of women in the State) – against a backdrop of their state’s unique sari. Throughout the month of March, the stories of fourteen women will be chronicled. Each woman, representing a different state of India, has been the victim of a heinous crime against womankind. Each sari showcased has an exclusive fabric and weaving technique.

The annual outdoor Way of the Cross, to be held on Good Friday, will highlight Jesus’ suffering and death at each step of the way against the background of each of the fourteen saris. Together, these will create the framework of the Cross to be displayed. This project was developed in keeping with Oswald Cardinal Gracias’ exhortation to the bishops of India to urge the faithful to become “fully Indian and fully Christian”.