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February 11, 2026
By Klysha Best
The international leadership of Magnificat, a Catholic ministry for women, joined the local faithful for a special Mass on February 8 at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
The Magnificat ministry’s visiting coordinator of the Central Service team, Donna Ross, explained to the congregation that their presence was part of a providential “visitation cruise” to encourage chapters across the Caribbean.
“The Lord sent us,” Ross said. “God is really blessing this ministry because He knows how much it touches hearts. We’re fanning the flame that already exists.”
Chief celebrant Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon seized upon the occasion to deliver a challenging and evocative homily centred on the day’s Gospel from Matthew: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
Framing his message for both the visiting ministers and the local faithful, he argued that societal decay is a direct result of failed Christian witness and urged believers to reclaim their essential role as “salt” and “light”.
“If Jesus is saying the Christian must be salt, then the Christian must be that ingredient that stops the decay of the society. And if the society is in decay, it’s because the Christian has not been salt,” Archbishop Gordon told the congregation.
He explained that salt adds essential flavour, but its deeper, ancient purpose was preservation. “For a first-century Jew, they had no refrigerator. Salt was their refrigerator, to preserve the meat.”
The Archbishop then elevated this imagery to a profound theological truth, connecting the personal sacrifices of the faithful to the sacrifice of the Mass. “You are integral to the covenantal relationship,” he stated. “There is no covenantal sacrifice without salt.”
He urged the congregation to bring their daily struggles, “your sacrifice in love for your husband or wife, your care for the poor, to the altar. You are not just doing a little thing… you are living a sacrificial offering.”
Turning his attention directly to the Magnificat ministers present, the Archbishop praised their work as a vital “disciple-making team” but issued a clarifying warning.
He noted that many ecclesial movements, over time, lose focus. “They become very murky in why they do what they do,” he said, with energy spent on logistics rather than core mission.
“I am asking you as Magnificat to be laser-focused on one single thing: making disciples for Jesus Christ.” He redefined success for their ministry, saying: “The success of your gathering is not if you had 5,000 people come. The success of your gathering is if people moved in their discipleship.”
The Archbishop concluded with a call to arms, emphasising the indispensability of every believer’s witness. “This is a time where the light of Jesus must shine. It must shine,” he implored. “The only light He has is yours. And the way that light shines is by you consciously, intentionally desiring to be a disciple and desiring to go as deep as you can.”
Magnificat is a Catholic women’s ministry focused on evangelisation and deepening faith in Christ. The group facilitates holiness primarily through ‘Magnificat Meals’, events built on fellowship, worship, and personal testimony.
