‘Faith is a focal point in women’s summit’
The 5th Annual Women’s Summit kicked off Monday at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center with a focus on the importance of faith in the community.
According to CNMI Women’s Association president Rose Hocog, the summit discusses different topics based on the needs of the women in the community and faith is an important subject.
Hocog said that, in the past year alone, many people, especially women, have had difficulty coping with the loss of a loved one due unfortunate tragedies. The CWA included the topic about faith to remind women that faith can be the door that leads to recovery, she said.
The annual Women’s Summit is designed to empower women and to discuss the issues they face in the world today to equip them with the spirit to overcome these issues.
“A lot of times, especially mothers, carry that burden and they blame it on themselves…so we included that topic [faith] so women can know that, in times of trouble, when your heart is breaking, when you can’t see your way out of the darkness, you have your faith to turn to,” she said.
The panelists who talked about faith were Bishop Ryan Jimenez, Pastor Beth Nunez from Grace Christian Academy, and Sr. Maryann Hartmann, one of the Mercedarian Sisters at Maturana.
To complement the discussion on faith, the CWA also prepared a set of panelists who will discuss mental health issues so that women, especially younger women, are equipped with the knowledge that there are resources and there are people in the community who are ready to step up and help.
The free two-day summit ended yesterday.
On Monday, over 100 individuals participated in the summit, ranging from teenaged girls to young adults, middle-aged women, and even men.
Breakfast and lunch were provided.
There is a significant difference between Faith and a true Spiritual Connection. Most people assume that Religion and Spirituality are the same. They are not. A religion, or faith community, is a group of people who share similar beliefs. Spirituality, however, is one’s conscious connection with God (or Jesus, or Allah, or deity of your choice). It is a personal matter, not a group experience. If you are able to attain a spiritual relationship / partnership with the Divine, then living becomes rewarding and fruitful. Religions seek to control their flock and it stops at tradition and ritual. However, those who are spiritual need no religion because they have established a real and beneficial connection with God or Jesus.
Grace manifests constantly, but few ever notice because they are not given any insights on how to establish a spiritual connection. Once you start to notice–even the small things–they happen all the time. The trick is to notice and give thanks. That’s the key to living a life of Spirit. Most religions are feel-good, self-serving institutions.