By Ann Smith

TURNING 80  (known by Jean Shinoda Bolen as an OctoGeranium), gives me the humble privilege to look back at a long life as a faith, spiritual and secular leader whose purpose has been to be of service with, for and on behalf of women’s healing and empowerment. My greatest passion and reward is seeing women stepping into leadership.

Thanks be to God, I have a treasure trove of memories, connections, colleagues/friends, leadership skills, resources and collective wisdom that comes with the responsibility to give back. Having attended 55 world conferences with Episcopal, Anglican, ecumenical, interfaith, spiritual and secular women and men, I know there is a global women’s network both seen and unseen. By joining me at the Parliament of World Religions, August 14-18, in Chicago, you will become an integral part of this powerful women’s movement to defend freedom and human rights and co-create sustainable peace and justice for all creation.

Episcopal/Anglican women have been leaders in this global women’s network by participating in the Third and Fourth United Nations World Conferences and Forums on Women and the UN Commission on the Status of Women every year since 1984.

The global women’s movement continues to grow and strengthen, embracing women’s and girls’ leadership and participation on every level of society and the church. Attending the Parliament is an excellent opportunity to meet, network and learn, and to share stories, resources and programs. I am honored and privileged to co-create with the ECW of Province 8 the Leading with Heart Circle Leadership program.

Green Tent Circle, my newest global endeavor, will be a co-host with ECW in presenting two interactive, skill-building workshops: nonviolent communications and community organizing using Open Space Technology. Karen Patterson, National ECW president, will be a panelist. Bishop Paula of Chicago will be a keynote speaker.

We will give the Companions of the Holy Cross visibility by telling how we are a community of women committed to prayer and action and have over 750 Companions that meet regularly in 32 chapters across the United States and India. We will tell about our spiritual home Adelynroon, a historic conference and retreat center in Boston, where we hold meaningful conferences, quiet days and spiritual retreats and all are welcome. We will have brochures available, and by actively participating with other women of faiths, we will all co-create networks of collaboration and partnerships.

For 50 years I have taken a strong stand on women’s rights, helped start women’s shelters, provided job-training programs and made sure the most marginalized were in our circles of healing, protection and empowerment. Together we have raised awareness about racism, sexism, heterosexism, climate crisis, poverty, homelessness and gender-based violence including sex trafficking, genital mutilation and femicide. In the United States a woman is fatally shot by a family member or intimate partner every 16 hours. We are at a critical moment in our history in turning around a world in crisis.

The Women’s Task Force of PoWR encourages and enables collective and individual action to promote the dignity and human rights of women and girls, to stop religiously justified violence against women and girls, and to promote women’s leadership and equal participation in religious, faith, spiritual and other institutions. With the Millionth Circle at the Parliament in Barcelona, we held a sacred circle in a large hall that was standing room only. In my circle was the first woman guru of a famous ashram. When she heard about shared leadership, she told her followers to pay attention because this was going to be the new way of being in their community. In Salt Lake City, we held a pre-women’s event co-sponsored by Women of Spirit and Faith, Gather the Women and Millionth Circle, where everyone had a chance to experience being in a sacred circle with their voices heard and respected. They left feeling empowered to be part of the Parliament of thousands.

The morning of the opening, 3,000 women came together in song, drumming and speeches, and we danced our way into the Parliament as strong women leaders. In Toronto we also held a pre-women’s sacred circle where again the diversity of women came together in sisterhood to be the change we wanted to see happen. I am now serving on your behalf in the Women’s Task Force and the Climate Action Task Force as a Parliament Trustee. With your help, we will bring our issues, voices and faith-based spiritual leadership center stage.

Together we will bring about the mandate on the Parliament’s foundational document Towards a Global Ethic, the Declaration for the Dignity and Human Rights of Women, and the International Declaration by Religious and Spiritual Leaders and Advocates to End Sexual Violence.

We will not move backwards and allow the threat of religious nationalism to take away women’s rights and voices. Nor will we allow an increase of violence against women and girls. We will join hands with women and men around the world to carry out the theme of Defending Freedom and Human Rights, which has long been the mission of the Episcopal Church.

There will be 70 workshops and panels by and for women. There will be prayers, worship, ceremonies, rituals and interfaith celebrations. There will be a Women’s Assembly and Women’s and Climate Action Villages where informal and sacred circle gatherings provide many opportunities for meeting old friends, making new ones and gaining education and leadership training so that you can take what you learned back home to your church, family and community.

We will host Zoom meetings for Episcopal women and girls attending before, arrange gathering times during, and hold Zoom meetings after. We will have many opportunities to get to know one another and connect with our ecumenical and interfaith sisters. We will post times and places for meetings and workshops and panels. Being together to share experiences and to reflect on what we have heard will enrich our time at the Parliament and afterward.

Before the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, we wrote the Beijing Noon Day Prayer that was made into a postcard with the five UN languages, approved by the United Nations, sent around the world, approved by the Chinese government, which was unheard of, and said daily in the Peace Tent at the Forum. When Hillary Clinton ended her speech at the Forum, she held up the card and read the prayer. It has been adapted for the UN Commission on the Status of Women meetings and said at the Episcopal/Anglican Beijing +25 Celebration. We will adapt it for the Parliament and say it at noon in the Women’s Sacred Space.

We will join with thousands of sisters and brothers of faith and spiritual traditions from more than 80 countries in becoming One global family united in love and mutual respect. Our spiritual light will become so bright it will shine to the heavens.

To find out more about the Parliament go to the website and watch the video that shows the Parliament in action. Register and donate to The Global Sisters Fund. Every donation helps us to bring outstanding speakers, musicians, artists, and spiritual activists to the Women’s Village and gathering places to hold conversations where you can get to know one another, share dreams, ideas, and resources. We need the Parliament and the Parliament needs us. www.parliamentofreligions.org

Parliament of World Religions Noon Day Prayer

Dear God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, we pray for all who gather in Chicago at the Parliament of World Religions. Bless them.

Help us to see one another through eyes enlightened by understanding and compassion.

Release us from prejudice so we can receive the stories of our sisters and brothers with respect and attention.

Open our ears to the cries of a suffering world and the healing melodies of peace.

Empower us to be instruments in bringing about Your justice, peace and equality everywhere and to all creation.