Hope and Life Movement

The Hope and Life movement is an association for widows of all parishes in Mumbai. It was started by Bishop Bosco Penha, twenty years ago.

Objectives
- To help widows gain emotional stability.
- To encourage widows to be prayerful, joyful and helpful.
- To accept God’s will and move on with faith and trust.

Membership
- Every widow is welcome.
- As a sign of commitment and unity, regular attendance at monthly meetings is recommended.
- All Parish units are affiliated to the Centre.
- Each Parish maintains an Attendance register.

Activities
- Visiting & befriending the sick, lonely, homebound and recently widowed.
- Visiting the Clergy Home, Home for the Aged, and orphanages.
- Annual retreat, pilgrimage, picnic, and get-together.
- Helping the sick and needy widows.

The St. Peter’s unit has their meeting for widows on the third Monday of every month at 6 p.m. This is announced in Church notices prior to the meeting to remind each widow. We have over fifty members on the rolls. Fr. Albert Jou, S.J. is our spiritual Director, and Fr. Gerard Rodricks, S.J., our Parish Priest, is most encouraging and always helping us whenever we need it.

We celebrate the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, which is mother’s day, every year. Christmas, Easter and birthday parties are held during the year. Our annual day of the Mumbai Archdiocese is held in February each year and is organized by Mrs. Dora Lobo, the leader of the movement in Mumbai.

We have each Parish in Bandra conduct a Holy Hour on the last Wednesday of every month at 5 p.m. in the Chapel of the Daughter of St. Paul, Bandra. All widows are welcome.