The Mary Care Centre officially re-opened its doors from September 1, after being closed for four months due to renovations.

The Mary Care Centre was founded in 1980 by the late Archbishop Anthony Pantin in his commitment to the preservation of life.

The Mary Care Centre is a sanctuary for young girls who are pregnant. These young girls are typically unwed, thrown out of their homes by their parents, forced into prostitution, raped, are victims of incest, most times live below the poverty line and come from rural areas.

The Centre’s main goal is to prevent abortions and its related effects. To do so the Centre provides the girls with all meals, accommodation, health care, including counselling for those who need it, and some formal education. The young women also receive basic training in cooking, hygiene. Some crafts such as sewing, baking and crocheting are done.

The Centre believes that the girls should leave with some skill that will serve them for life, and to this end are looking to get more funding for various training seminars for the girls.

The Mary Care Centre is open to all, regardless of race and religious affiliation, and the girls are encouraged to pray throughout the day. The bible is also read to them. Catholics are encouraged to go to Mass on a Sunday. The centre tries to impart to the girls, the view that all life is sacred.

The Centre houses eight girls, between the ages of 12 to 17, at any one time. The duration of their stay is usually 12 weeks; six weeks before they are due to give birth and six weeks after they have given birth. The Centre tries to stick by these rules, but is flexible, depending on individual cases and the circumstances surrounding each pregnancy.

The current Chairman, Velma Jardine, wishes to expand the services provided to these young girls to ensure them a better future. “What I want is for parishes to adopt these girls when they leave here.

The parishes should become foster parents to them”. She wants the parishes to become actively involved in the lives of these young girls stating, “When Archbishop Pantin was around, he would visit every Saturday, talk to the girls and make jokes – you know he had a sense of humour”.

Mrs Jardine says that they have seen a decline in the number of girls who come to them for assistance. She thinks this is because society is changing and they no longer view abortion as “a big thing”, but as trivial, “You know when you have the flu, you take a tablet and it gets rid of your flu, this is how the young girls of today treat their unwanted pregnancies”.

The Centre is run by a Board of Directors and survives through donations from both the private and public sector.

Facilitators are voluntary and anyone wishing to assist is welcome. The Centre is located at #4 Gallus Street, Woodbrook, and can be contacted at the following numbers: Telephone: (868)-622-5880/Fax: (868)-621-5274.