St Michael’s RC Men’s Movement kicks off 30th anniversary celebrations

“This journey, too, is a journey that all men must take” were the words driven home by Deacon Terrance Caesar at the end of his riveting teaching at the Divine Mercy Shrine, La Vega Estate, for St Michael’s RC Men’s Movement Men’s Retreat on April 18.

For the St Michael’s RC Men’s Movement, in November of this year, the group will be celebrating its 30th anniversary as one of, if not the oldest and longest-running Catholic men’s group in Trinidad and Tobago.

A weekend retreat, organised by Msgr Cuthbert Alexander and featuring Fr Ian Taylor in October 1996, sowed the seeds for the establishment of the St Michael’s RC Men’s Movement in November 1996. Some 50 men attended that retreat and, with the assistance of the now-deceased Fr Michael Makhan, our men’s group was born.

To commemorate the anniversary, the group will be participating in monthly activities leading up to the anniversary in November 2026. The Men’s Retreat at the La Vega Estate’s Divine Mercy Shrine was our first major event.

Deacon Caesar’s talk was centred on ‘The journey that men go through every day’.  Following the opening praise and worship session, he addressed the group by asking everyone to choose a rock from a basket. After everyone had chosen a rock, he encouraged each person to inspect their rock, taking notice of its physical characteristics (size, shape, colour, texture, etc).

When this was done, Deacon Caesar explored the metaphorical meaning of the rock, which was the weight that men carry every day with them wherever they go and in whatever they do, doing it in silence. He explained that the rock represented our burdens and even though we may think that we are alone, we must always be reminded that God is there with us, helping us, and willing to take our burdens away.

To physically and spiritually represent this, Deacon Caesar tasked everyone with taking some silent time and placing all their burdens onto their respective rocks. He then provided us with small, white-papered handle bags. These bags represented God’s all-embracing love and His efforts to take our burdens away.

Now, with our burdens removed, our souls left void, awaiting nourishment which is always provided by God, Deacon Caesar instructed everyone to take some time to themselves, going wherever they can within the area to pray and reflect in silence, acknowledging the nature-filled environment we were in, before returning to continue the proceedings.

Deacon Caesar explained the importance of water and its symbolism in Catholicism. As an extension of God’s nourishment for our lives, to help purify us and plant within us the seeds required to carry out His Word, Deacon Caesar presented everyone with small mason jars filled with holy water for their private use.

Following his blessing of each person with holy water, Deacon Caesar stated that we had received the gifts needed to minister and change the world, with the confidence and strength that men possess, guided by the will of God.

With this nourishment, we may now bear fruit, or in this case, flora. This was represented in the small plants given to each person by Deacon Caesar. These plants now represent us, growing and blossoming in the light of Christ, beautifying the world with our presence, actions and words, all blessed by the Father Almighty.

The talk concluded with a prayer and the day ended with the Men’s Group fellowshipping at a hut while sharing in food and drink, as well as participating in activities such as All Fours and Fishing. —Johnathan Meade