Dean of the Roseau Cathedral Father Charles Martin has reiterated the call for more men to get involved more in the religious aspect of life.
Martin was speaking at the official opening of this year’s Cathedral Parish Lenten Retreat which got off to an impressive start on Monday night, with some 700 Catholic women but only 50 men in attendance.
According to Dean of the Cathedral Father Charles Martin, “although the retreat is for the entire Cathedral Parish, consisting of Roseau, Bath Estate, Elmshall, Silver Lake, Louisville, Shawford, Copt Hall, Wotton Waven, Morne Prosper, Trafalgar, Shawford, Byac and Laudat, there are no longer sufficient adults from the parish coming to church, to justify having separate retreats for men and women.”
He said while Monday’s opening night of the retreat was well attended by women, there were only a handful of men in attendance.
Meantime the theme of this year’s Lenten Retreat is “ Disciples on Mission, Gifted and Called.”
Each night, retreat master and Liturgist, Fr Michael Francis, of the Archdiocese of St. Lucia, will address a different topic of the theme. Monday night’s topic was, “Come Follow Me.”
Tonight’s night’s topic is “The harvest is Rich, but the Laborers are few”, while on Wednesday the topic is, “Different Gifts to each of us, all from the same Spirit.”
According to the President of the Cathedral Branch of the Dominica Association of Catholic Men (DACAMEN) Norris Prevost, “Catholic men of the cathedral Parish should not sit back and let the women outnumber us at this week’s retreat.
He says women coming to the retreat, should bring along their men.
“Be it their husband, their boyfriend, their brother, their uncle, their nephew, their cousin or just their friend. Our Lenten Retreat is in preparation for Easter. It is an opportunity for Catholic men to renew their Christian commitments by again taking up their leadership roles in their families, their Church, and their Communities,” Prevost said.
He also noted that last year’s men’s retreat at Point Michel was very well attended.
“The church offered Special prayers for all categories of men , doctors, lawyers, farmers, businessmen, musicians Calypsonians, media workers, politicians, tradesmen, builders contractors, trade Union leaders and members, the unemployed, and all those who may have felt a bit left out in the past. In so doing we hope that these men will recognize and take up their leadership roles, in Church, in family and in Communities,” he added.
– Dominica News Correspondent
Darling Dr. Finger.
Standing up for what is right is something wonderful and courageous. YES the Catholic church has to repent for all the hypocrisies that have been and continue to take place. This hypocricy is not only in the Catholic church but in all forms of religion (I don’t attend the Catholic Church). Yes the Catholic church have hurt many people, they have supported slavery, the Holocust, they destroyed native people etc. Even in the Pentecostal churches there are abuse, especially when it comes to money (this is something that i personally experienced)
However Sir- the idea of men recognizing their Creator (Jehovah God) in prayer and worship is what my point was about. When men pray great things what. Religion have and are destroying people but Jesus said that he came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Men’s responsibility to God and his family should never be substituted – it is that substitution that have contributed to the hurt in our society.
So yes I agree to a call to worship and fellowship – and i do agree that the abused have to be addressed and not covered up.
By the way my name is Jno-Finn not JohnFinn
Love
Marian Jno-Finn
[email protected]
Mrs. JnoFinn
Men have always been limited in the role they play in religion. Like it or not, the churches always see women as the mainstay of the ideology preached by the various religions while men take a more laid back approach. You wanting your men by your side does nothing to heal the wounds of the men who were hurt by the very church that is now clamoring for their return to the pueghs. If only you would stop being so selfish and think of others first then maybe you would see the reasoning behind my argument. For lack of a better explanation, men and women are wired differently so what disturbs men will seem petty to women who are only concerned about what father so and so is saying which is they want to see the men in church. Remember you cant catch a fly with vinegar but rather with honey. As a so called concerned lady of the church maybe you should take the role of intermediary and tell the same church to practice what they preach and seek forgiveness by doing what is right rather than paying LIP service and in the process alienating the people you so crave to be by your side. Facts are very stubborn things I suppose. Until such time, the catholic church will remain the biggest institution of hypocracy in Dominica and the world at large.
While i tend to agree with Anonymous’s last comment that we need to speak out when something is wrong and so forth but my comments were in relation to us speaking or giving our opinion or views at the right forum. Some of us don’t know when and where to speak out. Anonymous you are right in what you said but like everything else there is a place and time for these so lets stick to de issues of us men not stepping forward when we need to be.
Men you must know jesus came to us as a man and led us in prayers, sacrificed his life for us so the least we can do is step forward as true christians and praise him.
I whole heartedly agree with Kalinago.
Nothing will get done when all we see is negative and only complain. Men in general are not taking up their responsibility as Jehovah God created them to be. Our prisons/bars etc (world wide) are filled with men while churches are filled with women. We women long for our men to lead us in prayer and worship – the absence of men praying may have contributed to the dilema our children are in today. There is nothing more beautiful when a man prayers and worships “Jehovah God” – that masculine voice thundering through the heavens and in our ears (women) is something we and Heaven appreciates and even make us (women) tremble at the knees (because it sounds wonderful).
So whether it is the Catholic church or any church (Christ centered) who call men out to pray and stand up – it is always a wonderful thing.
Sexual abuse of any sort in never good but this is not the issue hear.
So to our men everywhere – we (women) long to hear your thunderous voice praying andworshipping Jesus Christ. It is time!!!!!!!
Marian Jno-Finn
[email protected]
@Kalinago TO De Bone
“Here the issue of men and the church are being discussed and some are jumping to abuse to boys and so forth”.
Are you suggesting that there is something wrong with that? Do you know the extent of the effects of sexual abuse. It can be as damaging as a hereditary desease…that man or woman can be so emotionally distrut such that this abuse passes on for generation. So why not talk about it.
Hey Dominicans it’s time we be real. Do we have to be negative when we are not a member of an organization or an institution? Please people open your eyes and stick to the issues discussed. I have read many of the comments on DNO and come to realise that most of those who comment are just plain ignorant and does not know how to discuss, analise and make a meaningfull comment to the news item. Here the issue of men and the church are being discussed and some are jumping to abuse to boys and so forth. Is this the problem when PTA meetings are held at schools and only few men attend ? Is this the reason why most men stay back while the women step forward in society? So Please ‘COMMENTATORS’ lets take Dominica to the next level and show the world that we are intelligent people who can make meaningfull contribution to an issue discussed. And men please step forward and take our rightfull place in society, lets be active members of society, the church is no better place to start.
Yes when is the catholic church going to compensate all the young boys and girls in Dominica. These were criminal acts the irsih are being compensated so what is the church saying that black children dont matter. Ater the church have dealth with its crimes maybe it will be able to attract the men.
Dr. Finger do you have any evidence of such abuse? If you do , I suggest you go to law enforcement authorities. If you know anyone who was abused, encourage them to do likewise.
Do not wait for the church authorities to open any investigations because for apparent reasons it is never good for an organization to investigate itself.
I think that there is a general consensus among many people that because there have been abuse by the clergy in some countries and in some dioceses that the practice is wide spread among every single priest and every single diocese.
The lack of involvement of men is not unique to the church alone but in all segments of society. Make a check and you will see women more actively involved in every level of our society. These days more women are getting degrees, getting higher jobs and is contributing to society than men are.
It appears to me that these days men are more interested in impregnating as much women as possible (see the amount of sex cases (many against minors) reported in this site alone, of getting rich quick and committing crimes and so on. There are more men at Stock Farm than women.
Seeing a young man getting ahead is becoming more and more an exception rather than the rule these days.
MEN STEP UP TO THE PLATE.
Hey Mr: Prevost, i see u are the president of the cathedral branch of the Dominica association of catholic men. Mr.Prevoust, in my book i see u as a leader,man of respect, man of honor, man of esteem, man of recognition, man of distinction, and if i may add, God fearing. Mr.Prevoust, please call on your colleagues and ask them to stop that madness and do the people business.
sacway may-shas-tay….
If Prevost was on this same news site expanding on any point made by his party you would be telling him all kinda things. All of a sudden you find all these nice words? hahahaha…boy this country is filled with blasted hypocrites
My question to Norris, Rev. Father Martin and the bishop is when do they plan on opening an investigation into the sexual abuse of children by the clergy in Dominica over the years. For some reason, these acts are being treated by the church as immoral behaviors rather than crimes that need to be investigated and br perpetrators still alive be brought to justice. Sadly, this may be the primary reason why men are no longer active in the church. It’s time we open our eyes and sanction those responsible for these devious acts. Until such time, it is my belief that the church will continue to see the declining presence of men in the audience. These victims will forever be scarred while the church dig its head in the sand hoping and praying that the problem will somehow magically go away.
I agree
Doctor,,,,, why do u dwell on the negative? The church has time and time again addressed this issue. it is surely a crime and I assure you the Bad Priests and Bishop will have their day.
However,,,, why are blind to the many empowering programs and teachings that empower men? Such as the Retreat. Are those forgotten? Alot of men think they do not need God and can handle things on thier own… so they stay home or run around doing errands. I support that by saying,,, women out number men even in Prostestant churches where molestation gets less air time.
Jesus warned of the Gates of Hell against the Church he founded,, surely there will be bad… and bad should be punished and buried. I think you should be there encouraging heads of families to SEEK GOD and make a difference in bring back Morality to the World.
Re: Doctor Finger
I did not ask when are they going to address it. I asked when are they going to have an investigation. And yes I have proof of a few abuses. Those are two different things. The abused need closure and until perpetrators are brought to justice and the victims receive all that is due to them including counseling at the expense of the church this Dr.Finger will not jump on the catholic band wagon again as i did before. Christenings, weddings and funerals are the only things I will attend and my money will NEVAH go in the collection plate.
proof?
Politics and Religion always make strange bedfellows. It is not surprising that the President of the Cathedral Branch is having a hard time rallying the people.
Tonight’s night’s topic is “The harvest is Rich, but the Laborers are few”
Interesting topic………. especially for non Labourites.
what happen? if you are a politician you should not have a relegious life? i don’t hear of anybody complaining about the politicians who are the undercover drug dealers or those who are the womanisers or yet still those who are leading our young ones in the wrong direction. i support what Mr Prevost is saying, we are supposed to be a christian country (mainly catholic) and yet still less than 1000 adults turn up for something as important as a retreat a time when we ask outselves questions about our life. if it was a sewo as the one ones call it the place would be full.
sometimes when you read the nickname…and then the post…u seeing a clear justification….for instance you see LOST….then you read a post which is lost. Oh brother