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The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. What a Feast it was! The theme for 2025 was Mary, Mother of Healing and Hope. His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you,” (Jn 2:5).
As pilgrims of hope, we were invited to prayerfully begin our journey from Thursday, January 30 with daily prayers of the Holy Rosary and Novena done via Zoom and in person preceding Mass. On Tuesday, February 4 to Thursday 6 we had Triduum Presentations.
Kyle Dardaine did the opening night’s presentation, giving an in-depth address on the theme. He said if you wanted to know a person’s true character then look at three things: what is in the person’s mind, what is in the person’s heart, and at the person’s status. His love and excitement for Mary poured out as he showed us that in Mother Mary all three pointed to the same thing–Jesus. As the mother of Jesus, she reflected all His attributes. He therefore encouraged us to approach her with confidence.
Fr Curtis Poyer, who served in Mexico for 32 years and is now serving in Pointe-à-Pierre, shared his perspective on the second night of the Triduum. He enlightened us on the profound impact that Our Lady of Guadalupe had on millions who visited the basilica in Mexico City each year. The story of one man who walked for hundreds of miles for Mother Mary’s assistance was inspiring.
Fr Poyer entreated each of us not to judge others. He reminded us that one does not, and will never know, what the person sitting right beside them is going through. Instead, we should pray for them and become pilgrims of hope.
Fr Bernardino Ejezie CSSp completed the Triduum with his sharing on the theme. He touched our hearts as he instructed us, as Jesus did with His disciples, telling us to take little or nothing for the journey but go with hope, trusting that God will provide, just like our Mother Mary did.
He drew our attention to the Annunciation, where Mother Mary believed and trusted God in the face of uncertainty. The journey to Bethlehem was a journey of faith and hope as Mary and Joseph did not know where they would lay their heads.
Presenting Jesus in the Temple was an act of faith and hope in the Almighty, and at the Wedding Feast in Cana, Mary was a source of hope to the distressed wedding party. Mother Mary is our hope in sickness, despair, financial challenges and difficult moments. He insisted that we must also be a source of hope for others.
On Saturday, February 8 at 10 a.m., Parish priest Fr Gregory Mc Lawrence CSSp and Fr Benjamin Omale CSSp celebrated Mass for the Sick and shut-ins. It was well-attended as many of the sick came out, the young and old, many with walking sticks and wheelchairs.
Fr Benjamin’s heart poured out as he prayed with us and called on the Holy Spirit to move among us. He reminded us that it was the woman with the issue of blood in the crowd who, with the deep desire and faith for healing, touched Jesus and was healed. He encouraged us to have faith.
After the Mass everyone was treated to a cup of the most delicious corn soup and a fruit.
Sunday, February 9, we celebrated the Feast Day Mass with Fr Mc Lawrence and Fr Omale. The Mass was particularly memorable and well-attended as persons came out in their numbers. Fr Mc Lawrence went in-depth into the theme guiding us in the various ways we can focus on Mary as our Mother and our guide to Jesus.
Tuesday, February 11, the actual Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes, we celebrated Mass at 6 p.m. The parishioners who attended were treated to a presentation by Dr Matthew Ramesar, a Psychiatry House Officer at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex and member of the Tacarigua Our Lady of Lourdes community for the past 17 years.
Passionate about mental health advocacy, he emphasised the connection between mental, spiritual and physical health. He stated that part of our mental health care is recognising our thoughts and we can improve our mental health through prayer, reframing our negative thoughts and practising mindfulness. He encouraged us to see our Church as a safe space, and highlighted that the most vulnerable groups are children and the elderly.
Dr Ramesar helped us recognise the signs of mental illness like the loss of normal mental function, loss of sleep, loss of focus or concentration, excessive sadness or worry, erratic behaviour and other types of behaviour. The audience appreciated his discourse and we look forward to his return in the future.
Our loving and merciful Lord blessed us with great weather and a wonderful celebration. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes 2025 was certainly a memorable one. Mother Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us! —Nicole Edwards, Lector, Holy Trinity RC Parish
