Friday November 21st: A House of Prayer
November 21, 2025
Saturday November 22nd: A glorious new existence
November 22, 2025
By Denise Scott
When God calls a woman, He does not always call the one the world expects. He calls the willing. He calls the listening. He calls the woman whose heart is soft enough to be moved and brave enough to obey. And in Trinidad and Tobago today, one such woman has stepped forward with humility, courage, and unshakeable faith.
Her name is Clarine Stewart, founder of Womentum Events, and the visionary behind the recent one-day Women’s Empowerment Conference that has ignited a quiet but powerful spiritual movement across the country.
What makes Stewart a Catholic female trailblazer is not simply the event she executed, but the radically obedient journey that produced it, a journey that speaks deeply to the potential, resilience, and evangelising fire of Catholic women today.
Stewart recalls a moment when God placed a clear, unmistakable directive on her heart. It was not loud, but it was persistent; one of those sacred impressions that refuses to let go. At first, fear took over. Could she really do this? Would people support her? Would the Church back her?
“I tried to shut it down,” she admits. But the prompting only intensified. The more she resisted, the clearer the call became.
Her breakthrough moment came at a retreat, while listening to Janet Chinnia recount the birth of Jesus Youth Explosion, a mission similarly conceived in fear, uncertainty, and ultimately, divine guidance. Stewart immediately recognised the same blueprint unfolding in her own life. It was confirmation. God was speaking. And the time to act had come.
What distinguishes Stewart as a Catholic trailblazer is her disciplined approach to discernment. She did not move impulsively. She moved prayerfully.
Every stage of the mission was placed before God.
1. Initial Verification. Stewart immersed herself in prayer, seeking certainty that this was God’s desire, not her own.
2. Ecclesial Consultation. She presented the idea to Fr David Khan, who offered support and encouraged refinement. Yet even after receiving his counsel, she returned to prayer, asking God to validate the alignment.
3. Spiritual Direction. Finally, she approached her spiritual director, Fr Dwight Merrick, whose unwavering support became one of the mission’s greatest blessings.
His guidance, availability, intercession, and encouragement became a spiritual anchor for the team.
If the conference had a hidden engine, it was intercessory prayer, said Clarine. Before a single team member was selected, before a venue was booked, before a flyer was printed, Stewart built a prayer shield. She asked Sr Pauline of the Holy Faith Sisters to cover her continuously in prayer. She enlisted trusted intercessors: Vianna Moreau, Valerie Beckles, her mother Theresa Cayenne, and her husband Daryl Stewart. The team itself became a prayer community before it ever became an events team. They knew spiritual warfare would come. And it did.
But they were prepared.
This is the hallmark of a Catholic woman rooted in mission: she understands that the real battles are fought and won long before the event ever takes place.
The conference theme emerged from deep discernment during the Jubilee Year: Hope. But when Stewart consulted Fr Khan, the suggestion arose to narrow the event to married women. Yet in prayer, the Lord redirected her. The call was not for a select group. The call was for all women. Married, single, widowed, separated, Catholic, non-Catholic; every woman in need of spiritual nourishment and relational healing was to be welcomed. The result was the conference theme: Hope in Healthy Relationships.
It was not simply a workshop. It was evangelisation in its purest form. Through testimony, panel discussions, counselling perspectives, and interactive sessions, women were invited to confront wounded areas of intimacy, community, and church relationships, offered not as self-help, but as Spirit-led renewal.
Stewart describes the mission in the words of Scripture: “He has sent me to give good news to the poor… to tell blind people that they can see… and to set the downtrodden free.”
This was not an event. It was a spiritual intervention.
She spoke fondly of Fr Merrick whose influence on the mission was both pastoral and practical. Known for his bold evangelising spirit, he became a spiritual father to the team.
He regularly prayed with Stewart, encouraged her during moments of discouragement, and contributed tangible support—from donation letters to securing a promotional slot on his radio programme Food for the Journey.
Every God-given mission faces opposition. Stewart and her team experienced:
● Apathy from their own parish community
● Rejection from other parishes unfamiliar with them
● Hurtful comments and scepticism
● Misjudgements based on colour choices and assumptions
● Funding challenges
● Spiritual attacks affecting team members and their families
But, during every obstacle, God responded. When an early rescheduled date fell apart, the only new date available was the exact date God had originally placed on Stewart’s heart. When she doubted her ability, God reminded her of Matthew 18:20: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Over and over, God proved He was the architect of the mission.
One of the most powerful revelations Stewart experienced was recognising who God chose to execute this mission. Not the most known. Not the most connected. Not the most “high-end.”
God chose ordinary women: her, Simonique Scope, Avernell Ettienne, Demi Dwarica, Jade Bachan, and Precious Bailey, to carry out an extraordinary work.
She describes it beautifully: “We were not the most highly favoured or socially connected. But God used these ‘lowly people’ to serve His high purpose.” Her words echo Mary’s Magnificat: “He has lifted up the lowly.” This is why Stewart’s story matters: it reminds every Catholic woman that God does not need perfection. He needs obedience.
The conference exceeded expectations in ways that only God could orchestrate. Women arrived seeking hope and they received abundance.
They described the event as: classy, elegant, spiritually nourishing, well-organised And as a place where they felt valued and revived. Many women left with renewed strength for their marriages, friendships, workplaces, and ministries. Many immediately asked when the next event would be held.
But the feedback that touched Stewart’s heart most deeply was the affirmation of her mother a moment of profound personal validation that God’s fingerprints were all over this mission.
Womentum Events is not a one-time initiative. It is the seed of a larger movement already taking root.
Women from areas like Morvant have reached out, eager to replicate similar missions in their vicariates. Social media engagement is growing. Interest in community partnerships is increasing. And the call to charitable outreach—hampers, toys, clothing—continues to build momentum.
Stewart believes this is only the beginning. And so do we.
Clarine Stewart stands today as a Catholic trailblazer not because she sought recognition, but because she sought God. Her story is a testimony to what happens when a woman says “yes” to the whisper of the Holy Spirit, even when it feels impossible. And if you feel that gentle, persistent stirring in your own heart pay attention. It may be the beginning of your own trailblazing mission
