parishvibes apr2012 (PDF)

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ST. CHARLES BORROMEO R.C. CHURCH
Eastern Main Road, Tunapuna

[continued from page 4]

can free us from our sins.
Day 5 …. God as a houseguest. During
Lent we are on our best behaviour, praying, fasting, giving alms, and excitedly
preparing for His visit. But
how long will we allow God
to stay with us this time before we get tired of Him and
want Him to leave so that
we can retreat to our
“comfort zone”?

Our thanks go out to Fr.
D”Hereaux (parish priest of
Our Lady of Mt Carmel,
Carapichaima) for “provoking”
us into treating God as a Father. Now we can start each
day by praying without any
conditions attached: Lord let
Thy Will be done in all aspects
of my life today, Amen.

God is not our house guest.
He does not just visit us at
Lent and at Advent. We need
to commit ourselves to making permanent changes in

UPCOMING EVENTS
02

Know Your Faith Series – St
Charles, 6 to 8 pm

11

55plus “Girls just want to have
fun” (645-4515)

20

Goshen family day, St Charles
grounds

24

St. Charles Concert: “Whom

May

03

Charismatic Renewal Rally
55plus Turtle watch, Grande

June 08-10 Riviere/Matelot

July

23

Couples for Christ Men’s retreat -- St Charles, 9am - noon
(640-5236/759-2065)

01

Charismatic Renewal -- March
for Jesus

Produced by the St. Charles Communications Team : Vera Allen, Aleem Baksh, Marceline Shawa, Denise Payne-Ferdinand, Eileen Benjamin-Ryan, Cynthia Brown-Chen, Alister Noel, Renee Peter.

Email: stcharlescommunications@yahoo.com

es
Pa r i s h V i b

our relationship with God. When Lent
2013 approaches and we are asked:
How has your life changed since Lent of
2012, we must be able to answer: I pray
more, I fast more and I give
more of my time, money and
talent to draw others closer to
God.

Contact: 663-1971 (Vera Allen)

Volume 4, Issue 2
April 2012

FR. REGGIE WRITES…….

O

ur Lenten celebrations were
some of the best we ever experienced. We had an additional 100
chairs and yet the church was full
on nearly every occasion. Many
have told me of the warmth and
joy experienced and I pray these
sentiments will become a permanent part of our lives.
I am looking forward for church
members to become active in our
organisations. We will soon be
making a drive to attract more of
you to join. Will you believe that
some have only two or three members? We will shortly be issuing information once more on the various organisations and their work
with the hope of enticing more
members.

I will be going on pilgrimage from

Monday, April 16 to Monday, April
30. During this period, on most
days there will be a priest. We continue to pray for vocations to the
priesthood and religious life.
I wish to
thank those
who
continue to lift
me up. As
you know, I
had a fractured tendon
in my right
toe and it is
still healing.
I thank you
all for your
support, care
and above
all, love.
Fr. Reggie

PARISH INFORMATION

Parish Priest
Fr. Reginald Hezekiah
Parish Secretary
Judy Rondon (662-5250)
Parish Pastoral Council
Chair: Terrance Caesar (784-1130)
Secretary: Vera Allen (663-1971)
Parish Office Hours
Monday—Friday:
9.00 a.m. to 12 noon
3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.
Father’s Office Hours
Tuesday: 8a.m. - 10a.m.
Friday: 4.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m.
Other times by appointment
Masses
Saturday: 6.30 p.m.
Sunday: 7.30 a.m.and 6.00 pm.
Tuesday &Thursday - 6.15 a.m.
Wednesday & Friday:-6.15p.m.

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:

Family Life Ministry

PARISH VIBES

T

here is debate in some quarters over what the term "family" means, a debate that is
even present in the church. Family can be biological with traditional, extended, and
blended families but it can also be non-biological. In our parish, there is no quibbling over
the meaning of the term for when viewed through the lens of the St. Charles Family Life
Ministry the words of calypsonian Lord Nelson come to mind: ‘All ah we is One Family.’

What is it
The St. Charles Family Life Ministry or Unit (FLU), as it is more
commonly known, began functioning in May 2006 with a
cadre comprising new recruits to the Ministry along with individuals who were members of such groups as Couples for
Christ, Handmaids of the Lord and, later on, Servants of the
Lord and Youth for Christ. Its purpose is ‘to empower families
to live like families of God and by extension the Parish Community’. Its current membership is 16 persons. Regular meetings are held on the first Friday of every month.

What does it do
Assessing the needs of families is an important aspect of work activity; a pressing need
in the parish is improving the level of communication between parents and children.
Other activities include research; project development and implementation; referral service to family life resources; clearing house
for family life information; counselling; spiritual, emotional and practical help to families; encouraging family bonding; and family
bible study sessions.

How does it work
Projects undertaken ensure that all members of the parish family are included. Activities are organised for married couples,
e.g. Retrouvaille weekend retreats; the Separated, Widowed and Divorced; singles, single parents; youth; grandparents, uncles
and other members of the extended family.

The feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim,
(patron saints of married couples), holds special significance; fun-filled days, and events
highlighting the sacredness of family life e.g.
March/Walk for Jesus are annual events.
Members are frequently recruited to conduct
Life in the Spirit seminars.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

PAGE 7

SYNOD CORNER

A

n essay writing competition on the theme “Revitalising Catholic Culture and Iden-

tity” has taken place. It was organised by our Communications Team and was open to
the students of our parish schools, viz St Charles Primary Schools (Boys and Girls), Carmel Preparatory School, St Charles High School and Eternal Light Vocational School.
Winners will be announced in Church and in the next issue of Parish Vibes.

1.

(d) The term Lord God of hosts (Jehovah Sabaoth) is found over 200 times in the
Old Testament and refers to the angelic armies that protected the Israelite

2. (c) Capital sins engender other vices, reproducing and reinforcing themselves. “This
results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil”

Future Plans

3. (a) The Beatitudes in Luke 6 change “poor in spirit” to “the poor.” Luke also includes the “woes,” which warns those who are rich and satisfied.

Plans are afoot to bring renewed energy to
the Ministry through an advertising campaign, educational programmes, more frequent meetings and the holding of elections

4. (c) Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. The
author of the Book of Revelation encourages persecuted Christians by reminding them that Jesus, the beginning and the end, is in charge of all of human
history.

Who can join

5. (d) Christ redeemed humankind by the Paschal Mystery—his Passion, Resurrection,
and Ascension—whereby “dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our
life”

Attendance at the Original Pain Therapy
workshops (OPT) is a pre-requisite for membership. Individuals with a strong commitment to serve and minister to families are
being eagerly sought.

Further information:
Contact: Nicole Ashby Remy: 640- 1369

6. (b) “The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops…
above all in an Ecumenical Council”
7. (c) “The Lord’s Prayer ‘is truly the summary of the whole gospel’”

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PARISH VIBES

Our First Carnival Lime held on
10th February was quite a success!!
Tickets were completely sold out
long before the event .
Based on the positive response, the
lime will most definitely be an annual
affair which you should not fail to
include on your carnival list of events
in 2013. The photo at left shows a
few of our parishioners who completely enjoyed themselves!

1. The new Mass translation includes the words “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.”
The word hosts in this line literally means
a) consecrated Eucharistic bread b) those who throw parties c) power and might d)
angelic armies
2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust as
a) psychological disorders b) typical behaviour for most people c) capital sins d)
bad strategies for making friends
3. Jesus taught the ___ as part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12; Sermon on the
Plain, Luke 6:20-26).

4.

5.
6.

7.

a) Beatitudes b) Parable of the Prodigal Son c) Golden Rule d) Parable of the Good
Samaritan
In Revelation 1:8, Jesus Christ calls himself “the Alpha and the Omega.” This means
that Jesus
a) is a member of a Greek fraternity b) is like a star in the galaxy c) is the beginning
and the end d) likes to speak cryptically
The Paschal Mystery refers to Jesus’ blessed Passion, ___, and Ascension.
a) preaching b) faithfulness c) prayerfulness d) Resurrection
___ is the gift of the Holy Spirit whereby the pope is preserved from error when proclaiming a doctrine related to Christian faith or morals.
a) Discernment b) Infallibility c) Prayerfulness d) Holiness
The ___ is called the “quintessential prayer of the Church.”
a) Glory Be b) Memorial Acclamation c) Our Father d) Great Amen
Answers on page 7

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

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T

his year St Charles parish saw 10 persons being baptised into the Roman Catholic
faith in a lovely Easter Vigil Service on Saturday, April 07. The Rite of Christian Initiation Of
Adults (RCIA) programme covers a period of 10 months during which interested adults are
catechised for entry into the Roman Catholic faith. Ms Jalena Jaggernauth, one of the
RCIA candidates, summed up her experience for Parish Vibes:
“My journey in the RCIA programme
helped me to understand exactly who
Jesus is and how to get
closer to him. The
knowledge which I have
acquired from our dedicated teachers and Fr
Hezekiah
himself
helped me to answer all
those questions that
were always a little challenging to understand..
“The

journey may have been long, but
o n e w i t h g r e a t m e mo r i e s a n d

experiences that would always be a
part of my life for years to come.
Participating in this programme allowed me to
express my opinions and
get valid feedback which
helped me to know Jesus
better.
“Last but not least, it’s a
journey that I would
always remember and willing to share with others (brothers and
sisters).”

A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service, his cousin asked him, "How
many women can a man marry?"
"Sixteen," the boy responded. His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly.
How do you know that?"
"Easy," the little boy said. All you have to do is add it up, like Father said,

4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer"

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O

PARISH VIBES

ur retreat this year was shepherded by Fr Matthew D’Hereaux whose
purpose he said, was to provoke us. We
must not just listen to God’s word; we
must RESPOND TO IT by becoming new
people. It was five days of insightful
provocation as we were made to ponder on several caricatures of how
we treat God and to examine
more closely our relationship with God.
The theme for Day 1 was
generosity….. Are we as
generous with God as
He is with us? Do we
treat God as a vagrant?
……… Giving Him our
“small change”, extra
things that we do not
want and extra time when
we have nothing else to do?

Father reminded us that we need to act
like children of God again, consulting Him
before we do anything in all aspects of our
lives.
Day 3 ….. God as a politician.......Someone
to approach when we need something or only when it suits
us.... confining His influence
to specific times and areas of our lives?
We were reminded
that God is not a tool
to be used for our
convenience. He is
Our Heavenly Father
and we must be committed enough to our
faith to give Him full
power and authority over
all aspects of our lives.

The theme for Day 2 was childlike
trust. Do we treat God as a child? Fr. Matthew D’Hereaux The penitential service on Day
4 was devoted to reconciliation ….. God as
Do we exclude Him from some of our
“big people business”, make important
a convict. Do we say to God “You can
decisions without consulting Him? Do we
come in but don’t come too close”...and
give him a task and when He does not do
you are not allowed to go into “these arwhat we want or we are not satisfied
eas” of my life? We must answer His call
with what He has done, take matters into
and let Him in as He is the only one who
our own hands?
[continued on page 8]
Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator. - Robert Orben

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

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S

t Charles parish observes a beautiful custom on Holy Thursday. We all know that
Lent is a season of prayer, fasting
and alms giving. But our parish
has a remarkable way of culminating the
Lenten season and beginning the Easter
Triduum.
At the Offertory during Holy Thursday
mass, parishioners offer foodstuff for the
needy. What a beautiful sight indeed!
Lines and lines, from the youngest to the
oldest, as each person proceeds to the
altar with his/her bag of groceries, which
afterwards will be distributed to needy
families.

Parishioners offer foodstuff for the needy

This custom is now a tradition at St Charles for many years. We trust that other parishes
will follow!

T

he final day in the Know Your
Faith Series being held every Wednesday at St Charles parish is May 02. The
four day programme started on April
11 and targets especially catechists,
youth ministry leaders, Eucharistic ministers, lectors and lay ministers.
Presenters are Fr Hasely King, O’Carm
and Fr Christian Pineau, FMI. Topics

include: Tradition vs Tradition, Origin
of the Bible, Tradition and Bible, Methods of reading the Bible (theology/
apologetics/lectio).
The four-day session at St Charles is the
second of a series being held in parishes throughout the vicariate. The
next session will be held at Fatima parish, Curepe from Wedesday June 06 to
27, and will focus on social justice.