More than 50 women attended the Women of Faith Conference held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John on August 5. Parishioners Corinne Warner and Celine Joseph and seminarian Anthony Abraham organized the conference.
Pictured above, Veronica Rivera of St. Croix was a guest speaker. She told about events in her life, including her husband being lost at sea and never found, the murder of her son, and her daughter getting sick upon learning of her brother's death. Despite these tribulations, she pushed forward and never sought revenge for her son's death.
Fr. Michael Balash from the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, spoke about faith in relation to various creeds. He stated that faith comes from everyday life. "God is in the simple things." He also stated that "as people, it is important to remember that God is in you and me."
The conference was held in memory of Rosie Louis, the unofficial matriarch of the parish, who passed away a month earlier. Several of her children, including Renneth Louis, Eulie Ferrol, Laurinda Connor and Agnes Louis, spoke about their mother. Ms. Ferroll said that her mother was a strong woman. Ms. Connor added that her mother did not just go to church, she had a relationship with God, then sang a song her mother taught her as a child. Parishioner Maggie Metor said that Rosie was a "mother, aunt, friend, ... you just name it."
Other activities at the conference included small group sessions discussing faith and reciting the glorious mysteries of the rosary. Parishioner Mary Athanase and Maria Griffin of Holy Family Church on St. Thomas offered personal testimonies of faith. Alma Wells of Holy Family Church led the healing prayers. Parishioner Martha Cherry concluded the conference with a prayer.
Fourteen men attended a Men's Fellowship at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John on July 15. Fr. Richard Brown (pictured above) of the Diocese of Kingston, Jamaica, was the guest speaker. The theme was "God's Grace for Today's Men."
Fr. Brown based his talk on research he collected for his thesis "Men and Their Role in the Church." He included his testimony as a young man searching for his own identity in a world that portrays false concepts of manhood.
"As men we search for renewed confidence and courage to face our trial," said seminarian Anthony Abraham, who helped organize the fellowship. "In the workshops we were given opportunities to ask ourselves why are we in church and how can we encourage other men to attend."
"The Men's Fellowship was a fantastic experience," said Alysius Joseph, a 2007 Ss. Peter and Paul High School graduate who attended the fellowship. "It included praise and worship to revive our spiritual side and testimonials from our fellow brethren to help improve our personal life. The program had scriptural readings and group discussion to help us with our faith with questions such as `Why do we come to church?' and `What are the motives, factors and interest that attract men to the church?'
"I had a wonderful experience with this program," continued Mr. Joseph. "Along with my partners after the program I felt a spiritual difference in my life. During the praise and worship, I felt a spiritual force come into my soul. As it continued to enlighten me throughout the program, I felt it fill me the most during the personal testimonies. Then I realized I can learn from other people's mistakes to improve my life."