As parishes continue to make every effort to keep programmes on their pastoral plans on track and on time, the Evangelisation Commission, maintaining its focus on the pastoral initiative – New Evangelisation: Catholic Family Become What You Are – is in the final stages of preparation for its National Day of Prayer and Fasting on Saturday, January 30.

The whole day event is one of the major planks in the Commission’s pastoral plan and will be held at the church of St Phillip and St James in Chaguanas. It will begin with Holy Mass at 9.00 a.m. and end with Benediction at 4.00 p.m.

Holy Mass and Benediction would be shared between Vicar General Christian Pereira and Fr Christopher Lumsden, Parish Priest of St Phillip and St James.

The day will comprise praise and worship, which begins at 8.30 a.m. followed by Intercessory prayers interspersed with the decades of the Rosary for the Church, Family, Youth, Crime and Violence, General intercession and for the nation and the world, in that order, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It will also include prayer for those suffering in Haiti.

The GRACE Music Ministry (Glorious Rhythms Acclaiming Christ’s Eternal Love), with Peter Forde, as its coordinator, will provide religious music and singing throughout the day.

The Commission, with an implementation timeline of January-February, is pressing ahead with its Alpha Training project for both adults and youth. In both instances the programmes have been developed and the trainers have been already trained. It has been observed that in some parishes Alpha is being used in the Confirmation and Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) programmes.

Meanwhile those concerned are reviewing updates from Alpha International on both the adult and youth programmes and those parishes which have not yet begun the programme, are being encouraged to do so.