Family Life

Join the reading club to discuss the birds and the bees

As a follow-up to the Human Sexuality Symposium held in March earlier this year, the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) and the Catholic Religious Education Development […]

Surviving divorce retreat – ‘Do you want to be well again?’

Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon in March facilitated a moving session for persons who are separated and divorced. The poignant question that reverberated: “Do you want to […]

More than 30 couples participate in marriage building, marriage care workshop

The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission hosted an enriching three-day workshop tailored to married couples aspiring to become adept trainers in marital dynamics. The March 15–17 workshop […]

More parish Family Life Units in the making

In the sacred halls of the Seminary of St John Vianney in Mt St Benedict on February 24, the Parish Family Life Units (FLUs) converged, delving […]

Exploring Carnival, relationships, and popular culture from a Catholic perspective

In a thought-provoking live talk, Tae Coryatt and Darrion Narine critically examined Carnival, relationships, popular music, and wider culture through a Catholic lens. Coryatt is the […]

Learning new skills to support your marriage

‘Behold I make all things new (Rev 21:5). Marriage is worth making the effort with God’s grace.’ That was the theme of the first of a […]

Online parenting session

In  the 2009 movie, Mother and Child, Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) are interviewed to determine their suitability to adopt the child […]

Psychotherapy to manage gender dysphoria

By Lara Pickford-Gordon snrwriter.camsel@catholictt.org   “Watchful waiting” is a therapeutic approach for dealing with children experiencing gender dysphoria. Research has shown that without adults and others […]

Mothers, time for the chat with your daughters

Jesus, we trust in you! Trust is an essential part of a relationship. In our relationship with the Lord, we try to place all our trust […]

Initiatives to strengthen marriages, family life

Through the sponsorship of the Catholic Marriage Initiative (CMI) fund whose  purpose “is to dramatically increase the availability of and participation in high quality Catholic Marriage […]

Pool lime with a purpose

Faith. Fellowship. Fun. These are some of the building blocks of what it means to be family. We are all aware that the sun has not […]

A ‘Lenten’ Scavenger Hunt for families

The average Catholic views Lent as a time of recollection, repentance, and stillness. While that is rightfully so, what tends to be overlooked is the hope […]

Strict parenting can lead to sneaky children

Clinical psychologist, Alicia Hoyte described Caribbean parents as “super strict” with an “it’s-my-way-or-the-highway” attitude. Hoyte is appealing to parents to take a deep breath, calm down […]

Parents, help your children through puberty

While many children have started a new phase as they began secondary school September 5, and some parents are breathing a sigh of relief their children […]

On matters of puberty, children need their parents

While many children have started a new phase as they began secondary school September 5, and some parents are breathing a sigh of relief their children […]

Making facts clear about the BOM

A Deeper Dive into the Theology of the Body’ is an online and in-person journey that started in July. Persons interested in St Pope John Paul […]

Is there anything that you need help with?

By Crystal Johnson, Mental Health Clinician, Archdiocesan Family Life Commission Can we imagine for one second the thoughts and feelings of someone who does not have […]

Importance of developing emotionally aware children

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org The Episcopal Delegate for the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC), Tricia Syms has observed there are three emotions persons commonly refer […]

New programme to help married couples strengthen and renew marital life

Newlyweds can leave their family home physically but not emotionally. When this happens, they can bring habits and traditions which can cause conflict in their marriage. […]

Advice for parents on health and family life education

When parents hear the words ‘sexuality’ and ‘sexual health’ their minds may go to the procreative act, but it is much more complex. The Archdiocesan Family […]

Forgiveness – the path to freedom

The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) was held in Rome, Italy from June 22–26. The venue for the Pastoral Congress was the Paul VI Hall. For […]

Dealing with violence in the family

The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) was held in Rome, Italy from June 22–26, 2022. The venue for the Pastoral Congress was the Paul VI Hall. […]

Family love

The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) was held in Rome, Italy from June 22–26, 2022. The venue for the Pastoral Congress was the Paul VI Hall. […]

Families must be witnesses

The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) was held in Rome, Italy from June 22–25, 2022. The venue for the Pastoral Congress was the Paul VI Hall. […]

Forming Ministries of Consolation            

By Ottrisha Carter The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) hosted a virtual training workshop on Wednesday, May 25 from 7–9 p.m., in which the formation of […]

Taking a deeper dive into the ‘Theology of the Body’

The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) and the Billings Ovulation Method Association of Trinidad & Tobago (BOMA-TT) will be hosting a training programme, ‘A Deeper Delve […]

Families, icons of the Trinity

By Ottrisha Carter The virtual training of members of Family Life Units (FLU) continued April 23 with discussions on school violence and the role of parents […]

Parenting with God’s grace

By Ottrisha Carter As part of the ongoing initiatives of the Year of the Amoris Laetitia family, on March 5, the Episcopal Delegate of the Archdiocesan […]

Families participate in AFLC’s Scavenger Hunt  

By Ottrisha Carter The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) in collaboration with the Catholic Youth Commission (CYC) and the Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) hosted […]

Remaining resilient in the midst of the pandemic

By Andre and Gizelle-Ann Hinkson We completed our Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend in October 2008 and were married in April 2009. The experience not only helped […]

Reigniting our call to serve

By Allyson and Michael Dwarka What does it mean to reignite our call to serve as Catholics? Traditionally, we have seen persons serving as catechists, lay […]

A ministry of families

From Kendall and Latoya Celestine, Coordinator couple, CEETT Happy 40th anniversary to our beloved ministry, Catholic Engaged Encounter of Trinidad and Tobago (CEETT)! CEETT is a […]

Our past, our future

From Anthony and Angela Mitchell, Coordinators, CEE Caribbean Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) came out of an initiative of Marriage Encounter in 1968, which saw the need […]

The importance of Catholic Engaged Encounter

The family is the most basic unit of the human society, and as such, it requires particular attention by the Christian community so it can carry […]

A discussion on love, jealousy, and envy

The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) aired the second episode of the ‘Conversations on Love’ series on February 14. This episode was titled ‘Love is not […]

Parenting workshop on online schooling 

On Wednesday, February 9 the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) hosted an hour-long session for parents titled ‘How to encourage my unmotivated child in online school?’ […]

Participate in ‘Be Mine Moments’

By Ottrisha Carter For some of us, when we think about the month of February, we immediately think of Valentine’s Day. Although this special day falls […]

Strengthening family life during the pandemic                

By Ottrisha Carter During the pandemic, the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) has made use of technology to continue providing services and opportunities for families. Tricia […]

CFC’s marriage retreat – we all need some on-the-job training

My wife and I attended a marriage retreat in the comfort of our home. It was a retreat hosted by Couples for Christ and featured ‘The […]

Family Life Commission encourages ‘Become an Advocate/Volunteer’

“Try your hand at something, make yourself available, and once you are available many great things can happen,” said Episcopal Delegate Archdiocesan Family Life Commission Tricia […]

Best friends who married says “Faith won the battle”

By Christopher & Jeanine Culpepper When two best friends become life partners, faith will always win the battle ahead! Our story officially began New Year’s Eve, […]

“Pass on the faith to the grands”

This year, Pope Francis has inaugurated the celebration of a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The observance is on the fourth Sunday of July, […]

Archdiocese of POS prepares for ‘Marriage and Family Week’

Let’s keep making this journey as families, let us keep walking together is the theme for the Archdiocese’s ‘Marriage and Family Week’ which runs from July […]

Retrouvaille hosts virtual workshop for couples

Described as “the best kept secret” in the Catholic Church, the Retrouvaille T&T Community, in its Ministry to hurting couples, sought creative ways to offer support […]

Teams of Our Lady offers ‘The Marriage Course’

Couples are invited to participate in ‘The Marriage Course’ (TMC) as a virtual weekend retreat organised by Teams of Our Lady (TOOL). Efforts have been fuelled […]

Influential fathers

Influential Fathers on April 30 was the fourth segment of the virtual Children Are Gift (CAG) programme. Previous CAG segments encouraged persons to develop balanced physical, […]

The adoption experience

“Adopting a child is an act of Love…I encourage those who cannot have children to expand their marital love to embrace those who lack a proper […]

Children are gift: Infertility to Adoption

“God does not make us deficient so not being able to have babies does not mean that you are less than.” Carl and Sharon Mangroo shared […]

Understanding “the nearest hospital” – The Family

The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) is hosting a weekly online training workshop, ‘Understanding the nearest hospital’ running from April 17 to June 5. The training […]

The parenting debate is over – discipline not punish

“The parenting style and techniques that we adopt are largely influenced by the way we were parented by our parents and grandparents. The traditional, Caribbean approach […]

‘Children are Gift’ programme is online

“Mummy, if you got raped or molested, would you have an abortion?” was a question posed to her by one of her sons recently. Tricia Syms, […]

Topic Tuesday: Celebrate the God-given pleasures of life

“It’s important for everyone to know we can encourage joy in our homes…. Remember that it’s never too late, we are never too old to have […]

‘Joy-Filled Marriage’ programme continues in 2021

Introduced in the Archdiocese in January 2020, The ‘Joy-Filled Marriage’ (JFM) programme offers a comprehensive approach to marriage preparation that covers not only the sacramentality and […]

Topic Tuesday: Expressing sexuality is like a prayer

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission’s (AFLC) eight-part series on the virtues of Catholic sexuality continued last Tuesday (April 13) with the […]

Eight virtues of Catholic sexuality

And there you have it! You have journeyed with us for the last eight weeks on the eight virtues of Catholic sexuality. Beyond the Birds and […]

Personhood – Man and Woman in God’s Plan

“Personhood is not a characteristic of man or woman but what they are.” The authors of the Birds and the Bees broke this concept into three […]

Cooperation for planning and Joy for fun

In this week’s article we continue our discussion on raising sexually whole and holy children. We look at two virtues, Cooperation and Joy. Let’s start with […]

Intimacy (Verbal and Emotional Communication)

We have been taught from the Theology of the Body that we were made for intimacy— with God and with others. Intimacy is the closeness between […]

R.E.S.P.E.C.T –Find out what it really means to me!

As we continue the series from Beyond the Birds and the Bees, this week we tackle a big one—respect. It’s the fourth virtue in raising whole […]

Faith –openness of our hearts to divine love

Dominique, a fairly new parent, has not purposefully thought about how to set the Catholic foundation that will eventually impact her children’s personhood. She said that […]

The two sides of responsibility

Richard complained that Sherry was spending time and money doing her nails, working late and, when at home, her time was spent posting on Instagram. Richard […]

Your family’s ‘cake flour’ – self-donative love

A 2007 psychological study on couples by Gottman, Gottman & Declaire, revealed that there was a strong correlation between having a satisfying (respectful and pleasurable) sexual […]

Birds, bees, and cake mixes

It took a lot for Mitch and Jackie (fictitious names) to remain virgins until marriage. They had ample opportunities to have sex with other people before […]

We are Wounded Healers

The six-week series on the ‘Wounded Healer’ hosted by the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission ended on November 10. Over 80 married couples of varying ages participated. […]

The difficulties of Nuclear Man

The fourth session on ‘Marriage: a symbol of real love’—a journey with the book, The Wounded Healer had two segments. Fr Dexter Brereton CSSp facilitated the […]

Ministry and a good marriage

Fr Dexter Brereton CSSp facilitated the third session on Marriage: a symbol of real love- a journey with the book, The Wounded Healer.  Fr Brereton started […]

The spiritual roots of vulnerability

The second session on Marriage: a symbol of real love- a journey with the book, The Wounded Healer on October 13 was facilitated by Fr Dexter […]

Love is not supposed to hurt

Thursday’s Topic Thursday segment on Facebook addressed a topic that mental health clinician Crystal Johnson believes “needs to be continuously highlighted” for effective change to occur—Domestic […]

Married couples should strive for excellence not perfection

The first of six sessions on Marriage: a symbol of real love – a journey with the book The Wounded Healer hosted by the Archdiocesan Family […]

Breaking the taboo of miscarriage

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 To families who’ve had to bury their baby after a miscarriage, “You are not damaged by any means, nor […]

Promoting Christian relationships in the home

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 How can the domestic Church practise or promote Christian relationships within the home? This was the question addressed during […]

Sharing our stories: Pain of suicide loss

With September being recognised as Suicide Prevention Awareness month, one mental health clinician believes this observance is an ideal opportunity to share resources and stories in […]

Enriching relationships and domestic Church during COVID-19

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 How can the domestic Church practise or promote Christian relationships within the home? This was the question addressed during […]

9 points to get the best out of virtual schooling

In this week’s edition of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission’s Topic Thursdays, Mental Health Clinician Crystal Johnson reflected on her own learnings as she observed her […]

Marriage, entanglements, and Declarations of Nullity

There’s a perception about “getting an annulment” that the Judicial Vicar wants people to move away from–you just have to visit the Marriage Tribunal “thinking it’s […]

Your vote is your voice

The Catholic community is free and “duty bound” to vote in today’s General Elections, says the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC). The AFLC’s mental health clinician […]

Topic Thursdays: Parenting during the pandemic

It is no secret the COVID-19 pandemic has been a rollercoaster ride for many parents. The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) however, made it known that […]

Topic Thursdays: ‘Entanglement? Marriage and Commitment’.

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 Marriage is not simply an idea of a fairytale that the media projects. “[It’s] not a run-of-the-mill concept of […]

Strengthen males for the domestic Church

What do men really want? Fr Matthew Ragbir put this question to an online conversation with men as the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission hosted a virtual […]

Examining the link between the Eucharist and Scripture

‘Eucharist and Scripture’ is the title of a ten-part weekly series organised by the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) examining the roots of Catholic liturgical worship. […]

Discussion on family life by Archdiocesan Family Life Commission

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 In observance of International Day of Families, Friday May 15, the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) celebrated Mass together […]

‘The Journey Today’ retreat experience

The Journey Today was a look at spirituality for families for our time through an experience of life. It was a retreat experience yet one which […]

‘Domestic Violence can be unpredictable’ says psychologist

By Renee Smith Email: comms.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter:@rsmith_cntt With an alarming increase in domestic violence cases in T&T under the COVID-19 “stay-at-home” order, the local Church’s Archdiocesan Family […]

Cope with the lockdown – check in with yourself

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 One of the things that can help persons cope during this COVID-19 lockdown is to be kind to someone […]

‘Joy Filled Marriage’ to continue online

During these times of COVID-19 and the directive not to gather in numbers over ten, catechesis for those preparing for marriage using the Joy Filled Marriage […]

At last… JFM has come along

Love is in the air! With the wedding of popular Soca artiste Machel Montano to Renee Butcher on Valentine’s Day, along with marriage proposals of two […]

Raising a child with real world resilience

How do we get our children to withstand tough challenges? No parent wants to see their child crumble when faced with challenging situations. It’s probably a […]

Calling all FLUs

What is the parish outreach to married couples, persons who are separated, divorced, widowed, singles and single parents? What is being offered to parents, adults, who […]

Joy or duty in giving?

By Sophie Barcant, BA (Psyc), B.ED Trainer, Facilitator, Parenting Coach/Consultant Did you know that the experience of giving actually activates an area of the brain that […]

Strive to be a better employer/employee

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 An inspired employer is more than twice as productive as a satisfied employee and more than three times as […]

Single parents: Give yourself some credit

By Kaelanne Jordan Email: mediarelations.camsel@abpos.org Twitter: @kaelanne1 A mental health clinician has this message for all single mothers and fathers: “You are not alone. You are doing […]

Learning about the principles of parenting

We were given the opportunity to be part of the Caribbean Pastoral Institute 2019. One of the modules presented was on family life. In this module, […]

Parents learn about the best and worst times to interact with their children

Parents have to remember to HALT when they are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired before interacting with their children, as the wrong message can be conveyed during these times. This was just […]

What’s in a Carnival glance?

There’s no denying that Carnival forms part of our culture. The national festival stirs up a myriad of emotions and thoughts. Requesting anonymity, a reader shares […]

Virtus— Protecting God’s Children

The Virtus—Protecting God’s Children Programme is hosted by the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission as an awareness, education and training programme for adults 18 years and older. […]

Update on Virtus’ Protecting God’s Children programme

From the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission Virtus’ Protecting God’s Children (PGC) is a four-hour introductory workshop designed to raise awareness about the reality of child sexual […]

What ‘I used to think’… about fatherhood

A key component of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission’s ‘Children Are Gift’(CAG) programme is a segment on fatherhood. As we celebrate Father’s Day, here are some […]

VIRTUS looks at culture of child protection

Online child predators, the evolution of pornography, and the changing culture of child and youth protection were among the issues discussed at the 14th annual conference […]