A Roman Catholic priest has appealed to God to help in the reduction of crime and individualism in the country in the New Year. Leading the Old Year's night congregation in prayer at a packed Lady of Perpetual Help Church, San Fernando, Father Allan Ventour said: "We pray that in 2011, after saying thanks for some of the good things in 2010, we pray and ask the Lord to help us to work alongside Him to bring down the crime rate. To bring it down so life could be more comfortable so we could have less stress, less tension." Father Ventour, who held a special service to thank God for the positive things in 2010 prior to the Archbishop Edward Gilbert's midnight mass, also prayed for a decrease in individualism among people. "We are becoming more and more selfish, doing things only for ourselves. As we go into 2011 we pray that our love for God would become more and more a part of our lives so that the selfishness and individualism could take a back seat. "And we could think more and more of each other, share more and more with each other and work hand in hand with each other."
Caption: A sister in deep meditation as she prays during the Old Year's Night mass at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help RC Church in San Fernando.
Alluding to the earthquake, hurricane and cholera-stricken Haiti, he said: "All we can say is thank you Lord for protecting us and protecting our land." He also thanked God that the general elections and change of government were peaceful and quiet. "Usually when there is a change in government in many countries you get some kind of fever," he said, as he alluded to the election violence in Ivory Coast.
One of the high points of 2010, he said, was the magnificent response of the to the Archbishop's appeal to assist Haitians. He said they were able to collect $173,000, but overall in the archdiocese the amount was $3 million. Although they pray for change in 2011, he said it was obvious that "we are taking many of the problems in 2010 into 2011." Ventour prayed that God would heal the nation, as the priests and acolytes walked through the church with the National Flag held high. Ventour ended his sermon with the National Anthem.
In his homily, Archbishop Gilbert said they have a responsibility to peace, beyond the crime and violence in the country, "we have to work towards world peace." In a world filled of violence, hatred, death and fear, he prayed that God would enrich the hearts of people in all nations and bring peace. He also prayed for the soul of T&T's first president Sir Ellis Clarke, who died on Thursday night, and his family. He said they needed more people in the archdiocese, adding that there were 300,000 registered Catholics. "You need to get more and more involved in the New Year," said Gilbert who appealed for more involvement in the archdiocese, churches, schools and nation. Thanking Catholics for their generosity in the fund raising project for the restoration of the Port-of-Spain Cathedral, he said in two months they raised $2.3 million, their target being $3.5 million.