Blessing Carnival? Why not?

By Fr Robert Christo

Vicar for Communications

Some people does twist up they face when they hear a priest blessing Carnival. “Blessing dat? Nah man, das bacchanal and sin!” But hear this —if we only bless what is already perfect, then we wouldn’t be blessing much in this world, would we?

A blessing is not a stamp of approval. It’s not a ‘well done’ sticker for righteousness. It’s an invitation for God to enter, to redeem, to transform. And if anywhere need redemption, is right there in the heart of Carnival.

Matter matters — God blesses the world

As Catholics, we believe in an incarnational faith. God became flesh. Jesus didn’t hover above the world in some holy bubble; He walked in it, touched it, healed it, ate with sinners, and even turned water into wine at a wedding party.

If God can step into our messy reality, then our job is not to run from it, but to bring His presence into it.

That’s why we bless homes, boats, fish markets, hospitals, and yes, even Carnival. We don’t bless to say, ‘Everything here sweet and nice.’ No! We bless so that the good can flourish, the sinful can be convicted, and the lost can find their way home.

Can you bless sin?

Now, let’s get serious. Can we bless evil? No. Can we bless Satan? Absolutely not. He has fully rejected God. There is no hope in him, no spark of light left. But as long as there is life, there is hope. And where there is hope, there is something to bless.

Carnival is not Satan. It is people—and people can change.

Carnival is culture—and culture can be purified. Carnival is joy, music, community, and art—all gifts from God. But like any gift, it can be misused. Our job is to bring grace into it, to call forth the good, and to challenge the bad.

Blessing as salt and light

Jesus tell we plain: “You are the salt of the earth.” Now, if food already fresh and perfect, yuh don’t need salt, right? But put salt in something tasteless, and suddenly it have life. That’s the mission of the Church—not to run from the world, but to season it, preserve it, and bring out the best in it.

So, what happens when we bless Carnival?

• We bless the music—that it may uplift, not degrade.
• We bless the artistry—that creativity may reflect God’s own creative Spirit.
• We bless the people—that revellers may remember their dignity, even in the midst of celebration.
• We bless the streets—that the city may not be overrun by violence, but by joy and unity.

If Carnival could never be redeemed, then the streets of Port of Spain should be abandoned, not evangelised. But if God is still at work in the world—and He is!—then we, His priests and people, have a duty to go where the people are, to bless, to challenge, and to call forth the good.

So yes, we bless Carnival. Not because everything about it is right, but because it can be made right. And we trust that, where there is blessing, God is at work.

Wherever there is God, there is hope.