Skills for Sacramental Marriage Building – refilling our wine glasses
March 11, 2026
Become lifelong learners in the school of peace
March 11, 2026
At the commencement of this new year, the parishioners started feeling the excitement build up as Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church in Tacarigua, a community within the Holy Trinity Parish, prepared to celebrate our patronal feast on February 11, and what a feast it was!
The theme of this year’s celebration was A divinely empowered Mary for our time as a model of strength, grace, faith, resilience and hope based on Scripture readings taken from Luke 1:46–56 and Philippians 4:13. As a community, we started praying the Rosary and the Novena on Monday, February 2 and continued until Tuesday 10. There were Triduum presentations on Wednesday 4, Thursday 5 and Friday 6. The presentations on the theme were incorporated into the Mass celebrated each day at 6 p.m.
Our first presenter was Fr Emmanuel Vandi CSSp who invited us to embrace our Blessed Mother as a role model. He illustrated that while people of the world looked to different models, in football, music and among movie stars, we were to look to Mother Mary as our true model. “She is the epitome of the Christian faith…discipleship, parenthood and a model of charity.”
Our second presenter, Fr Mikhail Woodruffe O Carm led us into the depths of reflection as he shared different images of our Blessed Mother and asked us, “What does Mary look like?”
He invited us to see the varied appearances of Mary to different peoples, always as one of the indigenous people and always as one of us. He inspired us as he said, “Mary waited on Jesus and we are invited to wait on Him as well…Mary always comes with humble confidence knowing God’s mercy…and you received the Holy Spirit and therefore you received strength and resilience like Mary.”
Our third presenter was Fr Omale Benjamin CSSp. With a visibly deep admiration and devotion to Mary, he asked us to meditate on the questions “What will I be remembered for? What are the desires and intentions of my heart?” and encouraged us to strive to be worthy children of God with Mary as a model.
He reminded us of the many attributes of Mary: she was full of grace, she had faith and that her strength and resilience were evident as she navigated the challenges of life and witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion.
Our Lady of Lourdes, as a mother, is a comforter of the suffering and a powerful intercessor for those who are sick as evidenced by the many miracles of healing experienced at the Grotto and around the world. At Tacarigua on Saturday 7, there was the customary Mass and Anointing of the Sick and as expected, it was well attended by numerous sick and shut-ins.
The Word of God, as expounded in the homily by Fr Gregory Mc Lawrence CSSp, stirred our minds, hearts, souls and spirits as he heartened us to the truth that “Jesus is in charge and wants to help us…and is present to heal” even as the blessed oil ministered to our bodies, as all who attended were anointed.
—Nicole Edwards
