The synod journey is like a drive on a winding, pothole-riddled, narrow, rural road.
Fr. Raymond, Fr. Peter, and I embarked on an easy-going car ride along the coastal road from the village of Mission to Matelot in Trinidad.
With car windows down, we were caressed by the natural air condition of coastal breeze, the roaring of ocean waves, the cool temperature, green scenery, and disturbed intermittently by water-filled potholes.
The journey involved conversation about pastoral ministry and personal lives; we ole talk, but not gossiped, complained, or grumbled. Passing through towns such as Anse Noir, Grand Riviere, and St. Helena, our driver, Fr. Peter shared a brief history of the area, drove at a snail’s pace through the villages, waved to persons in the village squares, visited the Catholic churches, and stopped to take pics.
In the town of Matelot, we disembarked at the foundation of the old church and the abandoned and dilapidated presbytery located on a short narrow street named Sr. Riosario Street. She pastored extensively in Matelot, and the fruits of her labour were the Matelot RC School and the Matelot Secondary School.
With this info, I asked myself, “What would be my legacy or the fruits of my labour?”
One exhilarating stage of the journey was a swim in Shark River. Yes, Shark River without the sharks. Legend or history states that sharks once swam up the river from the sea. Well, thank God either the legend is false, or they’ve stopped!
In this “sharkless” Shark River, we refreshed our weary bodies, toured the riverbank, and just “lime.”
At the end of this synod type journey, I recalled the story of a student who asked a guru, “Which is more important, the journey or the destination?” He replied, “The COMPANY”.
Well, the synod journey is about the COMPANY.
Beloved Reflections 