The Red House reopens
January 26, 2020
Our sons are missing
January 30, 2020

22 years of Couples for Christ

January 26, 2020, Sunday of the Word of God, marked 22 years that the Couples for Christ (CFC) Ministry has been established in Trinidad and Tobago.

This anniversary was celebrated at our annual Mass, along with breakfast and a series of presentations in CFC Trini style at St Benet’s Hall, Mount St Benedict.

I am always touched by the love and warmth exuded by all CFC members.

It was truly something to see longtime friends reunite with a hug and a kiss as they entered our CFC home, at St Benet’s Hall. There was also a wave of excitement and anticipation as Mass this year was being celebrated by Archbishop Jason Gordon.

Our CFC Music Ministry opened the Mass with sounds of praise and the enthronement of the Word which was also celebrated within the Mass. The ladies of our Handmaids of the Lord, Paramin unit, also opened the Mass in their beautiful ethnic wear.

During the homily, Archbishop Gordon spoke on the Word and the restoration of the lost tribes of Israel being fulfilled by Jesus our Saviour. He also spoke on answering our Call to holiness and fulfilling our vocations in life whether it be single life, married life or religious life, and urged that we not become distracted when answering the Call.

At the end of Mass, both our CFC Spiritual Director, Bishop Malcolm Galt CSSp and our beloved Archbishop were thanked, and presented with a token together with a large bundle of Paramin seasoning.

Archbishop ‘J’ did not fail to have CFC rolling with laughter during his thanks for the token, when he said that he thought of himself as still new to the job of archbishop, but now he has to consider himself a ‘seasoned’ archbishop.

I was truly touched by the actions of my fellow CFC members who were seen behind the scenes, after breakfast, separating and sorting through plastics which could be recycled. Couples for Christ is a community that takes the needs of the environment seriously and is working to become greener and more sustainable.

There were refreshing testimonies by our CFC members and one testimony stood out to me. A member’s unshaken faith led to the healing of her family.

Another testimony from one of our youth, endorsed that at any event a CFC member attends, anywhere in the world, there will always be an abundance of food, laughter and fellowship.

We were also treated to video congratulations from the various CFCs globally, including from Grenada, Curacao, St Maarten, the USA, and from our beloved missionaries in the Philippines, Lester and Mabelle.

The CFC 2020 theme for this year is Called to Holiness and we received ‘Called to Holiness’ calendars to remind us we should be striving as families to do at least one new act each month to help us to grow in holiness.

I am happy and privileged to be a part of this community and to be able to witness as CFC continues to grow. Home is where the heart is, and I will always consider Couples for Christ to be my home.

—Aliyah Maynard, Mission Volunteer, Singles for Christ