We come to that time of year when we reflect together as a nation on the significance of our self-determination. What a privilege it will be for us if we approach it with the sense of patriotism and spiritual fervour that it deserves! This, our 3rd decade year of independence, is a call to dig deeper into the reality of our own self-understanding
The theme around which the festivities will be celebrated: Our Culture Our Responsibility presents both a joy and a challenge. Though the notion of “culture” encompasses the entire gamut of human experience, in our local parlance, we more often than not limit our comprehension of it to the events in our social milieu, which permits us occasions for joyous self-expression.
The traditional music and dances, the Creole Music Festival, the activities that constitute Creole in the Park, the Cadence Competitions, Creole Bode Lamere, the local cuisine, the dressing up in traditional and cultural wear, and even the Youth Rally and the Independence Parade are all expressions of our culture, which we approach with tremendous pride and promise.
However, standing beside the scintillating beauty of our culture is that daunting charge of responsibility. It is indeed a huge task, when one considers what it takes to build a strong nation—especially a nation under God. It is my belief that if our nation’s citizens would give a little more attention to the collective responsibility we have for the earth and its sustenance, and emphasize a little less the absolute rights of individuals, we would be a more wholesome people.
The truth is, when our point of departure is responsibility, our attention automatically goes to the “other.” This is the basic principle on which Christianity stands. However, when our focus turns only to the individual and his/her rights, the scope is as limited as the individual. Despite the fact that these two factors of human development need to be held in reasonable tension, it does not take a great deal for one to realize that “individualism” is no prerequisite for the building of a nation. Individuality, on the other hand, is absolutely needed for providing colour and variety to the local community for the enhancement of life for all.
As we celebrate this 36th year of nationhood, my sincere wish is that we grow towards a fundamental cultural change through a revolution of vocabulary; that is, a change from “I” to “we” from “mine” to “ours” from “me “to “us.” This can only come about as a result of the transformative power of collective responsibility. This is what a Nation” is all about: “US”
Without doubt, therefore, Our Culture IS Our Responsibility: that of our government, religious leaders, civil servants, labourers, farmers, teachers, fisher-folks, professionals, in short, everyone. We thank God for the contribution that each person and group of persons makes in this noble task of nation building.
THE GREATEST FORM OF DECEPTION IS RELIGIOUS DECEPTION….
THIS IS THE NEW BLACK POPE OF DOMINICA….
Bishop Malzaire is the Bishop of Roseau and will always be, as Bishop and other Bishops to come. The Catholic Church has always been prominent and always will be. Why? Because Our Lord Jesus Christ himself established His Church. There are no other prominent Churches, none at all which could ever be superior, at par or one and the same and to be compared with the Catholic Church.
Why do some of you hate this Church and criticize it as you do the government, attacking them at every turn and not criticize those many people from all walks of life who decided to establish their own church as a business and call themselves pastors and bishops, in Dominica, some coming from afar and pretending they are genuinely performing the work of God in bringing souls home to him? They are in this for your hard-earned money which some of you may not have. You cannot worship in that church unless you contribute a certain amount of tithe otherwise they will ignore you and reject you. They first want to know how much you can contribute to be accepted for their livelihood. You will never be classified as a member of their church if you do not give them the amount of money they expect from you.
Whereas, with the Catholic Church, everyone is free to go to this Church. They are welcome whether they have money or not. Our Lord Himself ordained it. They will never be asked to leave and rejected. This is what a true Church is all about as God is given due homage.
Go after those churches and leave the Catholic Church alone. Inform them of their divisions and disunity they have caused which is displeasing to Our Lord Jesus Christ and will not take them close to His Most Sacred Heart.
By making derogatory comments about the Catholic Church, do you not realize that you are persecuting It and are spurred on by Satan who knows what he has lost forever when he was thrown out of Heaven for disobedience and rebelliousness? He who “goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” You did not reject him. – Holy Scriptures. Satan knows which Church is The One True Church which is why It is so persecuted and by some who claim to be Christians. Much more could be stated about that.
Your persecution will do you no good. On the contrary, you are placing a curse on yourself, on your household, your endeavors and your country. As many persecutors there are as on this Website, elsewhere in D/ca and in the rest of the world, it is as many curses people place on themselves and their country. If you did not consider this, know it.
As God knows, sees and hears all things, you are not doing yourself a favor by persecuting the Catholic Church. You are only building up, hot burning coals on your heads. Therefore, take note and pay heed.
TROUBLE SUM….YOU are disgusting and out of context. I am not sure the Bishop would wish to be patronize and brought so low as you and our corrupt Labour party search for accolades and good and godly people to give your leader and that DLP nonsense recognition and some level of credence as a good and decent party whereas they have destroyed and continue to destroy this country.
I sincerely had wished that the Bishop had not taken that donation from the devils hand. There is rampant poverty in Dominica and for one who has abused and used his or her position to enrich themselves to the level where he or she is honoured and worshipped more than Jesus then the Bishop ought not associated with such devilish act and closed the door of the cathedral to such betrayals of the bible and the word of God.
I found that Dominica has become a distasteful place with distasteful government supported wholly (holy) by some religious leaders (or unreligious people with in Godly acts and intention….how unwise one can be…) of all faiths and I find this disturbing and satanic.
God bless and protect my Catholic Church……its leaders and followers and woo to those who use the church for their own selfish deeds and personal aggrandisement while the poor get poorer and the rich politicians are protected and prayed for and cripple our DOMINIC into more poverty.
JESUS SAYS: “SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME”.
i WILL SAY ALSO GET RID OF THIS DLP CORRUPT GOVERNMENT.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE
A set of sad people.
“We come to that time of year when we reflect together as a nation on the significance of our self-determination” News article; October 23, 2014
I don’t see why people have to respond so negatively to the message of the Bishop–why must this theme be affiliated with so much politics, personally–those responses are truly uncalled for. And they are poisons to the mind of our people of tomorrow–pertaining to leadership and authority in our Nation.
“Self determination” is a very significant aspect of development both personally and as a group “Nation”–according to the Bishop. for without ‘self-determination” every thing remain at a “standstill” in that Everybody sits around, waiting for Somebody to start the move, Nobody has the ability to move forward for self indetermination has crippled the mind is that what we want in Dominica?
Those who are now “criticizing” the Bishop’s message, they are among the group who he is trying to keep our Dominica at a standstill–they themselves are negative in all aspects of their existence– for as I have already said, those kinds of critics are the omen which destroys the mind of the young–and yet they are the adults who must partake in the leadership and authority of our country tomorrow.
There is nothing wrong with contending against an idea or subject, if we think we have a better solution–fruitful contention”– but these people who simply sit at the computer keyboard. typing words that they themselves cannot read –they are nothing but futility consumed in their own demise–the body which is just a piece of meat with bones on it way to complete perish.
So help us Lord, we Dominicans who are the innocent, the humble and the contrite, at heart. Our Dominica will continue into better-ness because of us who believe in Your Power and Your control. Let Your Will be done, for us dear Lord! In the name of Jesus Amen!
Pls. Liz don’t be so naive. The bishop accepting a $500,000 donation in an election year from the leader of the Labour party is political and he can not pretend that it is not so. To claim that it is divine intervention only would make it worse. I would be more impressed if the bishop would wander the means streets of Roseau to interact with the downtrodden rather expecting people to genuflect and kiss his bejeweled hand. It is my church but I’m afraid some of its leaders have lost the church’s message along the way.
Self-determination is letting the people free their minds from religion and telling them the truth and history about the Catholic church.
Bishop M posing red for the season, and it’s not even christmas yet!
No Blue bishop? 
How much of that 1/2 million did that red dress cost you; I mean the tax payers?
You need to wash your mouth and fingers with Holy Water and drink some to cleanse and purify your heart. Do you not think you will pay for what you have wickedly stated? Have you ever thought that whenever you think of talking and writing that God knows what you are up to? Helping Satan in his work? I feel sorry for you.
Francisco Telemaque it is a down right shame to call any church no matter what the denomination the devil workshop. It is a church where the good lord is praised. You to like to bring down people have some positivity in what you say and stop being NEGATIVE. Let positivity reign.
@ roseau “I second your motion”–because I have many. many reasons to agree with you!
Francisco Telemaque is the devil himself. He pretends to be Mr. Goody Two Shoes but he is not. God knows what his lifestyle is like.
Francisco is a big-time hypocrite. He should keep his satanic views to himself and see ab out his soul that he might not perish eternally. One day he will reap what he sows and two-fold.
Miss/Mr/ and et. al.
This is in response to you sarcasms in which you say I am the devil himself, and where you attack my lifestyle!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
You know I fell sorry for you; you believe in pope, and his homosexual acolytes, I believe in God Jehovah, and Jesus Christ. So, which of the two of us stand a better chance to be dammed in hell. As for my lifestyle, I invite you to come to see.
Talking crap about me as if you know me personally does not help. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder; you know why I use my true name on DNO, it is because I have nothing to hide, when Dominicans residing in Los Angeles, meet me for the first time they identify me; when I travel across the United States and Canada, Dominicans when they cross path with the kid recognized me without introduction; I arrange it that way you see, I do not hide, what we hide from man cannot be hidden from God.
My dependency is on him, not a fake; the facts: I hope you will see this note. You in Canada hiding that is why you have no name, when I travel I have Dominica written all over me, that is because I am happy with my self, and although I do not want to emphasize, a proud Dominican, since the Bible warns of proudness I think in Proverbs, I do not wish to associate proud in this context.
What is your name The Facts: of all the fictitious, and aliases you write under on DNO, I challenge you to disclose your name the name your parent gave you at birth, You can’t, I know that for a fact because you are hiding from something perhaps criminal!
I am!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
You see, if you were knowledgeable of the word of God you would know whence I got the authority to comment in the way which I have:
We read in Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” “Ye (you) cannot serve God and Mammon.” Religion means squat doodle to me.
What matters is ” thus said the Lord.” Any place where there is homosexuality, and people condoning the act of and practice homosexuality in a so called church, cannot be anything else than the devils workshop. We cannot have it two ways, we cannot serve God, and the devil at the same time. I agree that there is no such thing as a large sin, and a small sin: Sin is sin, since the definition of sin is simply the transgression of the law, be it God law, or the law of man, the breaking of any rule, which governs any agreement, written or verbal! I do not wish to get too deep, but, this so called Roman Catholic Church has broken all the rules and laws which are written by God: from bowing and prying to idols, ordained, by another sinful man as a so called saint, praying to the Virgin Mary, and rolling beads, talking rosary. There is no place in the Bible, God Jehovah himself, or his Son Jesus Christ instructed anybody to pray to the mother of Jesus Christ, nor any saint. If you think of it, saints are living people on earth, believing Christians in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I will pay anybody to find a scripture in any Bible where the word Rosary is mentioned “just once.”
You see, their so called pope denies them the pleasure of a woman by disallowing priest to marry, nevertheless, we know that Jesus disciples were married, even Peter, whom the Roman Catholics lied and claim that he was the first pope. How the heck can that be true, when in Jesus time on the earth, and there after no church bared a denominational name? First of all if that is true, then Peter would be the first pope of every believe on earth, as worshiping God is concern, because the Word Catholic simply means “a foundation of Churches.” Argue that with me if you can!
I can argue and prove to you that God Jehovah desire is that every person alive should be rich, and mind you not in sprit, but in hard cold cash, like in money, as he gave to Abraham and the Black boy; King Solomon, rather than preaching the message of wealth and prosperity to the people, the Roman Catholic teaches poverty, and chastity, where in the Bible can one find where God, instructed anybody to take a vow of poverty, chastity, and crawl on their belly for as long as they live poverty? such teachings are from the devil. I will let you ponder on this: In in 1 Kings: 7 we read. “Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.” Solomon was smarter, and had plenty more money than the person who visited with him had heard about. Think about that and ask why should a Church be so poor that Skerrit gave that man Five ($500,000.00) thousand dollars of Dominica’s taxpayers money when it could be used to start work on the shut down Marigot Hospital!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Does God command you to write those pages of disgusting profanity that you send into my inbox–because I defend myself against your venom sentiment, by using my comments to do so?
Do me a favour bishop. Give back the 500k of tax payers money you got and then come and talk about self reliance. Talk about pride in our ingenuity, talk about defeating poverty through self reliance. Do you realize if government was giving decent raises every year then your congregation would put more in collection. Guess what you took that away. Talk about truth honesty and values in all walks of life. Talk about respect. Talk about the devil using the good book to tempt Jesus. Let the people understand not all that glitters is gold so they do not sell their souls in red clinic on Wednesday. Preach about human freedom, preach about greed and power.
I am Catholic
You are not a sincere Catholic otherwise you would not have made these comments. You sound more like a cursed person. The devil has used you to make such comments. You have allowed him to do so. Good and holy people would never make such comments.
You are fully aware that the Church is undergoing repairs and is in need of money. What have you contributed to it? What have you done for Dominica? Someday, you will pay for your words. Wait and see.
At the facts. You are accuse me of not being a sincere catholic and for my views you consider me cursed and of the devil and promise some day I will pay. Well I wish you God’s blessings and I pray that he open your eyes and your mind so that your comments may be wise and reflective of a Christian. I also forgive you for your wishes and sentiments. We all have a long way to go to be perfect and wish you the best. I am catholic. Government don’t mingle this much with church. History has proven it is a dangerous proposition. I thank God for the ability to tell honesty from deception and my loyalty is not to the bishop or the prime minister but to God and what’s best for my Country including you. Best wishes.
You are lying.
Oh this Holiness the Bishop of our Beloved Labor Party is a precious gift from God! In so many words the Bishop acknowledges that the faithful and loyal members of the Divine Labor Party are the only true Christians here in Dominica. The Bishop is telling us to stand firm and to not allow the Novice and his fellow loiterers to divide us with their evil accusations and plots to bring down the greatest Prime Minister in Dominican history.
The Bishop is calling on us Laborites to come together and to speak with one voice against the few trouble-makers in our Society who seek to disrupt our celebrations. The United Wicked People are not part of our Dominican Culture. We are a people of peace and love, they are a small group of haters and led by an overly aggressive and potentially violent novice. Let us forget them and enjoy our Independence Celebrations until we whip them properly 21-0 on Election Day. Thank you Great Bishop for your words of Divine Wisdom!
TROUBLE SUM….YOU are disgusting and out of context. I am not sure the Bishop would wish to be patronize and brought so low as you and our corrupt Labour party search for accolades and good and godly people to give your leader and that DLP nonsense recognition and some level of credence as a good and decent party whereas they have destroyed and continue to destroy this country.
I sincerely had wished that the Bishop had not taken that donation from the devils hand. There is rampant poverty in Dominica and for one who has abused and used his or her position to enrich themselves to the level where he or she is honoured and worshipped more than Jesus then the Bishop ought not associated with such devilish act and closed the door of the cathedral to such betrayals of the bible and the word of God.
I found that Dominica has become a distasteful place with distasteful government supported wholly (holy) by some religious leaders (or unreligious people with in Godly acts and intention….how unwise one can be…) of all faiths and I find this disturbing and satanic.
God bless and protect my Catholic Church……its leaders and followers and woo to those who use the church for their own selfish deeds and personal aggrandisement while the poor get poorer and the rich politicians are protected and prayed for and cripple our DOMINIC into more poverty.
JESUS SAYS: “SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME”.
i WILL SAY ALSO GET RID OF THIS DLP CORRUPT GOVERNMENT.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE
The writing underneath “The Prophet” is meant for you, Views Expressed. I cannot understand why it got there. I surely did not put it there. There seems to be some mix-up on this Website.
What “self-determination” are you talking about?
You are at this moment playing politics, using cheap reverse psychology believing you can get into the mind of the unsuspecting Dominican; that is why you dressed in you red, in an attempt to compensate Skerrit for the five hundred ($500,000.00) thousand dollars he gave to you to put the roof onto your devils workshop. When you grab the cheque from Skerrit’s hand you did not find it fit to thank the Taxpayers of Dominica, instead you pledge allegiance to Skerrit and the Labor Party thanking them and vowing to compensate Skerrit.
Man, for you to come here talking about Self-determination at this point time in Dominica’s history is an insult to the people of Dominica, or perhaps you have no comprehension of the word, whereas you think that all of us Dominicans are dumb, let me waste a bit of my time to enlighten you as to the meaning of Self-determination.
Note: Self-determination; implies a free choice of one’s own act, or state without external compulsion, and determination by the people of a country, or of a territorial unit of their own future, and political status.
Dominica’s self-determination went into effect the day we suggest we become masters of our own destiny; the push was started by former Chief Minister E. O. Leblanc, I do not know if he is still with us, or if he has already left, nevertheless, when Dominica was forced by the British into Statehood in association with Great Britain, we knew we Dominicans as a unit was on our path to self-determination. It all came together when the colonial power which plundered our country for more than four hundred years, again forced us into full political independence, and the power which came along with independence, though they the British knew fully well that our country had absolutely no economic power!
We survived; our future, and destiny is in our hands, it is no longer a matter of self-determination, your silly rhetoric is geared to serve the purpose of Roosevelt Skerrit, you are a foreigner who has absolutely no interest in our people, and country; man you better get engage in the teaching of the word of God if you are capable of doing that, teach the people a message of prosperity as it is stated and written in the Bible, and stop playing politics. “Render unto Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God!”
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Talk is cheap. Writing costs only slightly more.
Sometimes worth less.
You are so full of yourself that it is not funny. For a person who said he almost made it to medical school you need to watch your punctuation and grammar. Stop trying to convince people that you are all that.
Thank you Bishop. It is also our responsibility to love, unite and live in peace with self and others. To stand for justice for where there is no justice there will be no peace.Jesus loved everyone but stood for what he believed and condemned what was wrong.
“… it does not take a great deal for one to realize that “individualism” is no prerequisite for the building of a nation.”
This is for PM Skerrit from the Bishop. Think on it, sir.
DNO and Dominicans on a whole let me announce that the Roman Catholic Bishop is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church not the bishop of Roseau.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are other Bishops in Roseau because there are other Religious sectors in the country. please stop saying that Malzarre is the Bishop of Roseau. HE IS NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Why are you getting so worked up. Obviously bishop Malzaire is a catholic, so he is the Bishop of Roseau for the catholic church. What is wrong with that.
If you are a Catholic, how could you make such a statement about wishing the Bishop did not accept the cheque for repairs of the Church – your Church? Those who make this statement, what have they done for their Church and how much they contributed to it for its repairs?
Be careful about calling people devils without reason. The PM generously gave this amount of money to the Bishop for the Church renovation. What is wrong with that? Our Lord Jesus Christ is pleased with that. It is for His Church. He knows how much parishioners give and how much they can afford to give.
Poverty commences from childhood to youth to adulthood. Especially today, parents must nurture their children in such a manner that they will be disciplined and obedient, attend school, study hard and graduate that they might obtain a good paying job. You know some become parents at an early age. This adds to poverty as the pattern repeats itself from generation to generation. This is one of the reasons that causes poverty and unemployment. You cannot blame the government for that.
If you claim to be a Catholic and love your Church, do not forget who is at the helm of this Church and its Cornerstone, Our Lord Jesus Christ. His Commandments are to be obeyed no matter what. Therefore, you shall not hate anyone and call them uncomplimentary names. Whatever comes out of a person’s mouth, brains as imbedded in the nights and through their fingers on the keyboard, tells a lot about them. Therefore practice your faith to the fullest and not a portion of it. Otherwise, this is not a good, sincere Catholic, a builder and defender. Based on our words, we are either genuine Catholics or we are not.
My writing below was meant for “Dominican”, the one above your comment. How could my writing be where it is? It was not meant to be. I clicked on “Dominican” and not on your comment.
He is the Bishop of the Diocese of Roseau
You not going to win that one. Guess you will want to change parishes next and the history of Dominica.
He once was and no one raised objection prior to some of you who allowed yourselves to be falsely indoctrinated by the false prophets of our times and then renounced your Catholic Faith. Not smart people.
Smart people always win.
You see I keep telling people like you the Roman Catholic Church will take you on a trip to hell.
What Catholic faith are you talking about, that is not of God, for the Bible teaches one must have faith in God, Jesus said no man cometh to the father but “by me” talking about himself.
All your arguments political, or religious are flawed, makes no sense whatsoever, quote one passage, or even half of a passage of scripture where you read about some dumb catholic faith.
What other bishop? Since when? You are eating your heart out? Bishop Malzaire is the Bishop of Roseau. Catholic Bishops before him were the Bishop of Roseau. This Catholic Church is in the Diocese of Roseau. He is continuing this holy pattern, ordained by God.
As the Holy Bible, those names that people of other religion call themselves were taken from the Catholic Church and its Holy Bible.
The Catholic Church is 2000 years old when Our Lord said, “Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build MY CHURCH! This is the Catholic Church, the One and Only Holy Catholic and Apostolic Faith – Church.
How long ago D/ca had bishops of other churches? None of these are to be compared to the Catholic Church. They are all protestants. They are not superior or at par with the Catholic Church. God has set The Catholic Church apart from any other church. Therefore, do not demean my Church – our Catholic Church and place it below where it does not belong, never belonged and never will.
You lack godly enlightenment. You are wasting your time. If you were a Catholic, turned protestant, you were one who regarded the Catholic Church. Today, whether you do not regard it, nothing is changed or can be changed by mere words. Your words cannot sever what God has ordained for His One and Only True Church.
Give the Catholic Church and Its Bishop the respect which is due them from the beginning of time. Do not make the mistake of placing this Church at par with religions which were recently formed. You are insulting us.
Get this straight! The Catholic Church is by far superior to any church in the world. Can you not see that or is your mind veiled that you do not know it and cannot comprehend it?
God has ordained it to be. This is why this Church is sometimes referred to as “The Church.” Only this Church can claim it. I reiterate, as God ordained, through the inspiration of His Most Holy Spirit.