Bless you my sister,
Bless you on your way
So go gently my sister,
Let courage be your song
You have words to say, in your own way
And stars to light your night
And if you ever grow weary
And your heart's song has no refrain
Just remember we'll be waiting
To raise you up again
And we'll bless you our sister . . .

-Marsie Silvestro

In 1981 the core commissioners of the Women's Ordination Con-
ference ( WOC) decided to hold its next international conference
at the "grassroots" level, bringing together women in local and re-
gional conferences so that not just women who had the financial
resources to travel and to pay for hotel costs could participate. This

This paper was prepared for and presented at the first Dialogue for Bishops and Women,
November 12-13, 1983 in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the bishops' Committee on
Women in Society and in the Church.

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