Testimonies

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Testimonies

  • Congratulations to our Lady of Montserrat Parish and the Shrine Committee on this initiative of launching a parish website. It is my hope that this parish website will be a means through which parishioners will remain rooted in Christ and grow into authentic disciples. Authentic disciples are those who imitate the Lord Jesus or as St. Paul tells us they are those who put on the mind that was in Christ Jesus. St. Paul also tells us that Jesus gave up his divinity and became one like us even to the point of servanthood. The people of Galilee after listening to Jesus said of him he speaks with authority and Jesus spoke with authority because his lifestyle validated everything which he said of himself. How do we become authentic disciples? We become authentic disciples by allowing our lifestyle to validate all that we say. As readers of the bible we discover many challenges that the Lord places before us. So Jesus said of himself ‘a student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.’ (Matt. 10:24). Will we allow ourselves to be like Jesus, giving ourselves in service to those who are in need? Do we allow ourselves to be servants? Do we give of our time talent and treasure or do we seek everything for ourselves? Do we do the word? Are we people who look after those on the margins? (Matt. 25) or do we wait to be looked after ourselves? The mark of a servant is availability and the mark of a Christian is the availability for the work of the kingdom and according to St. Matthew, the work of building the kingdom is the removal of everything that dehumanizes others. May this facility on the World Wide Web reach Catholics of other cultures who share a common belief in a God who loves us all. Let us continue to invoke Mary’s intercession. May she help us to be faithful to God every day, to praise and thank him for he is our strength. I wish the Shrine Committee of your parish continued success in the task of elevating the Shrine to international status that will be able to attract pilgrims in the near future.

    (Former) Archbishop Joseph E. Harris

  • A Mother’s Prayers are answered

    My son was experiencing tremendous difficulty in obtaining an internship at an international hotel which was a requisite for the fulfilment of his International Tourism Management degree programme. His many applications to hotels in the Caribbean were not acknowledged. We became quite anxious as the deadline to obtain such an internship was fast approaching and failure to fulfil this requirement in the specified time period meant that my son would have to spend an additional year at university. However one offer came from Crane Hotel in Barbados but he did not get through with them. Also, it would have been very costly for us as we would have had to cover his accommodation in Barbados which was approximately $1000.00 (US) per month. I turned to Our Lady of Montserrat (OLM) to intercede to her son on our behalf. At the OLM’s Shrine Committee’s Tea Party in 2013, I visited the Shrine of OLM and sought the intercession of Our Lady for my son to get the required internship but I also prayed for the best option for him. My prayers were answered because very soon after the Tea Party, Turtle Beach Hotel in Tobago offered him an internship. This hotel proved to be the better choice as accommodation was more affordable for us in Tobago. The offer also came in the nick of time which meant that he would not have to spend an additional year at university. My son so thoroughly enjoyed the experience at Turtle Beach and Tobago in general, that he told me he could live in Tobago! I thank Our Lady and her son for this miracle.

    Elizabeth Mohammed

  • The sinful, the suffering, the sorrowful have laid their woes at the feet of Our Lady of Montserrat and none have ever gone away unheard or unaided

    Mr Glen Ghany is an active member of the Our Lady of Montserrat Roman Catholic Church's Shrine Committee in Tortuga. He has been a parishioner at this church for over ten years. On September 8th 2013, he volunteered to be one of four male parishioners to carry the statue of Our Lady after procession along the streets of Tortuga. This street procession is an annual custom for the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the celebration of Our Lady of Montserrat R.C. Church, Tortuga's annual harvest. At the end of the procession, the Statue of Our Lady was returned to the church for delivery to her sacred place in the side chapel. Mr Ghany testifies that as he and the three other parishioners proceeded with Our Lady, her image became heavier and heavier. His first thought was that one person had abandoned his duty, but soon realised that all four men were still bearing Our Lady and were indeed straining under her weight. When the task was completed, Mr Ghany discussed his experience with the others and realised that all men experienced the same phenomenon. They were in awe of Our Lady's real presence and her will to remain in her sacred place

    G. Ghany

  • Afternoon Tea With Our Lady 2011.

    On 2nd April 2011, Our Lady of Montserrat Shrine Committee hosted its first annual fundraising venture. The Tea Party was an outdoor event which was well organised and very well attended. The weather cooperated beautifully with the day's event, and encouraged guests to consume a lot more of Shrine Committee's member Michelle Baptiste's delicious fruit punch. As the afternoon progressed, patrons became more comfortable as they lapped up Tortuga's breath-taking scenery, fresh air and Michelle's award winning fruit punch. The Shrine Committee members grew nervous as they realised that the punch would be finished before the event ended. Silent prayers were offered by the members and Our Lady's intercession was sought. As prayers were offered, punch flowed and at the end of the function, unopened bottles of fruit punch were discovered. Where did these bottles come from? Only through Our Lady's intercession...... Thanks be to God!!!

    The Shrine Committee

  • God takes care of His children

    Back then, a nine-year old Roberta Beaumont was preparing for her First Holy Communion on 19th June, 2014 (230th Anniversary of Corpus Christi celebration in Trinidad and Tobago). One of the steps in this process was the First Confession which was done on Tuesday 17th June, 2014. Roberta, the last of the seventeen candidates, entered the Chapel of Our Lady of Montserrat for confession with Fr. Alan Hall, Parish Priest of Tortuga. While administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation to her, a ray of light engulfed both Fr. Hall and Roberta. The Chapel was alit, thereby acknowledging God's presence and His affirmation of readiness of the candidates. As Fr Hall admits, "it was truly a pore-raising experience, a treasured moment to be shared.”

    Fr. Alan Hall, Former Parish Priest OLM

  • Awe-inspiring on both inside and outside

    This Church is worth a visit. It is awe inspiring on both the inside and outside. In general Tortuga is a very peaceful place filled with an air of spirituality. I hope that it never loses that feeling.This Church also reminds us of the need to preserve our traditional buildings and appreciate the architecture of the past. It also tells the story of determination to make our places of worship true homes for God’s presence.

    Dr. Suruj Rambachan

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