DEAR EDITOR: As the Cluny Sisters celebrate their Bicentenary anniversary, I wish to pay tribute to their amazing Mother Foundress, Blessed Anne Marie Javouhey.

For years, I have been entranced by the story of the most amazing and powerful woman I have ever encountered. She was born to a Burgundian family and as a child showed enormous courage during the beginning of the French Revolution.

Her life was more exciting and adventurous than any other I’d come across. Napoleon called her his best General and Louis Phillipe the “strongest man” in France. During the riots of the mid-nineteenth century, she was one of the few people the mob allowed through the barricades in Paris, calling her “Citizen”.

There is so much more to be told of her achievements both for the Sisters but also so that worldwide her unique charisma may be appreciated. For her Sisters in the various Provinces carried forward her work with diligence, spirituality, humour and compassion, and always with shrewd common sense!

I have known the Sisters all my adult life and I am so grateful for their friendship, wisdom, fun and prayers.  Through them I came into the Church. The first I met was Sr Regina Leiba when she was a Commonwealth Scholar, studying Dickens at Leicester University.

Then it was Sr Aloysius Ashby, then Principal of a Training College. I was living in Wales so she was able to visit the College in Cardiff.  These women have been a rock in my life as have been others whom I met and who have, over the years, offered me friendship and hospitality in the Caribbean and in Africa. 

The first house I stayed at was in St Joseph and the 12 Sisters there taught me so much about the Caribbean, and Trinidad and Tobago in particular. I learned that Sr Theresa knew more about calypso than anyone else, that Sr Paula’s tales of Forest Reserve took me back into a living history: that Sr Anne Marie Kernahan was achieving extraordinary things in St Xavier’s. 

Sr Anne Marie Rodriguez’s blend of peaceful power, vision, determination and people skills has been a reference point for me on many occasions.  The Sisters have been at the core of my life. I could not list all the things that I know they have achieved during the time I have known them inspired by the spirit of their Foundress.

But it is for the tiny, caring responses to anyone in need that I think of the communities, the way in which every individual is valued and made a better person for having encountered one of the Sisters.

As they celebrate this remarkable event, I salute them and ask God’s blessings on them in all their future endeavours.
Kathy Williams (via email)

DEAR EDITOR: This is an open letter to all my fellow citizens who have monies invested in Income and Growth Funds, whether they are with a commercial bank or the other institution established for this purpose.

While these mutual funds attract a higher interest rate, there is a higher risk of loss associated with them due to the fact that a significant percentage of the fund is invested in the local stock market.

Small investors may not be aware that currently the stock market is doing somewhat poorly and so monies invested in income and growth mutual funds rather than attracting a positive interest growth rate are in fact decreasing due to a negative interest rate.

Therefore what this means is that if you invested $100,000 you may now have just $45.00 or less. You lose even what you invest, apart from the money not growing.

The commercial banks are not advising investors of what is occurring and so a number of investors including myself have learnt the hard way when statements are seen showing a significant reduction in the initial monies invested.

I lost $15,000 before I realised what was taking place and had to move my money to the safer haven, although lower interest bearing, of a money market fund. The bank conveniently even sent my statements late so that I was unable to act earlier to avoid this substantial loss.

My complaint to the Financial Services Ombudsman concerning my late statements fell on deaf ears, which did not surprise me since this institution like the EMA-Environmental Management Authority is a toothless bulldog and it is seriously questionable as to whose interest they are really seeking.

Investors be aware! Demand accountability and information from the banks and hire a lawyer if you need to. Ensure especially that you get your statements showing the balance on your mutual funds on time.

 The commercial institutions seem to have the support of the authorities in perpetuating their misinformation about high performing funds on an unsuspecting and investment naïve public. There is a special place being reserved for them in the after life.
Peter Hospedales, Diego Martin