Praise and prayer – Chaguanas men meet on retreat

The Chaguanas RC Men’s Ministry has been an influential addition to my spiritual journey as a Roman Catholic. The group offers a sense of camaraderie  I didn’t realise I needed — until I joined.

Small plug: Men’s ministry is something we, as men, all need — no excuses. It will change your life! If your parish has one, join! If it does not, every Wednesday is Men’s Day at St Philip and St James in Chaguanas, so feel free to join us at 7 p.m.

Being involved in any ministry within your parish offers you opportunities to participate in a wide range of events. On Saturday, March 15, the Chaguanas RC Men’s Ministry held its annual Men’s Ministry Retreat at La Vega. It was a day of praise, prayer and deep reflection of the soul.

But more importantly, it brought together 50 men from the Chaguanas, Paramin, and Laventille/Morvant Pastoral Area parishes, all united in giving glory to God.

The retreat was led by Fr Matthew d’Hereaux, whose teachings left a lasting impression on my heart and the other men in attendance. Fr Matthew dropped many nuggets of wisdom for us to ponder on, but one thing that reshaped the way I view my faith came at the beginning: a history lesson on the early Church and the importance of praise.

Fun fact: At one point in my life, I wanted to be an archaeologist. So, I would have been aware of historical places through my readings from the encyclopaedias we all had before Google was a thing. But I never knew that the catacombs were a secret meeting place for early Christians.

Furthermore, I did not realise that our freedom of praise, our freedom of religious expression and our love for God were once physically limited— not only by persecutors, but by the confines of where this praise took place.

It struck me: without the faith of our spiritual ancestors, I might not be the proud Roman Catholic I am today. I might not be able to share the Word with my brothers in Christ or praise the Lord freely.

I have taken that freedom for granted. Imagine a world without praise and worship events. Imagine having to hide the conversion of hearts. Imagine muzzling God!

Yet today those very concepts exist, and I realised I am guilty of it too. Fr Matthew, from the very start of our day, not only emphasised the importance of praise, but renewed my conviction to be proud of my faith. If nothing else, I am grateful I was able to attend the Men’s Retreat. It gave me the motivation to try harder and to be a loud and proud Roman Catholic.

—Marc Chandler, Chaguanas RC Men’s Group – The Sons of The Father