Hymn, ‘To be the Body’ inspires priest who was robbed

There was a break-in of Fr Harold Imamshah’s car on Wednesday, February 16, during the more than 10-hour islandwide electricity outage. The media reported incidents as persons used the cover of darkness to commit robberies.

On his Facebook page Friday, February 18, Fr Imamshah, the Parish Priest of St Peter’s, Carenage, said he was trying to connect to a Zoom meeting while waiting in the St Mary’s RC parish office, St James but couldn’t connect. After 40 minutes, he went to his car in the parking lot and found the left rear window smashed and items missing. These were: a laptop, tablet, shoulder bag containing his vaccination card, driver’s licence, cheque books, and “sick call kit”. The kit contained oil of the sick and four consecrated hosts in a pyx (container). He appealed for persons in the St James community to help him conduct checks along the fencing within the cemetery. Fr Imamshah said he already checked the grounds of the St Mary’s RC and nearby St James Medical Complex and along George-Cabral Street.

During Mass at the chapel at Living Water Community, Port of Spain also last Friday, Fr Imamshah said he was busy getting the cards and cheque books replaced. Reflecting on the reading from James 2: 14–24, 26, on faith and good works, he surmised that “If one of the brothers and sisters do not have enough food to live on and takes your laptop and I say to them, ‘I wish you well, keep yourself warm and eat plenty’. They’ll come and take it and sell it to a drug pusher maybe, and get the money to feed themselves.”

He disclosed that the robbery could be a challenge for his faith because it was easy to have negative thoughts about the perpetrators and “hit back”. He said the hymn ‘To be the Body’ by Bishop Clyde Harvey, whom he recalled was also a victim of robbery, was inspiring him at this time, “to see the hungry, the drug addicted, even those who steal or break in”. He appealed to the perpetrator/s to return the laptop and deliver the kit to St Mary’s, St James.

He stated his intention to forgive and pray for the person when they met. “The needy do strange things; the drug addicted do even stranger things; and they are the body of Christ Jesus is teaching me to minister to,” he said.

The Catholic News Team continues to keep Fr Imamshah and our other clergy in prayer