Sacredness down the slippery slope
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ Have you ever experienced a bad fall? Most of us might say yes to that. I’ve had many slips, falls and tumbles in my time, especially when playing football in my younger days. However, there’s one particularly memorable fall that now comes to mind. I was in […]
Recognise the rights and dignity of all workers
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ My recent focus on human dignity comes from the blessing of experiencing my blindness and how it impacts my relationship with others. Specifically, how I often fail to honour the human dignity of others as well as my own. This tends to occur when I adopt the stance […]
Restoring our sight
By Fr Stephan Alexander, General Manager, CCSJ There are times when at the end of the day we are so tired that our tiredness becomes our focus and we become closed to life’s invitation. Wednesday, April 24 was one of those days for me. After an incredibly exhausting day, I was readying myself to leave […]
A reflection on Dignitas Infinita
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ In the ever-evolving tapestry of Catholic social teaching (CST), the principle of human dignity stands as a foundational pillar that guides principles of justice, compassion, and respect. To highlight “the indispensable nature of the dignity of the human person in Christian anthropology” (what it means to be human) […]
What it takes to have a better world
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ/AMMR A meme gaining popularity on various social media platforms places these words on the lips of Dawn Staley, the record-breaking head coach of the University of South Carolina 2024 NCAA championship winning women’s basketball team: “Problem is, y’all got league dreams with backyard work ethic. And your parents […]
Jesus on the cross – the greatest expression of justice
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ/AMMR One of the stories in heavy rotation on international news cycles over the last few days has been the killing of 137 persons at a Moscow concert hall on Friday, March 22. In response to this tragic loss of life, news outlets such as The Times reported […]
An urgent need to heal from our trauma
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ/AMMR On Tuesday, March 5 someone sent me a reel (a short video) that was shared via the TTT Live Online Instagram page. The reel showed the recently deceased Jaheem Diaz, a fruit vendor from St Paul Street, Port of Spain, who was “gunned down on the corner […]
Healing from trauma benefits the individual and community
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ/AMMR Several years ago, at the beginning of my formation journey toward becoming a priest, I had a conversation with Sr Julie Peters SSM. I had just arrived at the Sisters’ home in preparation for street ministry that evening. Sr Julie asked how I was feeling. It had […]
Highlighting Leela’s legacy this International Women’s Day
By Fr Stephan Alexander General Manager, CCSJ/AMMR As the world commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) on Friday, March 8, it is fitting to highlight the remarkable contributions of women who have tirelessly championed the cause of social justice. Among these luminaries, Leela Ramdeen, former President and Chairwoman of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice […]
Environmental issues are social justice issues
By Fr Stephan Alexander, General Manager, CCSJ/AMMR I may be biased but growing up in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1980s was a privileged experience. There are many reasons why I could say that. However, from my perspective, the greatest reason was the exponential growth of consciousness and the acceptance of personal and communal responsibility […]
