Dear Friends and Family at St. Paul’s,

I made a connection with with the National Institute for Women, from Mexico City. They will be in several U.S. cities next week presenting a pilot workshop on health for immigrant women. St. Pauls has been chosen as one of the locations. WOW!! The march in San Diego was a wonderful spiritual experience. I'm sending some pictures of some of our girls, from the Guadalupe Art Program and their families in the March.

These are the signs we worked on for the march. Univision and other media have been using them in their news trailers on immigration. I was invited to share my father's story ...What a blessing! To have the opportunity to say in front of over 50,000 people ....we were expecting may-be 20,000... that I am an immigrant and that my father is my hero.
The most amazing part of the march for me, was the spirit and the power of peace...among the marchers. For three miles parents carried their children. Incredible! 

The Rev. Canon Mary Moreno Richardson

Reverend Mary Attends 50th UN Commission
on the Status of Women

The Rev. Canon Mary Moreno Richardson joined more than 100 Anglican women representing 37 provinces of the Anglican Communion who arrived in New York City on February 24 for the opening of the 50th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) meeting. It is the largest-ever gathering of Anglican women to convene at the United Nations in New York City.

The focus of the 2006 event, which continued through March 8, was on gender equality, the advancement of women in the fields of education, health, and employment, and increased participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels. Of special interest to Reverend Mary was the outrage of trafficking of women worldwide, their slavery and forced prostitution in spite of fifty years efforts to bring about change.

A 4 p.m. Eucharist service held in the U.N. Chapel officially marked the opening of the UNCSW event.

Delegates partook of an all-day orientation on February 25 at the Millennium Hotel in New York. On February 26, the women attended an NGO consultation at New York University School of Medicine to hear about this year's themes and to learn about issues and advocacy strategies. Speakers included Jackie Shapiro, chair of Zonta International and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, and Rachel Mayanja, assistant secretary general and special adviser to the U.N. secretary general on gender issues and the advancement of women.

Throughout the two weeks, delegates attended daily worship, U.N. briefings, plenary sessions and caucuses.

A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of UNCSW, sponsored by Anglican Women's Empowerment (AWE), was held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The program and panel discussion featured women from across the Anglican Communion sharing hopes and concerns for a world in which Christian faith calls them to action.

Panel moderator Abigail Nelson, vice president of Episcopal Relief and Development, lead panelists in the discussion.

Featured guests were Angela King, former U.N. assistant secretary general and special advisor on gender issues; Jenny Te Paa, UNCSW delegate from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia; and musician Ana Hernandez. A highlight for Reverend Mary was a closing dinner her group had with the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, The Most Rev. Frank Griswold and his wife, Phoebe. Reverend Mary gave her some objects from the local Guadalupe Art project and has received several emails from Phoebe expressing her continued support in this important work with local Latina girls.