International Women’s Day 2025

Photographer Esther Ruth Mbabazi took this image in Juba, South Sudan, in September 2018, when the country was at war, yet ‘these graduates were full of hope for a brighter future’

On 8 March 2025, join us to celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme,

“For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”

This year’s theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all and a feminist future where no one is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation—youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls—as catalysts for lasting change.

This article is a collection of memories, quotes and resources to celebrate International Women’s Day together, from the websites of the United Nations and the Vatican.

Sr Oluwakemi Akinleye fsp – Vatican City writes: The journey towards an International Women’s Day began in the 1900s in New York and some European cities but a definite date was only agreed upon in 1910 during the second International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The first ever International Women’s Day celebrations took place in 1911. Therefore, 2011 was the centenary celebrations of the IWD. Since 1975, the United Nations has come up with an annual theme for the celebration. Many women today are enjoying the fruit of this day, a journey started by some courageous women who in the past, have borne the brunt for just being women in society. Yet, there are still millions of women who are illiterate, abused, deprived of a decent home and without the financial means to fend for their families.

Commemorating IWD 2024, Vice President for the Africa Region of WUCWO, (World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations), Ms Evaline Malisa Ntenga called upon women in Africa and elsewhere to be protagonists of peace and environmental awareness in society.

“Women can sow seeds of peace within families and communities, fostering dialogue, empathy, and understanding. Our individual actions contribute to the collective effort of building a more inclusive and harmonious world,” said Ms Ntenga.

She continued, “Our role as stewards of the environment is vital. Climate change and environmental degradation threaten life on our planet, making it our sacred duty to protect and preserve the Earth for future generations. Taking action to reduce our carbon footprint and advocate for sustainable practices is crucial.”

Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, said the whole process of the synod on synodality has been “a process to give more voice to women.”

“The synod is trying to highlight and foster this vision of the church as a church of brothers and sisters in Christ with this new ecclesial style of listening, dialogue and encounter and really insisting on a key word, which is inclusion, because it’s about participation of all,” she said.

The synod process, Sister Becquart said, also made clear that just as all the male participants did not have the same position on key issues, neither do the women, but they do want to be heard.

The same goes for women in religious orders, said Loreto Sister Patricia Murray, executive secretary of the International Union of Superiors General. “We care about the church and its mission. We want to bring our experiences, insights and perspectives to shaping the mission of Christ in the world.”

“We have welcomed the appointment of women, both religious and lay, to positions within Vatican dicasteries, knowing that they bring with them a diversity of perspectives and experiences,” she said.

Pope Francis said this during one of his Wednesday General Audience in the Vatican, recalling that the international Day is being commemorated on 8 March :

“On International Women’s Day, I think of all women: I thank them for their commitment to building a more humane society, through their ability to grasp reality with a creative eye and a tender heart.”

Quotations

– Malala Yousafzai, Activist

We realize the importance of our voices only when they are silenced.

– Hillary Clinton, First Lady of USA

It is past time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children’s and grandchildren’s fates, are decided.

– Mary Anne Radmacher, Author

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

– Michelle Obama, First Lady of USA

Don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

– Gloria Steinem, American Journalist & Social-political Activist

Don’t think about making women fit the world – think about making the world fit women.

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American Lawyer and Jurist

As women achieve power, the barriers will fall. As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.

– Megan Rapinoe, Professional Soccer Player

Every person has a responsibility to be a participant in this society and make it a better place for everybody, in whatever capacity they can.

– Isabel Allende, Author

I can promise you that women working together – linked, informed, and educated – can bring peace and prosperity to this planet.

– Jane Goodall, Primatologist & Anthropologist

One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that makes a noticeable difference – all the difference in the world!

– Greta Thunberg, Activist

I have learned you are never too small to make a difference.

St. Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein)

The nation doesn’t simply need what we have. It needs what we are.

St. Teresa of Avila

We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.

St. Joan of Arc

Act and God will act, work and He will work.

St. Clare of Assisi

Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.

St. Mother Theresa