Is the Roman Catholic Church in T&T ready to wake up from its slumber and attend to the needs of the society?
The question has come to the fore as the local clergy, led by Archbishop Joseph Harris, is challenging its flock to become more vigilant and outgoing as manifested in recent statement from the archbishop and other members of the local clergy.
In recent times, there have been increasing calls for Catholics to become more involved in carrying out the work of the church in a positive and public manner. Pope Francis has made incessant calls for more active Catholics and the local church has obviously taken up his call, but looking at our society today, it is a valid call.
Archbishop Harris made his desire abundantly clear when he addressed the recent Charismatic Congress. He said “It is in your families that children have to learn that they have been sent by almighty God. Therefore, I want every Catholic family in Trinidad and Tobago to have a missionary project.” This was a challenge to every Catholic family in the archdiocese to get out of the comfort of their homes and indulge in some missionary work.
The archbishop went a step further and said, “I want you, every family, to adopt a family. Have a missionary project and teach your children from now what it means to be a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, somebody sent by the Father, so that others can experience the tremendous love and mercy of Almighty God.”
After telling his audience that people would know the God of mercy by “our love,” he continued, “Your home has to be a school of authentic gospel living.” He said two places where Catholics must be present were at home and in the workplace.
He also called on Catholic families to go to other places where people “have not heard the message; heard it and forgotten it; scarcely heard it; and heard it in a distorted way.” He admonished, “I want you to find the time to go to these places where God’s love and mercy are not experienced.”
Mayaro parish priest Fr Trevor Nathasingh, addressing the same conference, told his audience the world today needed anointed witnesses of the truth of the Catholic community. “We need to live it; we need to put it into practice because the world has gotten more or less tired of religion, but the world will not get, never get tired of the authentic, living witnesses.
“God,” he continued, “has anointed you and I to be authentic witnesses in this corrupt and crazy world we live in.”
He told the gathering the church had failed its people in Europe. “It has grown cold, lifeless and voiceless so that so many young Europeans—Germans, French, Dutch, they are gravitating towards fundamentalism.” And he warned that this could happen right here in T&T.
Fr Nathasingh encouraged the Charismatic Movement to become more effective witnesses in parishes, schools, neighbourhoods and recreational spaces. He added that as anointed people they must go out with faith and use what God has blessed them with.
Fr Robert Christo, parish priest of Gran Couva/Tabaquite, spoke about the increasing selfishness and materialism which now seems to have infiltrated the church. He said everybody wanted to be ministers, but nobody wanted to minister.
He too had a warning for Catholics. He said if the church failed in its responsibility to look after “the little, the last, the least, the lonely and the lost,” God’s mercy will run out and justice will kick in.
Vernon Khelawan is media relations officer of Catholic Media Services Limited (Camsel), the official communications arm of the Archdiocese of Port-of-Spain. Its offices are located at 31 Independence Square. Telephone: 623-7620