“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his/her wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind” (Khalil Gibran).
When we look back on our lives, many of us will agree that there were teachers/educators who were not prepared to accept mediocrity from students, or to put a ceiling on students’ potential, but who taught from the heart and truly led students to the threshold of their minds.
During my years at Holy Faith Convent (HFC), Couva, my Alma Mater, I was fortunate to have been taught by many such educators who were concerned to promote integral human development, that is, the development of each student, and of every dimension of a student.
Before she died, I visited one of our dedicated teachers, Mary Joyce Robinson, who gave me some examples of how she chose to go the extra mile to support students e.g. a student from a poor family passed her O’Levels with good grades, but her family did not see the need for her to study for A’Levels. Miss Robinson said she drove to an area where the young lady lived; parked and walked looking for her home. Eventually, she managed to convince the parents to allow their daughter to return to HFC. Not only did she pass her exams, but she obtained a Scholarship and today she is a successful doctor. She often brought breakfast for those students who travelled long distances to HFC and had had nothing to eat.
Jan 12 ,2020 marked the 69th Anniversary of the establishment of Holy Faith Convent, Couva. On Sun 2 Feb I attended a thanksgiving Mass at St Paul’s RC Church, Couva to mark the Anniversary. It was organised by the Past Students Association of HFC. The breakfast gathering at the school after Mass provided us with an opportunity to reminisce and to give thanks.
Margaret Aylward founded the Sisters of the Holy Faith in 1857 in Ireland. Archbishop Finbar Ryan invited the Sisters to assist with our education work in the Archdiocese and they responded favourably. At the end of 1947, eight Holy Faith Sisters arrived from Ireland and assumed the role as educators at St Theresa’s, Woodbrook – a role previously held by the Cluny Sisters.
In 1950 the Holy Faith Congregation purchased Exchange House (later known as Credo House). On 12 Jan 1951 Holy Faith Convent, Couva, a Secondary School for girls, was established. The Sisters’ ministry spread to Siparia (1954), Sangre Grande (1961), Penal (1966), Matelot (1987), and Valencia (1988).
We owe a debt of gratitude to the Holy Faith Sisters, and to all those nuns, brothers and priests who answered the call to assist TT in establishing and promoting quality education in our country. Mother Teresa reminded Christians that: “We must convert our love for Christ into deeds. We must express Christian love in concrete, living ways.” The Holy Faith Sisters have certainly been doing so over the years. They have gone willingly wherever God has called them to serve.
They are not only involved in education. They say: “In time we were called to expand our ministry beyond the boundaries of the classroom into parish communities, people’s homes, the seminary, hospital ministry, catechetics, community development, the media, the streets, and the prison system, as we sought to filter the gospel and its values throughout the fabric of our society—with a special preference for the poor, the oppressed and the marginalised.”
I have the honour to serve as a director of Credo Foundation for Justice (CFJ)—an organisation run by the Sisters to educate on social justice issues and to work towards systemic change. They operate centres for socially displaced children (street children).
I end with a message to HFC students from our first Principal, Sr Mary Magdalena MacBride:
“My message for you is not for the past nor for the future/ It is for NOW/ Be women/ Valiant women/ Women of integrity/ Women Trinidad and Tobago can be proud of/ Ordinary women: gentle, selfless, loving/ Every moment filled with work well done/ Service cheerfully rendered/ Healing words/ Mind and heart uplifted to God/ Living examples of the Faith that enlightens the darkness/ Overcomes all obstacles/ Ennobles the lowly/ And gives to all / A share in the Divine.
Are our schools adding value/making a difference? I pray that one day ALL our schools will be in a position to offer quality education to ALL the nation’s children.
First Published in the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian Newspapers
