Editorial Excerpts: 1962 to 1972
Editorial of the August 31, 1963, issue.
August 31, 1963
First Anniversary of Independence
“On Saturday, August 31st Trinidad celebrated the first anniversary of its independence. Catholics of the territory join with all other loyal citizens in rejoicing and in thanking God in reaching this milestone of national history without bloodshed or internal strife….It is the prayer of God’s Church, as Trinidad stands on the threshold of a new period of time that God may fortify us against attacks of evil from within and from without; that he may make us wise and seek the truth in all things and live honestly according to His Commandments….that he may draw all together in a true brotherhood which by his Grace will bring about that all may be one in Him Our Common Father.”
Front page of the August 29, 1964, issue.
August 29, 1964
No Time for Pessimism
“Two years is not a long time, either in the life of a country or an individual. This week we are celebrating the second anniversary of the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago and it is extremely difficult to make prophecies about our national well-being after a mere two years of independence. This however has not deterred several brave souls amongst us who will have us at the bottom of the sea in a few years to come! After two years one thing at least is certain—this is no time for pessimism…. Our future as a Nation is linked, necessarily we believe, to our Youth. Recently, our citizens have been subjected to continuous criticisms and denunciations of our young people which might lead some citizens to think that our youth are a corrupt degenerate immoral and generally useless group. ….We however do not believe this about our youth. We personally have come into contact with many fine young men and women who are, in themselves, an assurance for the country’s future well-being…”
August 28, 1965
Development and the Church
“Independence celebrations remind us that the one recurring theme in today’s world is development… What are the great and changeless perspectives that the Catholic Church offers to guide human development? One might well begin with the basic principle of human dignity inherent and inalienable in man since he receives it in his very nature as a creature made in the image and likeness of the Eternal God. Any plan for development which does not respect human dignity is a bad plan whatever its beneficial immediate results may be in the material order. An important corollary of human dignity is human equality….”
Editorial of the August 30, 1969, issue.
August 30, 1969
Patriotism is shown in Generosity
“Patriotism is one of the little-mentioned virtues or good habits of the soul which help a person on the road to heaven. Few people are aware that it is something laudable in the eye of God to love, honour and respect one’s native land. This is one of the reasons why the Church has always maintained that good Catholics must make good citizens and patriots and has ever been opposed to the view expressed by some governments that because of their spiritual allegiance to the Pope in Rome that Catholics could not be depended on in time of crisis….Christ was not satisfied with a minimum of responsibility, and lip-service. He demanded generosity.”
Editorial of the August 29, 1970, issue.
August 29, 1970
A Vital Duty to Our Country
“A man’s duty does not begin and end with his vote on election day….Also most important is the effort to communicate with an elected official so as to influence his decision along lines considered sound and just. Only through this continuous process of influencing political decision can democracy be fully effective. As we celebrate Independence Day 1970, we cannot claim to be patriots if our duty to our country is fulfilled by our attendance at parades and parties; to merit the name ‘patriot’ we must also seek to influence Government’s final draft of the Public Order Act, a matter that concerns the fundamental rights of all citizens.”
Editorial of the August 26, 1971, issue.
August 26, 1971
Independence Day
“On Tuesday coming, Independence Day, the Nation will pause in the midst of its toil to take a look at itself, to consider the past that is behind and the future that lies ahead…Independence does make us responsible for a better spiritual, moral, social and psychological experience for our people….The Church has been all along trying to help form “the new Caribbean man”, for example, through the Ordination of local young men to the priesthood, by the acceptance of local men and women as brothers and nuns, by West Indianising the liturgy as far as possible and so on….All this effort on the part of the Church, we feel will contribute to the common post-Independence effort to create in our midst a unique and distinctive West Indian personality.”
Front page of the August 27, 1972, issue.
August 27, 1972
Finding out who really cares
“…We make bold to say that the first ten years of National Independence has shown no signs of greater interest in the people of Trinidad and Tobago than witnessed during colonialism. One gets the clear impression that in place of the British masters, leaders of all political parties have been trying to impose rule of their parties in place of the British Government. We find little to offer indeed, by way of proof that politicians in this country have the interests of all citizens at heart…..In an outspoken, though glossed-over statement last week, the heads of all the religious bodies in Trinidad and Tobago, the Inter-Religious Organisation, stated this very point in other words: ‘Our young nation is too bedevilled by ill-will, denigration and hate…Our nation cannot go forward with confidence unless there is improvement in this vital area; and we appeal to all, especially to opposing political groups, to exercise their essential right to dissent in a manner worthy of an educated, civilised society’.”
The centre pages of the September 8, 1962, issue are dedicated to the children.
The front page of the September 8, 1962, issue, the first issue after Independence.
The back page of the August 27, 1966, issue.