The Catholic Hurricanes of the West Indies

Howstuffworks.com tells of how hurricanes used to be named:

While personifying a massive, destructive force certainly makes for a jazzier headline, the practice of naming hurricanes originated with meteorologists, not media outlets. Often more than one tropical storm is active at the same time, so what better way to tell them apart than by naming them?

For several hundred years, residents of the West Indies often named hurricanes after the Catholic saint's day on which the storm made landfall. If a storm arrived on the anniversary of a previous storm, a number was assigned. For example, Hurricane San Felipe struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 13, 1876. Another storm struck Puerto Rico on the same day in 1928, so this storm was named Hurricane San Felipe the Second.

During World War II, weather officials only gave hurricanes masculine names. These names closely followed radio code names for letters of the alphabet. This system, like the West Indian saints system, drew from a limited naming pool. In the early 1950s, weather services began naming storms alphabetically and with only feminine names. By the late 1970s, this practice was replaced with the equal opportunity system of alternating masculine and feminine names. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) continues this practice to this day.

It is well with my soul

When Peace like a river attendeth my soul;
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though satan should buffet,
though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regardeth my helpless estate,
And shed His own Blood for my soul.


The song "IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL" was written by a successful Christian lawyer.
He had two girls and a wife, and the family planned a summer trip to go
overseas. Since he had a lot of work to do, he sent his family and
decided to follow them later. He heard the news while on the following
ship that another ship has capsized and he knew that his family was there
since they mentioned the name of the ship. On His return home, his Law
firm was burned down and the insurance refused to pay, they said "ITS AN
ACT OF GOD". He had no money to pay for his house and no work, he also
Lost his house.

Then while sitting and thinking what's happening to him, being a spiritual person,
he wrote a song - whatever my Lot , you have taught me to say -
IT IS WELL, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

My dear friend, a good attitude will determine your altitude.
When you look at your life, career, job or family life, what do you say?
Do you praise God?
Do you blame the devil?
A heart towards God makes Him move on your behalf.

Just sit down & say, Today Father God , it is well with my soul.
I am thankful I had a peaceful sleep ,
I am thankful I am alive with possibilities ,
I am thankful I have a roof over my head,
I am thankful I have a job ,
I am so thankful that I have Family and Friends.
Above All, I am thankful that I have JESUS on my side.

Be blessed. And please don’t be envious or shocked when others are prospering,
because you don’t know what they have been through to get there (test, trials and tribulation) so thank God for what you have.

"Little is much when God is in it”
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL AND YOU?

200 million black catholics in the new world

The National Black Catholic Congress (USA)has advised through it's website that there are 200 million black Catholics in the new world. Why are they advising? Well, cause they have the information and wish to share it. What one does with the information is something else:

At the dawn of the Third Millennium, the year 2000 A. D., there will be 200 million Catholics of African descent throughout the world. The count is based on millions and fractions of a million. Though there are more Catholics of African descent than in the various nations listed, the number would be under a half million; that is 0.5 million.

*Research done by The Catholic African World Network. The sources used were: The World Christian Encyclopedia edited by 0. Barrett & The 1990 Catholic Almanac edited by F. Foy, OFM

Latin America 60.8 Million
Brazil - 40
Honduras - 0.2
Columbia - 15
Mexico - 0.6
Ecuador - 0.8
Venezuela - 2.0
Guatemala - 0.2
Panama - 2.0

Caribbean & North American 20 Million
Dominican Republic - 8.0
Haiti - 6.0
United States - 2.0
(Canada and the rest of the Caribbean were not listed)

So what is the National Black Catholic Congress. Well the group was founded by Daniel Rudd, who called the first congress in 1889. Today The National Black Catholic Congress, comprises of member organizations, representing African American Roman Catholics, working in collaboration with National Roman Catholic organizations. They commit themselves to establishing an agenda for the evangelization of African Americans; and to improve the spiritual, mental, and physical conditions of African Americans.

Roman Catholic body denounces Parliamentary sitting

This March 10th 2012 article appeared in the Kaieteur News (A newspaper from Guyana). Seems that the Catholics there are making sure they have a say - Right is Right. I think that is great.

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Church in Guyana wants a more disciplined and focused approach in Parliament.

“Our country held national elections on 28th November, 2011, the historic results of which have restored optimism in many that our parliamentary democracy can be further strengthened.”

“It was not until 16th February, 2012 (approximately 80 days after the elections) that the real serious business of the people commenced with the government presenting two financial papers in the form of an Appropriation Bill to the Legislature for approval and passage. “

The two financial papers presented by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh were for appropriations totaling approximately $5.7 billion of which discretionary contingency spending was $2.4 billion.

The body noted that some portions of the financial papers presented were heatedly debated and rejected by the combined opposition for lack of supporting documentation and greater transparency. “This unprecedented development signaled the dawn of a new era. The government, through Prime Minister Hinds and other Ministers, was quick to register publicly its anger, distress and disagreement with the opposition’s action in a tense press conference.

“For its part, the opposition remained unmoved, and through its comportment confirmed its determination to introduce a different modus operandi in the way that parliamentary business – particularly those of a financial nature – is conducted.”
The Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Roman Catholic Church of Guyana noted that since then there have been some irregularities. It noted the absence of the new Speaker of the House without due explanation; the combative, at times visceral, nature of the deliberations contrary to the norms of parliamentary conduct; the anger laced press conference of the Minister of Finance, and its uncontrolled aspects unbecoming of a minister of the Government.

The Justice and Peace Commission noted that the five-week adjournment requested by, and granted to, the Government for renewed discussions on the said financial papers without any objection by the opposition delays the other urgent business of parliament. “This is disrespectful to the nation.”

The JPC considers the conduct of that sitting of parliament detrimental to the functioning of effective governance and accountability in the affairs of our country and can undermine the national dream of a democratic society coming out of the 10th Parliament.

“It is expected that the tenth Parliament will meet consistently with shorter adjournments to conduct with decorum and civility the legislative business of the people.”

“The Commission will therefore be monitoring very carefully all matters of governance and parliamentary affairs and where necessary, will comment to further the growth of a better Guyana.” The body noted.

A Little Bit of Heaven fell from out the sky on day

Happy Saint Patrick's day (on Saturday) to all the Irish at heart.

Irish in Trinidad

My mothers mother always said she was Irish. Just as my fathers mother said she was Scottish. The MacMillans have a rich history from Loch Arbor in Scotland, but from where did my dear maternal grandmother's family originate. Well, She was born in Grenada. Her grandfather came from Barbados. The family were redlegs - The Barbados Irish.

Never mind which island they lived on, both my grandmother and mother used to say they were Irish. In fact mom says that there was a song that her mother loved to sing: A little piece of Heaven -


"A little bit of heaven fell
From out the sky one day;
And it nestled on the ocean
In a spot so far away."

"And when the angels found it
It looked so sweet and fair;
They said, "Suppose we leave it?
For it looks so peaceful there."

"So they sprinkled it with stardust
Just to make the shamrocks grow;
‘Tis the only place you'll find them
No matter where you go."

"And they dotted it with silver
To make the lakes so grand;
And when they had it finished,
They called it ... "IRELAND!"

CATHOLICS IN THE WORKPLACE

The Evangelisation Commission for the Archdiocese has launched a new website. It is called Catholics in the Workplace T&T. It is great. Checkit out HERE!

Joining is easy. I joined. You should too.

Many thanks to Bee from Bee's Blog, who put me on to it.

Antigua Catholic Bishop not getting support for the decrimilization of buggery

This morning I came across this article related to the Bishop of Antigua's statement that he thinks that buggery should be decriminalized. It is from the "CARIBARENA Antigua" which calls themselves the best Caribbean news portal. It seems that the Bishop has leaders from other churches shocked by his comments:

Antigua St John's - The newly appointed Roman Catholic bishop's call for the decriminalization of buggery is not finding favour with other church leaders.

Since Bishop Kenneth Richards' statement on radio last Friday, at least one church leader, Rev Carlwin Greenaway, superintendent of the Methodist Church, has distanced himself from the suggestion.

Now, chairman of the Provincial Elders Conference of the Eastern West Indies Province of the Moravian Church, Rev Dr Cortroy Jarvis, also wants to disagree.

“I am surprised that we seem to be re-introducing things that I thought we had settled long ago," he said. "I totally disagree with the call to decriminalize buggery, for I feel that once that happens, it would open up the door to a lot of other things."

Rev Jarvis added that should buggery be removed as a criminal act, this would open the door for homosexuality to "raise its head" in the open with boldness.

“You cannot control what happens in a person’s bedroom, but there has to be a moral compass for our society," he said. "People should know what acceptable behaviour is and what is not."

The PEC chairman noted that the Bible is very clear on the issue of homosexuality. “In Leviticus 20 verse 13 it states: 'If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall be put to death: their blood shall be upon them.' While I think the second part of the passage is harsh in today’s context, it shows the seriousness with which the subject is treated from a biblical perspective,” Rev Jarvis explained.

He added that the "real picture," as stated in the Bible, is for a man and a woman, and not man and man. He does not see any justification for repealing the laws.

“I don’t see any open discrimination against homosexuals in the society," the reverend said. "We have been living with them amongst us for a long time. Because adultery was illegal at one time and now it is not, is not a strong enough justification in my view."

According to Rev Jarvis, if the laws against buggery were lifted, this would strike a "serious blow" against morality. “We have enough serious problems to contend with in the country than to consider things such as lifting the laws against buggery,” he said.

Caribbean Catholic bishop not opposed to decriminalization of buggery

Brenton Henry of the Antigua Observer in a March 3rd 2012 article wrote the following:

St. John’s Antigua- The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Antigua & Barbuda has revealed that he is not opposed to the decriminalisation of buggery on the basis that adultery, which had been illegal, is no longer an offense against the state.

“The argument to decriminalise can be justified in the sense that adultery was on the books as a criminal act and it has been decriminalised. It is to the same extent that buggery can be decriminalized,” said Kenneth Richards, the Jamaican-born bishop.

He hastened to add, “but that does not make adultery or buggery right.”

Bishop Richards said in an interview with Observer Media that the decriminalisation would also help reduce discrimination against individuals perceived to be of the homosexual orientation.

He said the bigger issue which needs attention is irresponsible sexual behavior.

“Sometimes we highlight homosexual activity but I think it’s a continuum. It’s all part of the fact there is a lack on understanding of the sacredness of our body and sexual action. Persons who say that they are heterosexual and think it is ok to have as many women or men, that is what is driving the kind of crisis that we are facing,” Richards who took up the job here on January 5, 2012, said.

Observer asked His Lordship whether homosexuals were welcome in his congregation.

“I don’t give people that designation, people are welcome to my church,” he responded.

But the church leader said he would continue to “advocate abstinence, fidelity within marriage and chastity according to your state in life.”

“We need to promote virginity among our children. They must recognise that this free sex, operating on the pleasure principle and allowing lust to drive them is not the truth of their being. They are allowing lust to drive them when they allow themselves to be abused in this way,” he added.

Bishop Richards also said he was opposed to contraception and the distribution of condoms in schools.

“The church needs to speak more strongly about this,” he said.

Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago also ban the act of buggery.

Despite pressure from international interest groups, governments in the Caribbean have show little interest in repealing their buggery laws.

Trinidad Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian schools underperforming

In an article in the Trinidad Express written by Juhel Browne on March 1st entitled "$4 million in equipment missing from School district" the education minister "Tim Gopeesingh" commented about the under performance of schools:

“Four out of ten Anglican and Catholic Schools are underperforming. One of out five Presbyterian schools is underperforming. The Maha Sabha schools they stumped in the middle with average performance. The ASJA is doing the best,

The interview with the minister was done after Prince Edward of the UK visited the Belmont boys Roman Catholic Primary School. The minister mentioned that he was to have a meeting with the denominational school boards to discuss the schools management:

He said of the nation’s 456 primary schools, 350 are denominational while 43 out of the 152 secondary schools are denominational.

The minister said the Government pays for their principals, teachers, bills and repairs.

As such, he says there needs to be a review of their management practices as he is expressing concerns about the performance of these schools.

Goopeesingh added: “When we have less than one per cent of our students in the SEA making more than 95, only six per cent making more than 90, and one out of two students failing to get 50 per cent and this has been continuing for seven years now. this is unacceptable.”

Now a report from the ministry of March 2011 (last year), says that less children are writing the SEA exam. This is because children are being held back because they are not up to standard and because of lower enrollments. The report noted that there were 4000 students less in 2011 than there was in 2001. In 2011, 17327 children wrote the SEA exam. A 19% drop. Almost one fifth less. Wow!

The question is with less students, should not the teachers perform better at teaching? What is going on in the schools? The teachers are probably blaming the children and their parents. There should be a proper investigation into the matter. 9000 children not achieving 50% in the exam is awful.

You know the funny thing is that the Ministry of Education issued a report on the SEA exam for the period 2001-2004 in which it showed that many students failed in achieving the national Mean of 200 points. I wonder what was done then, or between now and then to address the issue?

Well the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) got involved in 2006 to 2008 to help with institutional strengthening and capacity building support in the education system in Trinidad. Maybe their programmes did not help.

Maybe Doctor Tim Gopeesingh has some good ideas, maybe he doesn't.... I am watching. Let's see what will happen.

Win a trip to Rome with Archbishop Joe

Want to win a trip to Rome! And assist Catholic communications at the same time!

That possibility looms large if you buy the Catholic News in the coming weeks and fill out and return a special coupon. You may earn the right to travel to Rome as part of the Pallium Pilgrimage and be present at St Peter’s Basilica on June 29, when Archbishop Joseph Harris will receive his pallium from Pope Benedict XVI. The pilgrimage runs from June 26 to July 9.

The coupon will be published on Sunday, March 11 and the subsequent Sundays (March 18 and 25.) The cover price of the Catholic News on these Sundays will be increased to $5. From April 1, the price goes back to the normal $3.

Participants will be required to fill out the coupon and drop it into either the special box at parish churches or at the Camsel office at 31 Independence Square, Port of Spain. Deadline for entries to reach Camsel’s office is March 30, with the drawing scheduled for April 10.

The pallium is a woolen band worn on the shoulders over the vestments of a metropolitan archbishop as a sign of his jurisdiction in his ecclesiastical province.

Catholics Return Testimony - Anika Johnson

Hey Trini Catholic... Enter.. Return

So what is this? This ad has been running in the local newspapers. Several ads in one day in one newspaper. Well there is more to the newspaper ad. The website that it links too has a similar ad featuring local TV and radio programme times for lapsed Catholics.... Return!



The website is CatholicsReturn.Org. Check it out. Recommend it to others.

The Last Lecture Read

Randolph Frederick "Randy" Pausch[2] (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was an American professor of computer science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pausch learned that he had pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 he was given a terminal diagnosis: "3 to 6 months of good health left". He gave an upbeat lecture titled "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" on September 18, 2007, at Carnegie Mellon, which became a popular YouTube video and led to other media appearances. He then co-authored a book called The Last Lecture on the same theme, which became a New York Times best-seller.

Pausch died of complications from pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008.


In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan , and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow.
May you be blessed by his insight.

POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.