Recently, a few parents contacted the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) regarding their 16-year-old daughters’ receipt of Tribe’s goodie bags containing the adult sex toy called a Rose. This incident highlighted the Church’s responsibility to support parents with guidance and resources for discussing sexuality, including topics such as masturbation, in a healthy and age-appropriate way. According to the Catechism of…
Some gatherings simply mark the calendar; others mark the heart. The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission’s January retreat for married couples most certainly belonged to the latter. It was a day where familiar faces from across family ministries gathered to pause from life’s demands. Hosted at the St Catherine’s Well, Gran Couva on January 25, the retreat’s theme was Forgiveness and…
EnCourage members are parents, spouses, siblings, and friends of people who identify as LGBTQ. They are looking for help to keep the faith and keep the family bonds intact. A parent shares their experience: “When my daughter suddenly moved out to live with her same-sex attracted girlfriend, the pain was crushing. I had gone from being someone that she would…
When someone builds a house, they know that construction and furnishing are not the end. Over time, there will be upgrades, repainting, and replacements—continuous care to keep the home strong and beautiful. Marriage is no different. After the lights, camera, action of the wedding and honeymoon, couples must remember that sustaining a healthy, loving relationship requires ongoing effort. Daily greetings…
Q: Archbishop J, how do we celebrate Christmas in this guava season? “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14) It is a question I have heard often this year—sometimes spoken aloud, sometimes asked silently in worried hearts. At Christmas, we proclaim something so familiar that we risk no longer hearing how radical it truly is: God…
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” – Matthew 5:4 On Monday, December 8th, 2025, the Archdiocesan Family life Commission gathered via Zoom to embrace a special segment of our community, those who have lost a loved one by suicide. Facilitated by the compassionate hands of Alicia Hoyte and Georgiana Fletcher, this segment offered a beacon of hope to those walking through their…
When my daughter suddenly moved out to live with her Same Sex Attracted girlfriend, the pain was crushing. I had gone from being someone that she would tell everything, to not being able to see her, or even talk to her on the phone. Equally crushing was my self condemnation. Didn’t I see the signs? Shouldn’t I have taken her…
When someone builds a house, they know that construction and furnishing are not the end. Over time, there will be upgrades, repainting, and replacements—continuous care to keep the home strong and beautiful. Marriage is no different. After the lights, camera, action of the wedding and honeymoon, couples must remember that sustaining a healthy, loving relationship requires ongoing effort. Daily greetings…
On Monday, September 29, 2025, the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) hosted another session in its ongoing grief support series, When a Loved One Dies by Suicide. The evening focused on the video What the Church Teaches, which explores the Catholic Church’s evolving understanding of suicide, mental health, and God’s boundless mercy. Facilitated by members of the AFLC’s grief support…
Q: Archbishop J, how do we hold on to Hope in a guava season? In Trinidad and Tobago, we know what a ‘guava season’ means. It is that time when the tree bears little fruit, when the cupboard is light, when ends refuse to meet—no matter how you stretch them. In our local speech, a ‘guava season’ is a time…
