Power, Identity and Purpose’ at first Southern Vicariate Young Adult Assembly

The Servants of Jesus Christ the Lord Community, led by Mary Hudlin, team leader, saw its vision of calling young adults to build and transform Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the south.

This came to life with the launch of its first Young Adult Assembly aimed at helping young people discover their call and place in building the kingdom of God.

Held at the Catholic Charismatic Centre in Clifton Hill, Point Fortin, on Saturday, August 29, the gathering brought together young adults from across the Southern Vicariate, from as far as Rio Claro, stretching deep into the southland to communities such as Los Bajos and Erin, and many places in between.

The day unfolded under the theme Power, Identity and Purpose, drawing from Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” and 1 Peter 2:9, which reminds the faithful that they are a chosen generation.

The gathering was hosted by Alafia Branker-Baptiste, teacher at the Point Fortin RC School.

Morning Prayer was led by Denise Jones-Peters and a team of young people from the St Francis of Assisi Youth Group, Erin, which set the tone gathering those present into the spiritual purpose for the day.

Keeping the fire of praise burning throughout the gathering was the St Anthony’s Youth Music Ministry, led by Kenea Beckles. Their vibrant praise and reverent worship filled the auditorium, continually inviting participants to open themselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

That invitation deepened with a prophetic word brought by members of the Agape House Prayer Team. The message was one of return, renewal and restoration, a call for God’s people to come back, sit in His presence, listen to His voice, and allow Him to revive what had become dry or dormant.

From that call to renewal, the gathering journeyed into the rich history of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Archdiocese with Deborah de Rosia, whose presentation, ‘Birth, Development and Impact of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Archdiocese,’ traced the movement from its early prayer groups to the communities and ministries that would eventually spread throughout the country.

Her invitation was simple but powerful: “Open the windows and let the Spirit of God in.”

The Honourable Justice Tricia Hudlin-Cooper

Taking up the central theme of the assembly, The Honourable Justice Tricia Hudlin-Cooper delivered the featured presentation, ‘You Will Receive Power When the Holy Spirit Comes Upon You.’

She invited the young adults to understand that the power promised by Christ is not merely an emotional experience. It is dunamis—the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit given so that God’s people can accomplish His work.

That power, she stressed, comes through relationship and surrender, and with it comes responsibility.

The young adults were challenged to consider what receiving the Holy Spirit must look like beyond the walls of the Charismatic Centre, in their relationships, choices, conduct and response to those around them. The gift of the Spirit must ultimately become visible in the way we live.

What had begun as an invitation to receive now moved into a deeper question: Who has God called me to be?

That question formed the heart of the third presentation, ‘You Are a Chosen Generation’ based on 1 Peter 2:9 and delivered by Kirk Philip, Vice Principal of Presentation College, San Fernando.

Philip made the message deeply personal: God has called me. God has chosen me. He reminded the young people that God’s love for them is intentional, never accidental, and encouraged them to see themselves as God’s own work of art, created uniquely and purposefully.

The message was clear: know whose you are, embrace who God created you to be, and have the courage to become all that He has called you to become.

Following lunch, teaching gave way to expression, and the gifts spoken about throughout the morning suddenly came alive on stage.

With Principal Nicholas Cooper-Neaves of Presentation College, San Fernando taking over the hosting of the afternoon segment, the auditorium erupted into an energetic celebration of young Catholic talent.

And what a celebration it was! Through song, Spoken Word, Extempo, steelpan and dance, young people used their gifts not simply to entertain but to minister. The performances were vibrant, energetic, and unmistakably alive with faith. More importantly, they embodied the very message proclaimed throughout the day: God has placed gifts within His young people, and those gifts were made to be used.

Power had been proclaimed. Identity had been affirmed. Purpose was now being expressed.

There could be no more fitting culmination to the day than the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of Catholic Christian life. Mass was celebrated by Fr Cornelius Phillip, assisted by Deacon Noel of St Anthony’s Parish, Point Fortin, with young adults from across the Southern Vicariate taking active roles in the liturgy through the readings, Prayers of the Faithful and other areas of service.

Brother John Hudlin brought the gathering to its formal close with a vote of thanks, expressing appreciation to all who contributed to making the day possible.

But perhaps the real ending will be written beyond the walls of the Catholic Charismatic Centre.

—Alafia Branker-Baptiste