mailto:gayathrijayaraj@mm.co.in "Response to 'Women's World' - March 19, 2011"

Dear Gayathri,

Greetings from the Church of South India.

Let me introduce myself.

I am Rev. Viji Varghese Eapen, a Priest in the Church of South India.

I belong to the Diocese of Madhya Kerala, Kottayam, but presently serving at the CSI Synod Secretariat, Royapettah, Chennai (this is the head quarters of CSI) as the Director for the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Ecological Concerns.

As you may know, the CSI has always been committed to the social and ecological cause and continues to be. Through our Department of Diaconal Concerns, we involve in Women Empowerment and Girl Child Empowerment, focusing mostly in the rural villages of South India.

Well, Gayathri, I mail this to applaud you for the letter you had published on March 12, 2011, in the News Plus under the title 'Penn Nagarm'. And in your subsequent article in 'Women's World', Metro Manorama, March 19, 2011, you have expressed your disappointment and frustrations in many not positively responding to your letter cited above (except three).

I just want to assure you that we all are there with you for this just cause. In fact, let me tell you that I myself has read your letter in the church where i had led the Communion Service on March 13, 2011. (For the past three years (2008 May -2011 January) I was the vicar of the Holy Trinity CSI Malayalam Congregation at Vepery, Chennai. As part of this huge congregation, we have a small church in Mogappair, Chennai too. Though the Church of South India celebrated March 8th as Women's Sunday, we celebrated Women's Sunday on March 13th.) During the service, just before the Public Confession, I read out your letter to the congregation, quoting your name, and led the confession in the light of this. The same letter was read just before the intercessory prayers during one of the Area Prayers, held at Kilpauk.

Gayathri, your letter is so moving, and we express our solidarity with your stand, and at the same time we the Church of South India, pray for a transformation of our society, that no more Anna Mammen, Radhika Thanvar and Soumya repeat...

May be we can even think of the Church and the Media joining hands together in conscientizing the public, not only bringing the churches together but bringing youth of different faiths together, championing against such social evils. After all, to foster a spirituality without sensitivity is to be like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal, na?

Well,

I pray that the Almighty would continue to use you. Do continue to voice out.

Also, I thank God for the vision and mission of the Malayala Manorama. It is my hope that God would continue to bless the Malayala Manorama more abundantly so that all of you would be a blessing for others.

Yours Sincerely,

Rev. Viji Varghese Eapen