The morning in Rubiães was cool,sixteen degrees Celsius beneath a smiling sun.We began climbing with the Glorious Mysteries,our fingers wrapped around the rosary. We prayed as the road rose steeply,reciting, sweating and breathing heavily.The glory on our lips met the strain in our bodies,and prayer became as breathless as the climb. We barely held onContinue reading “Strong Enough to Remain Faithful”
Tag Archives: faith
The Grace of the Pause
We left Ponte de Limaby crossing the old stone bridge.The rising sun stretched across the sky,while morning coolness settled over our bodies. Below us, the Rio Lima flowed peacefully,carrying yesterday’s weariness away.Its waters reminded me of the deeper journey:to follow the river of grace towards its Source. Some companions remained behind,their bodies asking for aContinue reading “The Grace of the Pause”
Bridge Over Aching Waters
I awoke in Barcelosto the crow of an imaginary rooster,calling me from sleepand back towards the cave of my heart. But pain had awakened before me.It waited inside my right knee,whispering that I should abandon the roadand separate myself from the group. Fear quickly became worry.Worry began drawing me towards desolation,where every difficulty appeared largerandContinue reading “Bridge Over Aching Waters”
Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”— commonly attributed to Joseph Campbell We travelled to Barcelosto begin our walk towards Santiago.After hearing the “Sound of Silence” on the banks of the Douro River,I knew the journey would ask more of me than just walking. In Porto, I had wondered whether IContinue reading “Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance”
Sailing in Reverse – Departure, Crossing, & Landing Shaped by Interior Movements
“The sea has locked them all. The sea is history.”— Derek Walcott, “The Sea Is History” The Departure The sun was rising as we left Port of Spain.On the way to the airport, I noticed its glowspreading across the morning sky,and received it as the first gift of my pilgrimage. Vincent drove us to PiarcoContinue reading “Sailing in Reverse – Departure, Crossing, & Landing Shaped by Interior Movements”
Preparing to Sail
“What is most terrifying in the experience of the deportation of Africans to the Americas * is undoubtedly the unknown, faced without preparation or challenge” (Édouard Glissant, “The Open Boat,” Poetics of Relation) I prepare to “sail” across the Atlantic,travelling in the opposite directionfrom the one forced upon my African ancestors,returning freely over waters they crossed inContinue reading “Preparing to Sail”
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”
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 “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”
