We celebrate the Claretian Mission Day every year to bring the universal dimension of the Claretian Mission to those whom we are working with. Also to highlight the Claretian way of working, we choose a different theme every year. For the year 2025, we propose to have the theme of ‘Women: Agents of Evangelization and Empowerment’. In this introductory letter, we wish to bring some highlights of this theme.

Throughout human history, women have sustained humanity in their hands. They have cared, taught, and resisted the silence imposed by the powerful. This world must also listen to their prophetic voice, recognize their work, and allow itself to be transformed by their vision – a vision capable of restoring hope to a humanity lost in the whirlwind of consumerism and indifference.

As in the Gospel, women must be protagonists – not as a concession granted by anyone, but as a recognition of their dignity. Mary, by saying “yes” to God, initiated the definitive plan of salvation. She sang of liberation in the Magnificat, surpassing the prophets of old, and sustained the first community with her hope. Elizabeth believed in God’s transformative power. Women stood by Jesus at Calvary and were the first to proclaim His Resurrection.

In a world marked by polarization that builds walls, our mission must seek ways to restore relationships: with God, with others, and with Creation. In this, we must allow ourselves to be transformed by the Spirit, which urges us to recognize the gifts we have received and can share without fear of leaving behind the differences imposed upon us. We must let go of the fears that trap us in frameworks unworthy of the richness and diversity of the Spirit and embrace a new humanity.