by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany – when Christ was made manifest to the whole world. As we reflect on the adoration of baby Jesus by the Magi who came from the East, on the Baptism of Jesus, and on the first miracle he performed at the wedding feast at Cana, let us also reflect on the missionary nature of our Church. The New Evangelisation requires us to go forth and proclaim the Good News with renewed ardour, methods and expression. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI made it clear that the New Evangelisation is not a single formula meant for all circumstances. First and foremost, he said, it is a personal, profound experience of God.
We experience/encounter God all around us. Theologically speaking, all space is ‘sacred space’ since God created the universe and all that is within it. We believe that God is everywhere. But “…this faith does not exclude the idea of reserving a special spot in which we may hold communion with our Creator and worship Him” (Catholic Encyclopaedia).
The façade at one of the ‘sacred spaces’ in T&T – St Vincent Ferrer RC Church, Moruga
I am talking about our Catholic churches. A couple of years ago, CCSJ embarked on a project titled “Sacred Spaces”. For ten days my father, two sisters, Timmy (Archbishop’s driver) and I traversed the land taking photos of our Catholic churches and some chapels – inside and outside. Former Archbishop Gilbert allowed Timmy to accompany us since he is very familiar with the location of our churches. What a moving experience this pilgrimage was – for all of us.
I think some of the photos have been used in the 2014 Ordo. CCSJ’s plan is to use the photos as part of a video recording of staff at the Chancery praying the Divine Mercy Rosary – with music composed and played by Gregory Wong Fo Sue, T&T’s accomplished pianist/keyboardist.
I wish to thank Hans Hanoomansingh who, during a discussion with me about this project, agreed to partner with me to interview a few of our priests and me, in the lead-up to Christmas, about the churches and communities that they serve. For about a week before Christmas, from 7.30 a.m. to 8.00 a.m., Heritage Radio 101.7 shared with listeners information about the history, architecture, special features, congregation, ministries, etc. relating to a few Catholic parish churches in T&T.
Since I was only able to record a session with Fr Christopher Lumsden (St Phillip & St James, Chaguanas) and some of his parishioners, I wrote to a few priests who were contacted by Hans and he recorded interviews with Msgr Christian Pereira (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), Abbot John Pereira (Mt St Benedict), Fr Garfield Rochard (Assumption), Fr Martin Sirju (La Divina Pastora), and Fr Robert Christo (churches in the Flanagan Town area and in Point Fortin).
Hans also conducted an interview with me about our Cathedral and about Catholic churches in Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Toco and Sangre Grande. He promises to share the recordings with me. What a wonderful way to share aspects of our faith with the wider community.
I am mindful, though, of St John Chrysostom’s words that it is the people who make the building holy, not the other way around. Also, US Bishop Joseph Perry says: “…we are the Church; …the Church, first off, is made up of people. People are more sacred than anything we value. It follows that the place where we believers assemble each week is sacred because we are a holy people…we are called to holiness…Our Catholic faith embodies an ancient principle of religion called sacred space…The church building is indeed a special place…We give sacred space and sacred objects due reverence…
“While we strive to see holiness first in each other, there is still room for an essential reverence paid to the sacred place where we assemble and the objects and vessels…used in worship. …We teach our children a proper reverence for the church, its art, candles, furniture, books of the altar and pulpit and vessels, so that certain kinds of behaviour in church space is always out of place…
“We live in a society which has discarded long held courtesies and formalities connected with a lot of things…we need a reverence for God, the things of God and one another…sacred space and sacred things serve only to remind us that each of us is sacred…Postures of respect and reverence cannot help but model us for viewing all of life as sacred.”
This year, let us open up the sacred space within our hearts so that we will nurture and develop our own spirituality on our journey to holiness – to live as God intended us to live.
