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columns2016

For the children’s sake, don’t turn a blind eye

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

“Embrace, be amazed by God’s great gift of children…Children are a gift. Do you understand? Children are a gift! Each is unique and each is unrepeatable; and yet unmistakably tied to his or her roots… A child is a child: a life created by us but destined for him, for his good, the good of the family, society, humanity…In the soul of every child, no matter how vulnerable, God puts the seal of this love, which is the basis of his or her personal dignity, a dignity that nothing and no one can destroy…We must know how to recognise a child’s worth…let us thank God for the gift of children” (Pope Francis)

Do we recognise the worth, the inherent dignity of our children? The nation was horrified by the recent news that a 14-month-old baby girl was sexually abused, allegedly by the 20-year-old boyfriend of the child’s mother. Both he and a 48-year-old man are being questioned by the police after the child’s grandmother noticed, while bathing the child, redness and swelling near the child’s private part. She reported her observations.

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columns2015

Restoring the horizon of hope

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

Today is the First Sunday of Advent; the beginning of a new liturgical year.

In the Angelus on this day in 2013, Pope Francis reminded us that “this day has a special charm; it makes us experience deeply the meaning of history. We rediscover the beauty of all being on a journey: the Church, with her vocation and mission, and all humanity, peoples, civilisations, cultures, all on a journey across the paths of time. But where are we journeying? Is there a common goal? And what is this goal?”

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Press Release

CCSJ calls on all citizens to stand up for the rights of the nation’s children

ccsjpressreleaseNovember 29, 2013 – The Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) calls on all citizens to stand up for the rights of the nation’s children. Pope Francis rightly calls on societies to reflect on our “throwaway culture”. He said in June: “We are living through a moment of crisis… the human person is in danger…We have distanced ourselves from God, we do not read His signs…Human life, the person are no longer felt to be primary values to be respected and protected.”

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columns2013

Support Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

There are still a few more tickets available for CCSJ’s annual fundraising dinner for the maintenance of the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre. It will be held on Saturday, June 8 from 7.30 p.m. at Skippers Restaurant, T&T Yacht Club, Bayshore. Ray Holman, who was recently honoured as one of T&T’s Icons, will be playing at the event. Please ring CCSJ’s office on 299-8945 for tickets.

I recently returned from Guyana where I attended two major events. AEC Episcopal Members of the AEC Justice and Peace Commission and Diocesan representatives of Justice and Peace groups from all across the AEC region met to reflect on our work; to identify three priorities for our respective Archdioceses/Dioceses; and to focus specifically on the scourge of Domestic Violence which is pervasive across the region/world.

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columns2012

Children bring us God’s smile

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ

Every child brings us God’s smile and invites us to recognise that life is His gift, a gift to be welcomed with love and preserved with care always and at every moment. (Pope Benedict XVI)

These words came to mind as I read about the pain that 6-year-old Josiah Governor must have gone through at the hands of his 25 year-old stepfather, now before the Court charged with his murder. On January 25, he reportedly told police that he used a piece of PVC pipe to beat Josiah because he was not paying attention during a maths lesson. It is also alleged that Josiah was thrown through a window after being beaten.

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