Faith through the potholes – Carolina Chapel reopens after 15 years

Published by CN Admin at September 17, 2025

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By Rosemarie Sant

Photos: Alison Punch

The bells of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Chapel in Carolina, Couva, rang out once again on Monday, September 8, as over 300 faithful gathered to witness a long-awaited resurrection, the reopening of their beloved parish church after 15 years of silence, disrepair, and waiting in hope.

Before the first Mass was celebrated, the evening began with a visible act of faith, a prayerful walk through the streets of Carolina, led by Fr Trevor Nathasingh, parish priest of St Paul’s RC in Couva since 2022, and Deacon Andy Singh. They prayed the rosary and songs of praise filled the air in joy as the faithful publicly witnessed to their faith.

Some residents peeked from windows and porches as the church processed joyfully through the community it serves.

Rebirth of a building

Fifteen years ago, the building fell into disuse. Structural damage, weather-related decay, and the loss of the roof rendered it unusable. For some, it felt like abandonment. But as the people walked toward the freshly restored doors under the evening skies, it was clear that what had seemed forgotten was simply waiting for its time of rebirth.

That rebirth came on a deeply symbolic day: the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, marking the birth of the woman whose ‘yes’ changed the course of salvation history.

Fittingly, it was a homily about faith, surrender, and perseverance, wrapped in Trini realism and Catholic devotion that anchored the reopening celebration.

In his signature style, equal parts theology, humour, and no-nonsense challenge, Fr Nathasingh set the tone early.

“If you don’t believe that God is with you,” he said, “you have no hope. You’ve lost it.”

Comparing the Christian journey to Trinidad’s roads, he added with a smile, “The journey of life is like the roads in Trinidad and right here in Carolina, full of potholes. Or should I say, craters. But you don’t turn back just because your tyres mash up or your shocks gone. You keep going, because somewhere inside, you believe you’re going to reach safely. That’s what faith looks like.”

It was a powerful metaphor for the moment: a church damaged, a community scattered, but a faith that pressed on trusting that one day, restoration would come.

Mary’s ‘yes’

Fr Nathasingh’s homily turned next to Mary, the mother of Jesus. “Let me say it plain,” he told the congregation, “We do not worship Mary. We honour her, as the first disciple of the Lord, as the mother of the Church.”

He spoke with tender reverence of her role in salvation history, her obedience, and her ongoing intercession. “Her ‘yes’ wasn’t just for then,” he said. “It’s an eternal ‘yes’. Her willingness allowed the Word to become flesh. Through her body. Through her life. Through her love.”

He addressed common misconceptions from others about Catholic devotion: “Would you talk bad about your own mother? So why do you talk bad about Jesus’ mother?”

He drew parallels to everyday life: “We honour our mothers’ birthdays. We honour the birthdays of our children, of friends, of good people like our sister Pamela (Reece who celebrated her birthday on September 9). And today, we honour Mary’s birth, not because she is divine, but because her life made room for God.”

The homily was not only about personal faith, but communal gratitude.

Gratitude to a community

He thanked parishioners and those across the country who had donated generously of time, talent, and money to ensure that the building was restored, and a family from Mayaro who gifted the new Stations of the Cross.

He gave special thanks to the Presbyterian community, whose ‘yes’ when he asked to use the Bethel Presbyterian church in Carolina to hold Mass every Sunday, allowed the RC community to have a space to worship. Their generosity, he said, had sustained the Catholic faithful in recent years.

“For the last two years,” he said, “they opened their doors to us. They allowed us to celebrate Holy Mass there when we had nowhere else. That’s real Christian love. I thank them sincerely, and I want them to know they are always welcome here.”

It was an ecumenical moment that underscored the unity of the Christian mission, even across doctrinal lines. For two years, different churches worshipped under one roof, a quiet but powerful witness to the gospel.

The art of surrender

Continuing his reflection, he turned to St Joseph, who stood by Mary in her most vulnerable moment. “Joseph was a man of honour,” he said. “Any Trini man would’ve said, ‘I get horn.’ But Joseph listened to the voice of God. He protected Mary. He recognised that something of God was happening, and he did not resist it.”

He challenged the congregation to adopt the same alertness and obedience. “When something of God is happening in your midst, don’t fight it. Don’t dismiss it. Cooperate with it.”

At the heart of the homily was a call to surrender the kind of surrender Mary embodied in her famous words: “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”

“Don’t think that’s easy to pray,” Fr Nathasingh warned. “It took me eight years to say that prayer from my heart. Eight years of struggle. But when you finally say it, you find peace.”

He invited every parishioner, young and old to learn the art of surrender. “Let your faith be the energy that drives you,” he said. “Not your plans. Not your pride. Your faith.”

Fr Nathasingh pleaded with the faithful not to grow lukewarm. “Don’t fall asleep in your faith,” he said. “Don’t become lazy. You have the saints. You have the rosary. You have the Eucharist. You have the Word. Use them.”

To young people, he added: “Mary could’ve said, ‘I young and sweet, why God bothering me?’ But she didn’t. She said, ‘Yes, Let it be done to me according to your will.’ Learn from her. Say ‘yes’, too.”

And to all gathered, he said, “This building being restored is not just about walls and paint. It’s about hearts being restored too. Let this be a spiritual restoration as much as a physical one.”

Fellowship and faithfulness

After the Mass, the community gathered in fellowship, sharing a small meal, revelling in the majesty of God and the work that Fr Nathasingh had done in two years to restore not just this chapel, but another outstation of the St Paul’s parish in Orange Valley.

They marvelled at the stained glass windows, which reflect on the glossy tiles as the sun streams through; the mural of Our Lady painted behind the altar, the altar and lectern built as an act of love and donated by a parishioner. The beautifully decorated church and a new bell which rung out as they sang the Gloria, letting the world know that this church, once left discarded, had risen from the ruins into something of magnificence.

For many, the reopening of the church was more than a celebration; it was a reminder that God is faithful, even when the road is long.

“We are not journeying alone,” Fr Nathasingh said, “God is with us, through the Word, through the Eucharist, through Our Lady, through the saints, and through each other.”

He reminded the parish that their mission continues. “We still have work to do,” he said. “In Orange Valley, in Carolina and in Couva as we continue to build the church of St Paul the Apostle. But if we work together, physically, and spiritually, we can build something beautiful for God.”

He ended with a challenge that defined the entire day: “Let your faith be the energy that drives you. Not comfort. Not convenience. But faith.”

“Mary’s ‘yes’ brought salvation into the world. Let yours help build the Church in your own time.”

Holy Mass is celebrated at the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Carolina on Sundays at 10.30 a.m.