The theme of the 5th Annual St. Francis Canticle Award Ceremony for children and schools, organized by the Franciscan Institute, was “Listen to the Voice of Creation.” What is meant by “Listen to the Voice of Creation?” Listening is used as a metaphor for awareness. The voice is a metaphor for communicating messages about situationsContinue reading “Synodality – Listening to Voice of Creation”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
Synodal Preparation
Life is like a marathon race or a mountainous hike. It tests our spiritual, physical, emotional, and social competencies. There are overflowing and overwhelming surprises, creating disruption, dislocation, and disequilibrium, leaving us with bruises and scars – some visible, others invisible – and sometimes exiling us. We see and encounter the wounded soldiers of lifeContinue reading “Synodal Preparation”
Step to Humility
Mango, Mango, Mango all over the place. Summer is mango season in the Caribbean. Mango trees decorated with yellow mangoes, Mangoes splattered on the ground like carpet. Mangoes on roadside stalls, Mangoes on market stalls, Mangoes on country road, Mango smell perfuming the air, Rotten mangoes attracting flies. MANGO TREE Step One: Emmanuel – GodContinue reading “Step to Humility”
Building an authentic legacy
THE EDITOR: Sir, Recently, Ambassador Aloun Ndombet-Assamba had a Facebook post entitled “Some of PNP’s Legacy Projects and Achievements”. Honestly, it was an impressive and informative list of pre and post Independence achievements. More recently, Prime Minister Andrew Holness remarked about his own legacy. He is quoted as saying, “I have to start to think aboutContinue reading “Building an authentic legacy”
Creation – A Grain of Sand
We are like grains of sand on the long stretch of the Manzanilla Beach.Manzanilla Beach is but a tiny fraction of coastal Trinidad.Coastal Trinidad is but an island in the archipelago of Caribbean islands.Caribbean islands are but a tiny fraction of the Caribbean Sea.The Caribbean Sea is but a tiny fraction of water sandwiched betweenContinue reading “Creation – A Grain of Sand”
New Ways of Praying
I learnt to swim in a swimming pool at high school. Since that time swimming has been a regular part of my exercise regime. After decades of swimming alone, I joined a swimming class with a professional coach. From those sessions, I discovered that science, research, and experience have inspired advanced swimming techniques. Acquiring theseContinue reading “New Ways of Praying”
No sidewalks on Irwin Road expose students to danger
THE EDITOR, Madam: The quality of construction, management and sustainability of a country’s public social institutions and physical infrastructure is a mirror of the mentality and perception of the government towards the people who elected them. Around the time of the dismissal of schools, I drove along the Tucker main road in St. James, andContinue reading “No sidewalks on Irwin Road expose students to danger”
Synodality – Graced Journey
I have vivid memories of my first road trip to the Cumana Retreat House of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, Cumana, Trinidad and Tobago. I was generously gifted with clear instructions to locate it. “Pay keen attention to the concrete milestones along the roadway. The most important one is milestone number 33.5”. DrivingContinue reading “Synodality – Graced Journey”
Synodality – Historical Listening and Kairos
In a group conversation during the synod retreat for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago two concepts and insights related to the synodal journey emerged. The first is historical listening. This type of listening is an awareness of the historical wisdom of the Church that it passes on throughContinue reading “Synodality – Historical Listening and Kairos”
Synodality and Trust
Writing in The Sunday Gleaner, September 25, 2022, Cedric Stephens remarks on the trust deficit as a big problem in Caribbean and Latin American societies. His source is the 2022 book published by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) entitled Trust: The Key to Social Cohesion and Growth in Latin America and The Caribbean. Quoting theContinue reading “Synodality and Trust”
