Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles. If we take anything from the witness of Sts. Philip and James, it has to be their prompt obedience to the Lord, their commitment, evangelization and sensitivity in pastoral care John 14: 6 – 14 Today the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Philip and James, two apostles who exemplify obedience, commitment, evangelisation and pastoral care. St. John’s gospel recounts that Jesus called Philip along with Peter and Andrew. They immediately followed Him. Their prompt response to Jesus’ invitation to discipleship is admirable and encouraging. Philip, for his ..read more

“My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:9-11 Love is a word that is well known and used. We also should be aware of the various kinds of love. In today’s gospel passage Christ is challenging us to love as the Father loves. This is no ordinary love but one that calls for great sacrifice. God so loved us that He was prepared to send His only begotten son to be crucified, in order to redeem mankind. I am sure we all face situations that require us to make hard decisions for loved ones. In so doing we have to determine what sacrifice will be required, and are we prepared ..read more

By Fr Jesse Maingot OP This week in our 33-day journey, we reflected a lot about life being a pilgrimage to Heaven. I would like to quote an event in the life of the great prophet Elijah: “And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you” (1 Kings 19:7). These words of the angel to Elijah are true for all of us in our pilgrimage journey to Heaven. The journey is a tremendous spiritual endeavour. We need divine assistance to make this journey. Just as Elijah needed bread for his great journey we too need “b ..read more

By Msgr Michael de Verteuil, Chair, Liturgical Commission 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 In this Letter, Paul is answering questions or correcting things he has heard of the Corinthians’ behaviour, and one of the things he has heard of is their celebration of the Lord’s Supper. His response is to tell them that what they are doing is certainly not what they should be doing. “I cannot congratulate you on this”, he tells them. What are they doing so wrong that it nullifies the celebration? The situation is this: people gathered in the house for the celebration, arriving at different times. The richer pe ..read more

By Fr Stephan Alexander, General Manager, CCSJ and AMMR There are times when at the end of the day we are so tired that our tiredness becomes our focus and we become closed to life’s invitation. Wednesday, April 24 was one of those days for me. After an incredibly exhausting day, I was readying myself to leave the office when I received a reminder to deliver some packages to a migrant family in urgent need. The drive to their location lasted 50 minutes. I was so focused on my tiredness, that despite the family’s attempt to chat with me, I simply dropped off the packages and left. While driving ..read more

Come relish the delights of the Holy Spirit over nine evenings of praise, worship, and dullness-defying talks at St Theresa’s Parish, Woodbrook, as we pray the Holy Spirit Novena from May 10–18, nightly at 6 p.m. Our presenters include Deborah de Rosia of the Eternal Light Community and Frs Robert Christo, Steve Ransome, Peter St Hillaire, Maurice White and Eliaza Mulemba. Each night, we’ll focus on one theme from the book, Titles of the Holy Spirit: A Manual for Prayer and Praise Based on the Titles of the Holy Spirit by Keith A Fournier. Parish priest, Fr Carlyle Guiseppi CSSp, brought the d ..read more

Through the call to synodality, Pope Francis seeks to structure the Church around its prophetic dimension. The International Theological Commission document stresses this objective nine times in Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church. In the first paragraph, it states, “By the gift of the Holy Spirit, ‘the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father’ and bears witness to the Son (Jn 15:26), all of the baptised participate in the prophetic office of Jesus Christ, ‘the faithful and true witness’ (Rev 3:14)”, 1. About the integral nature of the Church, where hierarchy and laity participate in the t ..read more

DOMINICA In response to Dominica’s High Court decision recognising the right of same-sex adults to engage in consenting sexual activities in privacy, the Diocese of Roseau has reaffirmed its position on marriage and sexuality. An April 23 release undersigned by Msgr William John-Lewis, Delegate of the Apostolic Administrator Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire of Castries, said that the Church teaches that sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage between a man and a woman, and views same-sex sexual activities as contrary to this understanding. It outlined that the Catholic Church holds a traditional v ..read more

On Saturday, April 13, the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) was warmly welcomed to the John John community as part of The Picton Project Holistic Family Health Fair hosted by the Rescue Mission. Alongside the AFLC, several other organisations gathered on a community basketball court to support this initiative. The fair featured a comprehensive health component, offering services such as blood glucose tests, cholesterol tests, BMI measurements, and sexual health counselling. Additionally, there was a dedicated group providing mental health counselling and support. Our role for the day ..read more

Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon in March facilitated a moving session for persons who are separated and divorced. The poignant question that reverberated: “Do you want to be well again?” The scene was set with a contemplation of the paralytic man, a figure emblematic of those grappling with separation and divorce, as depicted in the biblical narrative. The paralytic, immobile for 38 years, found himself stationed by a pool yet unable to immerse himself in its healing waters. This image resonated deeply with individuals experiencing the paralysis of separation or divorce, positioned right next ..read more