Arouca couples celebrate ‘Valentine’s in August’

The parish of Holy Trinity, Arouca invited couples within the parish to celebrate their love by hosting a ‘Valentine’s in August’ reception which was held August 4 at the church’s pastoral centre.

Parish priest, Fr Dexter Brereton CSSp delivered the welcoming address and quoted 1 John 4:7–10: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way, the love of God was revealed to us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through Him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins.”

Leaders of Teams of Our Lady, Trinidad and Tobago, Christine and Dwight Gonsalves were present to give the couples a coaching session on ‘Couple Spirituality’. Christine Gonsalves asked partners to face each other and pray aloud for a minute for their partner.

They stated that ‘couple prayer’ is praying about wanting the best for each other and not praying for what you want from that person. The Gonsalves’ emphasised the need to schedule communication sit-downs on a regular basis opposed to having one only when upset. They advised couples that during the sit down one partner can add a third chair and light a candle to make Jesus the centre of the conversation. The couples were also asked to say what they loved about each other, what cemented their love for one another and the importance of Jesus in their relationship.

During the reception, everyone was treated to live entertainment and a buffet dinner. Spouses who were married for over 40 years, and recently married couples were asked to share the first dance, but dancing continued well into midnight.

Special thanks to the planning committee for the event and all those who contributed in any way to make it a success.-Darlette-Megan Williams, parishioner