As the Church celebrates Mission Month, I reflect on how the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain, renewed my missionary calling. To share Christ’s transforming love, I must allow it to transform me. Walking towards Santiago became an invitation to examine my heart, receive God’s grace, and return more available to others. Six kilometres outside SantiagoContinue reading “From Pilgrim to Missionary: The Camino Within”
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My Name is John
A bishop once said,“Bishop is a title,but my name is John.”How easily we forget our names. We polish our titlesuntil they become mirrors,then stand before them so longwe mistake the reflection for ourselves. Status becomes an addiction,a carefully furnished prisonwhere the ego keeps watchand vulnerability is refused entry. We learn whom to greet,beside whom toContinue reading “My Name is John”
No Single House, No Single Heart
A real estate agent advises new buyers,“One house will not give you everything.You cannot find it all beneath one roof:the ideal kitchen, the preferred bathroom,or every wish you’ve stored inside.Some dreams are met, and some denied.” So hear this now, and hold it fast:No single friendship, built to last,will pour out every want you feel.OneContinue reading “No Single House, No Single Heart”
God Clothed Me Again
I came ashore wearing dirty clothes of exhaustion,still carrying the salt and struggle of the deep ocean.I had fallen from the high horse of ministryand no longer felt fully present to myself.The retreat grounds seemed to know my conditionpatches of brown grass, uprooted trees, fallen dry coconuts,and a dry, crooked branch lying before the altar.“CanContinue reading “God Clothed Me Again”
Part Three: The Garden Must Also Rest
A Call to Renewal As I continued praying, drawing on the experience of that morning, another grace gradually revealed itself. The garden had not only become a mirror of my soul. It had become a teacher. Throughout my prayer, I noticed the worn places, the peeling paint, the tired plants, and the patches of bareContinue reading “Part Three: The Garden Must Also Rest”
Part Two: Returning to the Garden
A Call to Mission As I reflected on the prayer that morning, I realised that the grace I received was never meant to end with me. God was not simply healing my self-perception; He was reshaping the way I would look upon every person entrusted to my care. The garden had become a school ofContinue reading “Part Two: Returning to the Garden”
Part One: The Gardener Has Not Left the Garden
A Reflection on My Thirty-Fourth Priestly Anniversary – June 28, 2026 On the morning of my thirty-fourth anniversary of priestly ordination, I intended to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Instead, the Spirit gently drew me elsewhere. Rather than entering the chapel, I found myself sitting quietly in my garden, beside the grassy car park, sensingContinue reading “Part One: The Gardener Has Not Left the Garden”
A Bridge Over Troubled Waters
The life and ministry of Sr. Monique Monquette can perhaps best be understood through two timeless songs: “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff and “Bridge over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel. Both songs speak about struggle, transition, uncertainty, and the grace of finding someone who walks with us through difficult seasons of life.Continue reading “A Bridge Over Troubled Waters”
Finding Humility in the Vastness of Creation
The chapel occupies only a small space within my home. My home, in turn, occupies only a small corner of the city. The city rests within the country. The country finds its place within the Caribbean basin. The Caribbean belongs to the Western Hemisphere. The hemisphere is but a portion of the Earth. Earth circlesContinue reading “Finding Humility in the Vastness of Creation”
Family of Coconut Trees
I sit in quiet contemplationin the garden of God’s creation,held in aweby a family of coconut trees. Within this family, there are many members,different in size,in height,in age,in colour. Some stand tall and slender,others shorter, weathered by time.Some are heavy with fruit,pregnant with coconuts,while others stand empty, waiting. Some cradle tender, young coconuts,others hold theContinue reading “Family of Coconut Trees”
