Archbishop Gilbert: The Church is facing many challenges

Archbishop Edward Gilbert this year celebrated his third year as the official celebrant at the La Divina Pastora Roman Catholic Church on Good Shepherd Sunday yesterday. On this day, the patron saint, La Divina Pastora or “Siparee Mai,” as she is called by the Hindu devotees, is honoured.

In his homily, Archbishop Gilbert said that the Church was facing many challenges today, one of which is the lack of a personal relationship with God. He told the congregation, “We have to encourage, people from their earliest years to begin to develop a relationship with God.” He explained that “we are children of God. As a result, our lives must manifest the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” According to the Archbishop, who returned early yesterday morning from a Caribbean Bishops Conference, it was discovered at the Conference that “the Catholic community is the largest in the Caribbean, while the second largest is the fallen away Catholic people.” He said the remedy for this situation is “a personal relationship with God.”

As devotees packed themselves into the pews in the church or lined the corridors outside, they were urged to “open yourself to the Spirit.” At the end of the two hour-long mass, the statue of La Divina Pastora was ceremoniously carried outside for the traditional procession through the streets of Siparia. Adorned with flowers and  various types of decorations including brooches, believers tried to get a final touch of the patron saint, who they believe can grant requests and prayers. The procession started from La Pastora Street, coming onto High Street, Siparia, which was changed into a one-way street and patrolled by numerous police officers.