Category: columns2014

columns2014

Creating good young citizens

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 23, 2014

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI

CCSJ is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Respect for Life Week Essay Competition. Jovelle Rosario, Standard 4 pupil of St Joseph’s Girls’ RC Primary, St Joseph, is the winner in the Under-14 category and Jiselle Singh, of St Francis of Assisi parish, Erin, is the winner in the 14-19 years age group. The essay topic was “How can young people foster Gospel values in society?”
Today, we share Jovelle’s essay with readers:

“As a young person, my parents and grandparents always talk to me about good values, giving respect to elders around me. I go to church on Sundays or sometimes on Saturday nights to give praise to the Lord. In the church, I join the short bible study for children where I get to learn about Jesus Christ and the Holy Family.

Tags Respect for Life Week

columns2014

Support National Family Rally

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 16, 2014

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI

“…in our day the Church is called to proclaim the Gospel by confronting the new and urgent pastoral needs facing the family” (Pope Francis).

CCSJ urges the faithful to attend the National Family Rally which will take place on Saturday, November 22 from 1.30 p.m. at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah. The theme of the Rally is Save the Child, Support the Family, Sustain the Nation. The event is absolutely free.
There will be live entertainment, a Health Fair and Expo Area and other attractions. There will be motorcades departing from five areas in Trinidad, heading to the Savannah.

The event is being organised by The Faith Based Network of Trinidad and Tobago (FBNTT), in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development, to mark the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. This initiative is designed “to provide holistic views for viable solutions to the issues facing the nation’s children and families”.

columns2014

Living in God’s house

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 8, 2014

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

Psalm 84 is one of my favourites. I remember as a child sitting on the floor with my siblings listening to my mother read this psalm and explain the meaning of the words to us. It was from her that we learned that we will find strength in the Lord. It was she who urged us to live always in the house of the Lord.

Recently, my father, siblings and I prayed in the rose garden at the Crematorium in London where her ashes were strewn. I thank God that my mother took such care to pass on the Catholic faith to us. Parents are the primary teachers of the faith to their children.

columns2014

Days of hope

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 2, 2014

November 1 is the feast of All Saints. Our Catechism tells us that: “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they ‘see him as he is’, face to face” (1023).

All Souls’ Day (November 2) is a day when we remember and pray for the souls of all those who have died. Our Catechism states: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (1030).

In his homily at the evening Mass on November 1 last year, Pope Francis stated that the feasts of All Saints and All Souls are “days of hope”. The virtue of “hope is like a bit of leaven that enlarges your soul. There are difficult moments in life, but with hope you go forward and keep your eyes on what awaits us. Today is a day of hope; our brothers and sisters are in the presence of God, and we, too, will be there in the Lord’s arms if we follow the path of Jesus.

Tags death

columns2014

Transform yourself first

Post author By Web administrator
Post date October 26, 2014

We all know the saying: “Change the world, Lord, and start with me.” While the theme for Respect For Life Week (Oct 25 to Nov 1) is Transforming Society to Reflect Gospel Values, we must first examine our consciences to see how we are doing. Have each of us imbibed Gospel values? Is this evident in the way in which we live our lives? And how are we doing at a parish level and in our diocese?