Life in the Spirit Seminar

What is a Life in the Spirit Seminar?
A Life in the Spirit Seminar is a journey that one undergoes when he or she has that desire to enter into a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the release of the Holy Spirit.

Who can take part in a Life in the Spirit Seminar?
The Life in the Spirit Seminar is open to anyone who has that zeal to want to know more about Christ in a deeper way. 

What benefit does one gain in doing a Life in the Spirit Seminar?
In addition to gaining a more intimate relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit now becomes your personal advocate. Throughout this journey, the Holy Spirit is released in your life and you may experience particular gifts (see 1 Cor 12:4-11). This is where you are now 'baptized in the spirit' and your work begins in the army of the Lord. This 'work' we speak of involves you bringing others to know Christ in the same way that you now know him. 

Why should I do a Life in the Spirit Seminar?
As mentioned above, you and Jesus begin or grow deeper in an intimate relationship of love . Your thoughts and actions are inspired by the Spirit of God and you feel even more in love with God, his word and you now try to become more like him. In this consecrated life, when you face trials and tribulations, the Power of God's Spirit living in you will give you that strength to persevere. Also, others will see a difference in you by the Joy and Love of Christ in which you execute. Your life now becomes a living testimony. 

What happens at these Seminars?
Each session starts off the same; with Praise & Worship, then a Speaker will give his or her sharing on the specific theme for that session and then the candidates are broken up into groups with their team leaders and they will do a short recap on the talk that was given and the team leaders will then explain what they are to expect when living a "Life in the Spirit". However, for the Healing Service and the Lay on of Hands Session, the format will alter.

The Life in the Spirit Seminar is divided into 8 sessions.
Session 1: God's Love
Session 2: Salvation
Session 3: The New Life
Session 4: Receiving God's Gift
Session 5: Healing Service
Session 6: Baptism in the Spirit (The Laying on of Hands)
Session 7: Growth in the Spirit
Session 8: Transformation

The Life in the Spirit Seminar begins this Sunday (June 2nd) and continues Every Sunday until July 28th in St. Joseph R.C. Church from 3PM to 6:30PM. Remember to walk with your bibles and your note books to record all the Spiritual Knowledge you will receive!

*"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines." -   1 Cor. 12:4-11

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Corpus Christi 2013 (Mass & Procession)

On Wednesday May 30^th, St. Joseph/ Mt.D’or Parish celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi with Holy Mass followed by a Procession with the Blessed Sacrament though the streets of St. Joseph and Benediction in the Church. This was the first time in many years that an event like this took place in the parish and for many parishioners it brought back fond memories of their childhood. The Boys, Girls, Convent and St. Xavier’s Private School from the community came together to form part of the procession and some selected students also played meaningful roles within the mass. Amid the terrible rains over the past few days, the weather was very friendly to us. Holy Mass began at 6:30PM with both St. Joseph and Mt. D’or merging for a joint liturgy and then the procession. Devotions during the faith walk included the recitation of the Holy Rosary, scripture readings and Fr. Karol blessing the four (4) corners of the nation- North, South, East and West at the site of Medical Associates. The evening’s proceedings concluded in the church with Benediction. 

On behalf of the Parish Administration, we would like to thank all those assisted in the liturgy:

- The Altar Servers 

- The Readers & Animator

- The Schools of the Communities and the respective Principals

- The Police 

- All the Parishioners
- The Choir

May God and his awesome spirit Bless each and everyone of you. Thank You!!!

HERE you can view the photos that were taken. 

CCR National Rally- Full Recap!

On Sunday May 26th (Trinity Sunday), The Catholic Charismatic Renewal hosted its 38th Annual National Rally at St. Augustine Secondary School. Members from all Vicariates of the Archdiocese flooded the school compound for this event that occurs every year on this special day. The National Rally is ideally a condensed version of the Conference that is always held on the first weekend of January each year. Speakers included Fr. Ian Taylor and Fr. Cornelius Phillip that preached on the theme taken from Hebrews 10: 22, 24 "Let us be sincere in our faith and be concerned for each other" with Archbishop Joseph Harris leading the closing Mass which, at the end of the liturgy, he challenged each person present to invite at least one person to next year's Conference and/or Rally so that the number of attendees will be doubled. Deborah de Rosia, National Service Team Chair person, also hinted to the crowd that the venue for next year's Rally will return to the Grand Stand as it once was located.
The Day's proceedings kicked off with Praise & Worship being led by the Joint National Choir that included People of Praise under the directorship of Winston Garcia which immediately followed the first talk led by Fr. Ian Taylor. Fr. Taylor focused on 'Faith' and he explained that Faith 'comes from God's revelations and Man's acceptance of what God reveals'. He linked the theme of this talk to the Scripture Romans 10:17 "Faith comes from hearing the word of God". He then invited a parishioner from his community to share a touching testimony where she faced both Spiritual and Medical Challenges and how the Lord convicted her life last Sunday- Pentecost Sunday. Fr. Taylor then returned to conclude his talk by stating that "Through Faith, it leads us to love God even more and that our lives change, our decisions are even more inspired and we must strive to become more like Jesus all in the Name of Faith".

Fr. Cornelius Phillip of San Juan Parish came on next and his talk was based on the parent theme of the Rally, "Let us be concerned for each other" - Hebrews 10: 24 and he jokingly mentioned that when he was given this talk to do from Sr. Debbie, he was 'most pleased'. He began his segment in his style of a small  session of Praising and eventually went into his talk where he opened with a quote from Pope Emeritus Benedict stating that "We are called to be re-enactments of Jesus for our brothers and sisters and strive for holiness". Fr. Cornelius used this opportunity (in his talk) to 'attack' us Catholics on the lack of 'Concern' that we seem to render in and even outside our Parish Life. "If someone tells you to pray for them, you ignore them but we are more concerned at bringing people down instead of raising people up", said the F.M.I. preacher where he later emphasized that "we must be our brother AND sister's keeper".  He even challenged us, as a Christian community, to make ourselves secondary and make the needs of others primary because our goal is to 'fight down' Satan and not each other. For instance, when someone is under Spiritual attack, we must be concerned and pray for that person to come back. Another point he mentioned was that criticism is the 'work of the enemy' and if we are for God, we must resist all sorts of criticism towards our fellow parishioners and even our priest since criticism implies conflict against each other. In order for us to show our concern for others, we must encourage 'positive talk'. He ended by mentioning that when we practice Love to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we must also be patient and practice the Corporal Works of Mercy.

The afternoon session included a Powerful Healing Service led by a Bajan couple (Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence) and Holy Mass with Archbishop Joseph Harris as the Chief Celebrant and Fr. Leslie Tang Kai as the Homilist.

Marian Reflection - Week 4

So we have come to the End of our Month-long Marian Devotions. But lets not have it end here and now. Mary is the queen of our lives and let us honor her all the days of our precious lives.

Pope Francis' Prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots

Holy Mary, full of God's presence during the days of your life, 

you accepted with full humility the Father's will,

and the Devil was never capable to tie you around with his confusion.

Once with your son you interceded for our difficulties,

and, full of kindness and patience you gave us example of how to untie the knots of our life. 

And by remaining forever Our Mother, 

you put in order, and make more clear the ties that link us to the Lord. 

Holy Mother, Mother of God, and our Mother,

to you, who untie with motherly heart the knots of our life, we pray to you to receive in your hands 

(the name of person),

and to free him/her of the knots and confusion with which our enemy attacks. 

Through your grace, your intercession, and your example, 

deliver us from all evil, Our Lady, and untie the knots that prevent us from being united with God,

so that we, free from sin and error, may find Him in all things, may have our hearts placed in Him, and may serve Him always in our brothers and sisters. Amen.

The Most Holy Trinity

Last Week we celebrated the powerful feast of Pentecost which was the culmination of the Easter Season. This week, the church celebrates the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity which is always observed on the Sunday after Pentecost. The Holy Trinity represents the Triune God (All three in one); The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. While this concept might be hard to grasp, think of a shamrock leaf or even more locally, a paw-paw leaf; each petal on the leaf represents an entity of God. The top petal is God the Father and the other two petals represent Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Here’s hoping this clears it up!

The most inspiring mystery of the Christian faith is this, “God is absolutely one in nature and essence, and relatively three in Persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who are really distinct from each other”, but these three are consubstantial, which means ‘of the same divine substance’.

In Matthew 6:9, “Our Father……..” this prayer reveals the Father. At the same time, in Matthew 3:17, the Father reveals the Son where he says, “This is my beloved Son. My favour rests on him”. In John 1:18, the Father and Son reveal their deep unity where it says, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known”. And through the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit is sent to confirm this mystery, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me” – John 15:26. This is how the Holy Trinity came into being.

Let us also ponder on the opening line the priest says at the top of a Mass, “The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”, this line is linked back to scripture in 2 Corinthians 13:14, and this line links the Holy Trinity within the Holy Mass.

Now that we have made this 'topic' in the Christian faith a little clearer, let us remember that the Holy Trinity is One God with three distinct persons. To God be the Glory!

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi

What does ‘Corpus Christi’ stand for? ‘Corpus’ means body and ‘Christi’ means Christ so when we marry the two, we get ‘The Body of Christ’. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is a follow-up to what took place on Holy Thursday night where Christ broke bread and shared wine over supper and offered it up as HIS body AND blood. Corpus Christ reinforces the depth of what occurred that Holy night. We, as the Catholic Body all come together to form the Body of Christ and eat of the actual Body of Christ present in the Blessed Eucharist. The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of our faith, the Core of our belief. This solemnity is always celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday which we celebrate this weekend. At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance. The procession is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

On Wednesday Evening at 6:30PM, Holy Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph R.C. Church to commemorate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and there will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of St. Joseph immediately following Holy Mass. The Procession will begin at the church, travel straight up Abercromby Street until the Corner of Medical Associates, where we will turn right and continue to travel downhill towards the direction of St. Joseph Girl’s School into Piccadilly Street and proceed to the Church Garden where Benediction will take place. The Schools of the Communities are expected to join us since they will be playing a meaningful role as well. We look forward to this great public witness of our Faith. 

Parish Notices for the Most Holy Trinity

1. Solemnity of Corpus Christi. This is a day of obligation where we publicly witness to our belief in the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ. This year we will process with the Blessed Sacrament up Abercromby Street, around the Park and return to the Church for Benediction. Masses: Wednesday 29^th@ 6.30PM followed by Procession and Benediction. Thursday 30^thMass @ 7AM. Please come! Let us invite Jesus into our life. Let us follow him on our streets! Please bring candles (or flambés) and flowers! Let us make our celebration great, luminous and joyful!
2. Our Lady of the Rosary Charismatic Prayer Group will be hosting a Life in the Spirit Seminar beginning on Sunday June 2nd and continues every Sunday at 3PM in St. Joseph R.C. Church until July 28^th. Please see any of the following prayer group members: Jennifer Edmund at 480-1765 (St. Joseph) or Sandra Harricharan at 393-4987 and Brent Durham at 483-7956 (Mt. D'or).
3. The next Our Lady of Fatima, Laventille Devotions is Sunday 16^th June, 2013. Interested persons who would like to attend, please added you name to the Devotions list located at the Catholic News stand. Cost of transportation is $25.00.
4. Our children from the St. Joseph Boy’s and Girl’s Schools will receive their First Communion Next Sunday during (an extra) 10.30 AM mass. Please pray for them and their families.

Blessings to ALL our Parishioners this week!

CCR National Rally - This Sunday!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE SEE OR CONTACT JENNIFER EDMUND (480-1765)

Corpus Christi 2013

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Marian Reflection - Week 3

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

O Queen of the Holy Rosary

Pentecost Blessings!

THE PARISH OF ST. JOSEPH/ MT.D'OR WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND PENTECOST BLESSINGS UPON EVERYONE. MAY GOD'S HOLY & AWESOME SPIRIT BRING YOUR LIVES PEACE, HAPPINESS, JOY & HOPE IN THE LORD AND MAY YOU ALL BE FILLED WITH THE BOLDNESS TO GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO ALL LIVING CREATURES!

Veni Sancte Spiritus - The Beauty of Pentecost!

Pentecost is a very BIG feast in the Catholic Church and it is regarded as the birthday of the Church. This special time happens 50 days after Easter Sunday and 10 days after the Ascension of our Lord and it marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. On this particular Sunday, the apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary were all assembled in the upper Room where they saw Jesus resurrected. “And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech”- Acts 2: 2-4. Now thinking back to what Jesus told his Apostles in John 14:26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you,” and on Pentecost the Holy Spirit came, as Jesus had promised, in the form of tongues of fire and rested upon each one of them and they were filled with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and being as spiritually euphoric as they were, they began to preach the Gospel in all of the languages that the Jews who were gathered there spoke, and about 3,000 people were converted and baptized that day; fulfilling the command that Jesus himself gave “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”- Matthew 28:19 . Do you think in today’s society it is possible to convert 3,000 people in a single day? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, anything is possible!

Like the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, we are called in a similar way to continue the work they started on that day. This should be reflected in our daily lives, of what Jesus himself wants of us, “Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”- Mark 16:15. It is sad how people in today’s society find it hard to speak the word of God but find it easy and refreshing to ill-speak others and use obscenities. We are worshipping our enemy while we shun our real and true Master. Since Jesus Christ is no longer physically here on earth as he once was, he reminds us that he is present spiritually. That is why he created each one us, so that we can be his hands, feet, mouth and other functioning parts of our anatomy. We are mere vessels; we depend on God to work in and through us. Unfortunately we take matters into our own hands and we try to “play” God. The Feast of Pentecost comes around once a year, and for some, they choose this time to be “On Fire for the Lord” yet, a week later, that fire tends to extinguish! The question is, ‘what or who causes our fire to go out?’ The answer to that simple question is “Me.”

We let that fire burn out! We allow God’s awesome presence to slip through the cracks in our hands like sand and have to wait a whole year to reclaim it, or in some cases attend a Jesus Explosion or a Conference to reclaim it. Why can’t we keep that joy of the Lord constant in our lives? We have to let God be the flagship of our lives. We must ask God to bless our Children however we must ensure that they are raised to respect and have a personal relationship with Him. We falter when we tell them “Well, you don’t have to go to church today, since you’re tired from lessons or football.” How can you allow your child/children to experience the essence of God in their lives? One of our many missions as Catholics is to bring Christ to others who are in great need! Just like those apostles on the Day of Pentecost, we have to make that our daily modus-operandi, because that is what God expects of us. When we live a life in the Spirit, it is no longer what “I” want but what “God” wants of me. If, for example, God wants you to spend time in prayer more often, then make time from your busy schedule and talk to him, he is always around listening; if he wants you to go to the high ways and by-ways to preach, then swallow that pride and go forth in his name because those apostles were not ashamed or afraid for they allowed the Spirit of God to move them, and so we too have to make the Spirit of God move us. Once we follow these steps, our lives would be different and the joy of the Lord would be constant. The challenged has be issued, it is for us now to accept is!

Parish Notices for the Feast of Pentecost

1. Our Lady of the Rosary Charismatic Prayer Group will be hosting a Life in the Spirit Seminar beginning on Sunday June 2nd and continues every Sunday at 3PM in St. Joseph R.C. Church until July 28^th. Please see any of the following prayer group members: Jennifer Edmund (St. Joseph) or Sandra Harricharan and Brent Durham (Mt. D'or).
2. Listening to the heart. A counseling centre for those who need help from a professional psychologist. So far two therapists have volunteered their time and energy. But the need in much greater than we anticipated. So we need more people who would like to offer their time to help us in this beautiful ministry. If you can and would like to, please contact the parish priest.
3. The next Our Lady of Fatima, Laventille Devotions is Sunday 16^th June, 2013. Interested persons who would like to attend, please added you name to the Devotions list located at the Catholic News stand. Cost of transportation is $25.00.

Blessings to ALL our Parishioners this week!

What does God require from us? - Micah 6:6-8

On Friday May 17^th, St. Joseph R.C. and Holy Saviour Anglican Parishes came together for the 2013’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This special gathering took place at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church and the evenings proceedings were led by Reverend Shelly-Ann Tenia of the Holy Saviour Anglican Church  and Fr. Karol Wielgosz, O.P.  Parish Priest  of St. Joseph R.C.  Around the time of Pentecost every year the Week of Christian Unity is observed to highlight the various ways of adoring God and through this week especially, hearts are touched and it reminds us that our neighbour’s ways are not in any way strange because, at the end the day, we all worship the one, true God in the very same manner. This year’s theme comes to us from an ecumenical group in South India and it is taken from the Prophet Micah 6:6-8, “What does God require of us?” which calls us to act justly in the world as our sole intention. What God requires of us today is to walk the path of justice, mercy and humility.

For the first time during the Ecumenical Service, a homily was delivered in the form of a dialogue, where both Fr. Karol and Rev. Shelly-Ann preached simultaneously about the theme for the evening taken from the Prophet Micah and as they opened their joint sharing, both of them shared similarly that God requires us to be united as ONE. According to Rev. Shelly Ann, we are called to be “that visible sign of the triune God, that visible sign of his love, unity and forgiveness”.  But how can we define ourselves of just that? One of the key points to factor in as Fr. Karol indicated is to “Stop defining ourselves based on our differences (as different denominations) and start doing the work that God has called us to do”. This work that God has called us refers to one word: Love! As children of God, we are mandated to love God, love ourselves but also to Love our neighbours. In the kingdom of God, we don’t pick and choose who we want to love, instead, our Love must be endless towards everyone- to vagrants, to the indigent, to those who may have hurt or offended us, to other Christian and Non-Christian groups that do not worship in the same way that we do, and even to those who suffer from severe illnesses such as AIDS; because Jesus loves everyone in the same way and we are called to see Christ in every single person.

Since this is the first Ecumenical Service to be held in the parish, the two communities (St. Joseph & Holy Saviour) have brainstormed and mustered up a collective idea that could bring this Unity of Christians alive and active and one of the initiatives that was brought forth in the joint homily for the mixed congregation to meditate and now act upon is to offer our time, talent and resources towards creating a ministry that assists those who are in need of the basic necessities such as those who are hungry or in need of clothes or even counselling. The main idea is to pool the resources from both Christian groups to ensure that everyone is loved and taken care of and from this we are living out our goal of what God requires of us. HERE you can view some photos that were taken at tonight's proceedings. 

Fr. Stan's Installation as Prior

Our Former Resident Priest Fr. Stan has moved back to Poland where he is now the Prior of a Community across the board. THESE are some photos of his Installation courtesy Fr. Dominik Jurczak.

Ecumenical Service

Feast of the Ascension

The Ascension of Our Lord occurred 40 days after Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday and it is on this day, the risen Christ, in the sight of His apostles, ascended into Heaven. Before His Ascension, Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to His apostles.The Feast of Pentecost is celebrated the next Sunday in which the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and Mary in the upper room and tongues of fire rested on each of their heads.

Mother's Day Greetings

Happy Mother's Day to all our Mothers from the Parish of St. Joseph/ Mt. D'or

Marian Reflection - Week 2

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart Of Mary

Mary, my Mother, I consecrate myself to your Immaculate Heart. I am all yours, and all I have is yours. Keep me under your mantle of mercy, protect me as your child, and lead my soul safely to Jesus in Heaven. Purify all that I give you, and take it to Jesus, that He may save the world and souls. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for Us!

Mother's Day at St. Jude's Chapel, Mt. D'or

This evening, the Mothers of St. Jude’s Chapel, Mt. D’or were treated in fine style. The Fathers of the Chapel got together to treat the Moms to an evening of relaxation and community bonding on their special day. A sumptuous Dinner which consisted BBQ Chicken, Fresh Salad and Macaroni Salad was prepared with a scoop of ice cream and a slice of cake to compliment the meal.  We graciously thank the Fathers of the Mt. D’or Community for celebrating the Mothers and the hard work they do daily by reinforcing the idea of Community Bonding through social gathering. We wish ALL the Mothers of our Parish a Happy Mother’s Day!  HERE You can view the photos that were taken during this special evening.

Parish Notices for the Feast of the Ascension

1. For the first time ever as a parish - as a community, family, we are going to the Laventille Devotions. 60 Parishioners are going tomorrow to give thanks to God for Mary our Mother and pray for intentions of our Mothers, community and country. We are leaving the Parish Car Park at 1PM. You can ask any member of the SVP Society if there are seats still available. Cost of transportation is $25.00.
2. Something absolutely new and unheard of! As Christians we are divided, and it is our great sin against the will of God. In the Church we pray between Ascension and Pentecost for the unity between Christians. So on Friday May 17th at 6PM in St. Joseph R.C. Church, we will celebrate together with our Anglican brothers and sisters an Ecumencial Service. We are going to pray, listen to the word of God and a dialogue sermon preached by the Catholic & Anglican Minister and later, Lime! It is very important to have this new celebration in our parish. Let us come, welcome, as hosts, our Anglican guests and build bridges for the future.
3. Reminder to all who have spots in our King street cemetery; the last day for renewal of leases is Friday May 17th, 2013. Please call the parish Office (662-2827) to schedule an appointment.
4. Our Lady of the Rosary Charismatic Prayer Group will be hosting a Life in the Spirit Seminar beginning on Sunday June 2nd and continues every Sunday at 3PM in St. Joseph R.C. Church until July 28th. Please see any of the following prayer group members: Jennifer Edmund (St. Joseph) or Sandra Harricharan and Brent Durham (Mt. D'or).

 Blessings to ALL our Parishioners this week!

Evangelization Course

Sick and Shut-Ins Ministry

On Sunday 5^th May 2013, Our Lady of the Rosary Charismatic Prayer Group visited three (3) Nursing Homes in the St. Joseph area – Assarion and J-Care Nursing Homes on Buena Vista Street and Angalesea Heights in Caiman Road, St. Joseph. The Prayer team included Jennifer & Natoya Edmund, Ina Jaggasar, Damien Sucre, Leanne & Reanne Nariensingh, Brent Durham, Sandra Harricharan, Lorna James, Lorencia Ballack, Deonis LaBorde, Ann Marie Renn and the coordinator of the Sick & Shut-ins Ministry, Karen Ramlogan. The format was the same for all three homes and the team worked according to how the Holy Spirit moved them. Each session began with Praise & Worship, then a short reflection on a scripture passage or a testimony, following a moment for ministry where each patient (and even the nurses & care-takers) were anointed and prayer with for various needs and while the patients were being ministered to, the Divine Mercy Chaplet was being recited. By morning’s end, ALL felt a spiritual euphoria, having done and experienced the work of the Lord! On behalf of the Prayer Team, the Nursing Homes and the Parish Priest, we extend our deep appreciation and God’s blessings to all our sick and shut-ins of the community!

Here are some photos that were taken from that day at Angalesea Heights Home

Upcoming Life in the Spirit Seminar

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Marian Reflection - Week 1

THE MAGNIFICAT 

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
And his mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of his mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Online Marian Devotions during the month of May

During the Sundays of May, we are going to honor our Blessed Mother, Mary by posting special devotional prayers and videos to uplift this magnificent woman! So beginning today (Sunday May 5th) and continuing every Sunday in May, the Parish Facebook Page and here on the Parish Blog Spot will have special posts which includes Marian Devotions! We hope you join with us as we celebrate the Mother of our King and the Mother of our lives!

Parish Notices for the 6th Sunday of Easter

1. Reminder to all who have spots in our King Street cemetery. The last day for renewal of leases is Friday 17th May, 2013. Please call the Parish Office (662-2827) to schedule an appointment.
2. The next meeting for the CCSJ, St. Joseph/Mt. D'or Parish Group will be on Sunday May 5th, 2013.
3. Reminder to all leaders and coordinators to present reports from the activities and plans for the next year by Monday 6th May, 2013. This can be done by emailing your report to the parish's email address (jodorparish@gmail.com).
4. Listening to the heart. In our parish we opened a counseling centre for those who need help from professional psycholigist. Two therapist volounteered their time and strength to those in need; But the need is much greater than we expected, so we need more people who would like to offer their time to help us in this beautiful ministry. If you can and would like to, please contact the parish priest.
5. Now for the most important invitation - A Parish Pilgrimage to Laventille! See below for further details!

 

Blessings to ALL our Parishioners this week!

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker!

Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, The Worker. May the intercessions of our patron saint and our Blessed Mother be presented before their Holy Son and our Lord and may he grant us our blessings according to his will. St. Joseph, the worker - Pray for Us!

May - The Month of Mary!

Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to a very special month of both the ordinary AND the liturgical year - May! For many Catholics, May is a month for Final Examinations, Planning their 'Summer' Vacation, preparing for Weddings, and other things. But above all those said factors, there exists something (or this case, someone) far more important and meaningful to us. The Month of May is solely dedicated to our Blessed Mother, Mary and that is why the magnitude of May is so great.

One might ask why is this month dedicated to this awesome woman! Now, lets delve into some history here. May is considered the season of the 'beginning of new life'; at this time, Winter has officially ended and Spring is now in season. In the Greek society, May was dedicated to the Goddess Artemis, who was linked to Fecundity (Fertility). In the Roman society, May was dedicated to the Goddess of Bloom/Blossom, Flora. Therefore, it seemed as though May was being linked towards the ideas of 'New Life' and 'Fertility' and that May was regarded as the month of motherhood (Probably that's the reason why Mother's Day falls in May). Hence, Christians followed this trend and made the link between Motherhood and New Life and embraced the idea to consider May as the month of Mary, someone who fits the title of 'Mother' so perfectly!

Mary is the perfect example of holiness and humility. "And Mary said: "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word". And The Angel departed from her."- Luke 1:38. It is so awesome for us, Catholics, to focus on someone who walked this very earth, who came from such a simple background, who was and is still faithful and we call 'Queen'. Mary leads us to her Son Jesus Christ. She is constantly praying for us both individually and collectively. But why do we leave her to pray on her own when it is our duty to pray WITH her!? The role of our Blessed Mother is to be our divine intercessor, someone that we can turn to in not only bad times but also in pleasant times and join with her in praising her Son and our Lord and also pray with her. The second part of the Hail Mary prayer says, 'Holy Mary, Mother of God, PRAY FOR US, now and at the hour of death - Amen'. We have to understand and accept how powerful and meaningful this wonder-woman really is. Where Jesus is, Mary is at his side (Just like the Miracle that took place at the Wedding of Cana). If you are yet to be gripped by the holy mantle of the Blessed mother, use this special month to build your foundation in getting to know and love this sweet and admirable lady. Mary NEVER lets us down, like our very own mother who cares and loves us unconditionally, so too is our Spiritual Mother! As the popular saying goes, 'A Mother's prayer is always powerful'. 

These are some of the ways to honor Mary in this month and beyond:

• Daily Recitation of the Holy Rosary.
• Praying the Magnificat
• Displaying an icon of Mary in your home and placing beautiful flowers around.
• Singing songs to Mary to keep in our minds the magnitude of her being. 

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou among women and Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God Pray for Us now, and at the hour of our death - Amen.

Mary, Mother of God & Undoer of Knots, Pray for us!