The Holy Rosary

Beginning this Friday and continues every weekday in October, join us here on the Parish Blog Spot and on the Parish Facebook page for daily rosary reflections on the mystery of the day.

Parish Notices for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1. Preparation for Confirmation has resumed. First Communion will resume next Saturday, October 5^th. This year, there are many children participating in these classes. As such, we need more catechists. If you are interested in please contact Father or Deacon Jeffrey.
2. The Counseling Programme is a much needed service in our community. We need more people to assist in this important programme. Likewise in the area of legal aid assistance we are also inviting the lawyers of our parish to volunteer the time and talent by giving advice and help in the field of law.
3. Remembering our loved ones! A reminder about our November tradition of Masses for our deceased brothers and sisters; Longing for the day once again when we will be together.  We can and shall pray for them and with them for the mercy of God for all of us. The best thing we can do is to offer the mass. Envelopes for the November masses for Dead can be collected on the ‘catholic news’ stand.
4. We are trying to make our church more beautiful, by firstly restoring the interior of our church. If you have any old photographs, particularly the interior of the church, we would like to borrow it, so that we may put everything back in its original place.
5. Sunday 13^th October is the last of the Laventille Devotions for this year. It is important that we go together as a parish. Persons desirous of going are to pay by October 7th.   Place money and names in an envelope.  These you can leave at the Office, or give to  Deacon Jeffrey, Isidora Mitchell  or Lynette Taitt AFTER  the Masses. Cost is $25 per person. No late persons will be entertained.

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!

October: Month of the Holy Rosary!

October is a few days away and it is also a month that is solely dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The Holy Rosary is a very powerful form of prayer. St. Francis de Sales says "The Greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary". A famous exorcist priest in Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth said during an exorcism, it was revealed that Satan himself yelled out that every 'Hail Mary' that is said with faith, it feels like a hammer pounding his head. Now that we understand the magnitude of the Holy Rosary, let us give respect where respect is due. 

Throughout all the weekdays in October beginning Friday the 4th and ending on the 31st, each day within that time frame, there will be a particular reflection on the decade of the day that is posted here on the Parish Blog Spot and on the Parish Facebook Page. The official schedule is posted below. Also, October is a very significant month in our parish calendar; the Feast of St. Jude is celebrated on the 28th. As such, 9 days leading up to the feast day, the Parish Blog/Facebook page will also include the novena prayer for that day in addition to the rosary reflection. Join us as we pray the Holy Rosary together and honour a great Saint.

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
Friday 4th: The Annunciation
Monday 7th: The Visitation
Tuesday 8th: The Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ
Wednesday 9th: The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Thursday 10th: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
Friday 11th: The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
Monday 14th: Jesus' Self-Manifestation in the Wedding Feast of Cana
Tuesday 15th: The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Wednesday 16th: The Transfiguration
Thursday 17th: The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
Friday 18th: The Agony in the Garden
Monday 21st: The Scourging at the Pillar
Tuesday 22nd: Jesus is crowned with thorns
Wednesday 23rd: Jesus carries the cross
Thursday 24th: Jesus dies on the cross

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
Friday 25th: The Resurrection
Monday 28th: The Ascension
Tuesday 29th: The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
Wednesday 30th: The Assumption
Thursday 31st: The Coronation of Our Lady as Queen of Heaven

Jesus Explosion: Revival Recap!

The Jesus Explosion Revival 2013 took place last Sunday at its normal venue, Preysal High School, Couva, and as usual, it did not disappoint! The day kicked off with Holy Mass with Fr. Ian Taylor and joyful singing done by his parish's youths. In Fr. Taylor's homily, he made reference to the popular Siparia devotions and pointed out that there exists 'religious pluralism'. He later made a link with the same Siparia devotions and the 'Madonna Murti' adding that those devotions incorporate both Hindu and Catholic devotions which is deemed 'confusing'.
Following Holy Mass, Fr. Cornelius Phillip from Mt. Lambert parish graced the stage to do an encore talk on repentance, similar to what he spoke about at the JE Weekend in July.
As he ended his talk, he welcomed some newly confirmed youths from his parish to join him on stage to end his segment with song. The group that joined him calls themselves W.O.W. which stands for 'Wonders of Worship'.
In the second half of the day's programme, following the lunch interval, the San Raphael and Preysal youths merged with G.R.A.C.E. Music Ministries for their praise and worship session and they were joined by the W.O.W. youths.

Sr. Janet Chinnia presented the afternoon's first talk taken from Acts 19:2, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" Her talk focused on receiving the Spirit of God in a personal way. Subsequent to her empowering talk, the Holy Spirit Invocation was next and at this point all youth and young adults were invited on stage to be prayed with and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Fr. John Theodore, was on deck to deliver the final talk of the night which was solely based on the Eucharist since his talk was followed by the Ministry with the Blessed Sacrament. In his talk, he emphasized that the Eucharist is 'the bread of life' and 'if Jesus is the Bread of Life we must feed on him.  That means, we must come to Holy Mass all the time since the Holy Eucharist satisfies all the time.' Before he ended his talk, it would not be fitting if Fr. John did not mentioned Mary. As such, he ended by saying that 'Mary is the remedy of all our miseries'.

Ministry with the Blessed Sacrament closed the day's festivities and this session gives everyone a personal moment with Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament.
The curtains have closed on another Jesus Explosion. See you guys next year!

Memorial of Padre Pio

Padre Pio, also known as St. Pius of Pietrelcina, was a priest in Italy who is now venerated as a saint in the church. Padre Pio is well known to have received the stigmata. On June 16, 2000, he was canonized by Pope John Paul II (now Blessed John Paul).
The stigmata on Padre Pio’s hands and feet became visible and a wound in his side bled for the rest of his life.

There is so much to learn about the great Padre Pio so below is a list of his admirable ministries and gifts from God.

Early life and the Stigmata
Born of agricultural worker parents in the village of Pietrelcina, northeast of Naples, He joined the Capuchins, taking the name Pius and was ordained a priest in 1910. He began to experience pains and what he called “invisible stigmata”. During military service in World War I, he was sent on convalescent leave. In 1918 he contracted double pneumonia and was sent to a monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo, near Foggia, where he stayed for the rest of his life.
The stigmata on his hands and feet became visible and a wound in his side bled for the rest of his life. The Capuchins made no attempt to hide his condition. The Vatican had him examined and he had to say Mass in private for a number of years.

At San Giovanni Rotondo
People for whom he prayed left donations. A new hospital complex was built and the place became a centre of pilgrimage and healing.

Bilocation
A story of his being in two places at the one time is told by his superior, Padre Carmelo da Sassano. There was  a concert one evening in the monastery. During the intermission Padre Pio folded his arms on a chair in front of him and rested his head. No one disturbed him and when the intermission was over Padre Pio sat upright and gave his attention to the rest of the performance.
Next day Padre Carmelo called to see a sick villager. He found the patient fully recovered and the family delighted as Padre Pio, they said, had visited them the night before. Padre Carmelo said that wasn’t possible, as Padre Pio had been at the concert. But the family insisted he had come and when asked at what time, Padre Carmelo recognised it was at the time of the intermission.

Confession
Penitents came from all over the world to confess to Padre Pio. It wasn’t always a comfortable experience. Sometimes he would reveal hidden sins to them. And if he discerned that someone was not sincerely repentant, he would shout out at them to leave the confessional. This usually provoked a crisis for the penitent, who would later return to Padre Pio with true repentance.

His Death
On the fiftieth anniversary of the day he received the stigmata, while Padre Pio was saying Mass, people in the congregation noticed that the stigmata had vanished. He died the next day.

Praise from Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1999 and canonised him in 2002. He praised, not the “gifts” of Padre Pio, but “how he poured his charity like balm on the sufferings of his brothers and sisters.”

Parish Notices for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1. Preparation for First Communion and Confirmation has resumed. We would like to pray for our catechists and young friends who participate in these programmes. This year, there are many children participating in these classes. As such, we need more catechists.  So those who were recently confirmed and would like to assist as catechists by making the meetings more attractive and reaching every child individually. If you are interested in please contact Father or Deacon Jeffrey.
2. We would like to remind you about our need for the psychologists who would join our counselling programme. This is much needed service and so we need more people to assist in this important programme.
3. During our Pastoral Council meeting we discussed another way in which we can serve our society here in St. Joseph. We would like to organize legal aid assistance. So we are inviting the lawyers of our community if they would like to help us, by giving advice and help in the field of law.
4. Our brothers & sisters from St. Saviour Anglican have organized another charity programme – medical help. They are looking for the help of nurses and doctors. We would like to recommend this way of service and building better ecumenical relationships. Please contact Father if you would like to know more.
5. Remembering our loved ones! A reminder about our November tradition of Masses for our deceased brothers and sisters, Longing for the day once again when we will be together.  We shall pray for and with them for the mercy of God to be with all of us. The best thing we can do is to offer the mass. Envelopes for the November masses for Dead can be collected on the ‘catholic news’ stand.
6. We have received our new baptism font. We are trying to make our church more beautiful. Little by little, we are trying to restore the interior of our church. So if you have any old photographs of the church, particularly the interior of the church, we would like to borrow it, so that we may put everything back to its original place. 

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!

Feast of St. Matthew

Today (September 21st), the church celebrates one of the twelve apostles and the author of the very first Gospel, St. Matthew. He was a tax collector and a native Jew and then later called by Jesus to be one of the four evangelist. Today, St. Matthew is known as the Patron Saint for Accountants and Bankers.

God of mercy, You chose a tax collector, St. Matthew, to share the dignity of the apostles. By his example and prayers, help us to follow Christ and remain faithful in Your service. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

St. Matthew, Pray for Us!

Presenting His Lordship Bishop Llanos

Back in July, The Holy Father elected our very own Msgr. Robert Llanos to be the new Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain. On Saturday, September 14th of September, all was made official when he was ordained before his fellow brother priests, the neighbouring bishops of the A.E.C., the clergy and the laity. That day was also a significant day in the Catholic church, since it was the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross so it was quite appropriate to have the ordination fall on that day. The special mass took place at Our Lady of Fatima, Curepe at 9AM.

So many are wondering what is the role of an Auxiliary Bishop. The Auxiliary Bishop is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop requests some assistance in the administration of the Archdiocese since the diocese is so extensive that it requires the labour of more than one bishop to administer the needs of the church. 

When Archbishop Harris was appointed , he was appointed Coadjutor of the diocese, this time around, Bishop Llanos holds the title of being the Auxiliary Bishop. The primary difference is that the Coadjutor has the Rite of Succession. This means that when Archbishop Gilbert left, Archbishop Harris immediately became the new leader of the local church. The Auxiliary, on the other hand, does not have the Rite of Succession. As such when Archbishop Harris resigns as the Archbishop of POS, Bishop Llanos may not automatically be entitled to that position. In a press conference back in July, when His Grace made the public announcement of the New Auxiliary-elect, he clearly stated that "When he leaves, another scrutiny will be done to decide who will be Archbishop." However, Archbishop Harris is being hopeful adding that the possibility is high for Bishop Llanos to take the position when that time comes. 

THE PARISH OF ST.JOSEPH/MT.D'OR WISHES TO CONGRATULATE THE MOST REV. ROBERT LLANOS ON BEING ORDAINED THE NEW AUXILIARY BISHOP. MAY GOD BLESS HIM.

Jesus Explosion Revival: This Weekend!

Upcoming Parish Activities

Look out for these exciting activities that will be taking place within our parish in the coming months:

• St. Jude Triduum
• Bingo with Parang
• Healing of the Memory Service hosted by Our Lady of the Rosary Charismatic Prayer Group
• Parish Christmas Dinner

More info will be released in the Coming Months!

Feasts of The Most Holy Name of Mary and The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

This past week, the church celebrated two very significant feasts; The Most Holy Name of Mary on Thursday and The Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Saturday.

The name of Mary, also known in her time as Miryam, is venerated because it is linked as the mother of the most high- Jesus and the Queen of heaven and earth and the mother of great mercy. Like her Son and our Lord Jesus, whose name is also venerated on January 3rd, this feast commemorates all the privileges given to Mary by God and all the graces received through her intercession and mediation.

The Cross represents a sign of hope for Christians and it reminds us that through the cross, we gained salvation. Even though Jesus died on the cross and death is linked to it, it also represents life because it was from the cross that life came through resurrection. 

Parish Notices for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1. Meeting of the Parish Council – Monday 16^th September @ 6.30 pm. If you have any suggestions, petitions, ideas how to improve our parish life, please tell Father or Deacon Jeffrey. Members of the Council are asked to collect the agenda from the sacristy.
2. Reminder – persons who purchased complete books of tickets for the 2 Car Raffle, please return the completed stubs as soon as possible. There are still some raffle books available.
3. All Eucharistic Ministers of the St. Joseph/Mt.D'or parish will be required to attend a General Meeting on Tuesday, September 17th at 6PM in St. Joseph R.C. Church to discuss plans for the upcoming events taking place in the months ahead.
4. The Parish of St. Joseph/Mt.D’or congratulates the new Auxiliary Bishop, Msgr. Robert Llanos on his new post. May God’s Holy Spirit inspire and strengthen him. 
5. Jesus Explosion Revival on Sunday, September 22nd. Cost is $50.00 at Preysal High School, Couva. Featuring Fr. John Theodore and Fr. Ian Taylor. 
6. Friday evenings Mass are back! Eucharistic Adoration begins at 5PM with Holy Mass at 6PM in St. Joseph R.C. Church. 

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Catholic Church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of September 8, nine months after the December 8th celebration of her Immaculate Conception as the child of Saints Joachim and Anne. This feast day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary refers to Mary being "preserved from original sin," reminding us of her Immaculate Conception.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLESSED MOTHER!

Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God,
heralded joy to all the world.
For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Destroying the curse, He gave blessing;
and damning death, He bestowed on us
life everlasting.

Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
For from thou hast risen of Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Trinity TV Full Launch

On Sunday, September 8th at 5PM, Living Waters Community will officially Launch Trinity TV 24/7, our local Catholic Channel whose sole intention is to spread the good news of our faith via multimedia.

Click HERE to view the launch and May God continue to Bless Trinity TV in their mission of Multimedia Evangelizing.

Parish Notices for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1. The new R.C.I.A. program has begun. We meet on Friday evenings at 7pm in the Parish Hall. It is an open invitation to all adults 17 years and over who would like to complete their Christian Initiation, and persons desirous of being baptized or received into the Church.
2. If you know someone who is sick and would like to receive holy communion, but is unable to attend Mass, please contact Parish Office, Karen Ramlogan or any Minister of Holy Communion.
3. The Pre-Marriage program resumes on Wednesday 11^th September.
4. The confirmation programme will resume next Saturday, 14^th September.
5. Tickets for the two car raffle are still available. A book of 10 tickets plus 2 bonus tickets costs $100.00.
6. Starting this Friday Sept. 13^th, we resume Adoration and Holy Mass. Adoration from 5pm to 6pm and Mass at 6pm.
7. Meeting of the Parish Council will take place Monday 16^th September at 6.30pm. If you have any suggestions, petitions, ideas how to improve our parish life, please tell Father or Deacon Jeffrey.
8. Msg. Robert Llanos will be ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Port of Spain on the Saturday 14^th of September at 9.30 am in Fatima Church, Curepe. All are invited. Let us surround him with prayers and our good will.

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!

Pope's Call for Syria