Days of Glory at the Oval – A Eucharistic Congress success sparks ongoing mission

By Fr Robert Christo

Vicar for Communications

A day of Jubilee celebration at the Queen’s Park Oval, famed for cricket legends, became a sanctuary of faith and miracles on May 10, as thousands gathered for the Eucharistic Congress 2025—one of the highpoints of our Jubilee Year celebrations. In true Trinbagonian style, the air was filled with resounding alleluias and amens, the pulsating rhythm sections, joyful dancers, sweet steelpan, and the voices of a massive choir lifting hearts to almost kiss Heaven and Earth.

Congratulations to the Jubilee Team, clergy, volunteers, the faithful and every helping hand who orchestrated this magnificent celebration of praise and healing. Many remain on a perpetual spiritual high. The oval-turned-sanctuary witnessed believers, non-believers, and onlookers—some even perched in trees—moved to awe. One youth said, “I came to lime, but ended up bawling! Something special hit meh soul when Jesus passed in that Blessed Sacrament.” It was a tsunami of grace, leaving hearts jumping for joy like a well-loved Calypso refrain.

True presence – more than a big monstrance

At the heart of the celebration at the Oval stood a towering monstrance, glittering like a Caribbean sunset under the threat of sometimes grey skies and light drizzles. It boldly displayed the Blessed Sacrament—but the deeper lesson was clear: Christ’s Real Presence is not measured by size, jewels, or status. He is just as fully present in a modest chapel or a quiet weekday Mass as in the grandest procession.

Jesus is with us daily—in the Eucharistic host, in the Holy Mass, in the proclaimed Word, in the priesthood, in the face of the poor, in creation, and in our own conscience.

The Congress offered not just spectacle but catechesis: recognise and revere Jesus in all these places. The big monstrance was a symbol, but the power comes from the One within —Christ’s love, shining brightly in the ordinary.

Carrying the faith forward – be living tabernacles

The Oval was not a finishing line—it was an ignition point. We are now sent forth to carry the Eucharistic fire into everyday life. Don’t pack away your faith like a Christmas tree after Christmas.

We now need to form Eucharistic cells—small prayer groups centred on Jesus. Open, expand, or support Adoration chapels. Return to Holy Mass. Live, evangelise, and defend the Real Presence. Become living, moving tabernacles.

In Malabar, Arima, the spark has already caught fire—just one day after the Congress, nine days of perpetual adoration began at the Church of the Holy Spirit.

Is it mere coincidence that the special monstrance was taken to Malabar—a name echoing Kerala, India, where a Eucharistic miracle showing the face of Jesus on a host was officially recognised just two days before? Coincidence? God-incidence? Confirmation?

The Living Eucharistic Lord moves with purpose and miracles. From de Oval to Arima, from Kerala to Malabar, He is alive, real, and walking with us as Pilgrims of Hope.

We are each now a moving testimony—walking tabernacles called to proclaim Jesus wherever we go. The Eucharistic Congress gave us a taste of Heaven on Earth. Let’s not leave that grace behind on the pitch. As Trinbagonians would say, “The match cyah done!” The celebration of faith must continue.

So, let’s move forward with joy, boldness, and Caribbean creativity. Christ is with us still—in the monstrance, in the Mass, in our neighbour, and in our hearts. Go forth now as Pilgrims of Hope, sharing the good news of His living Presence from the Queen’s Park Oval to all of T&T and, by extension, to the ends of the world.