JANUARY

• Catholic Charismatic Renewal held its 15th Caribbean Conference with the theme, “Rise up, preach the gospel, take back the nations”.
• National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago showed support for the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre for ex-prisoners by donating over $100,000 for the construction of the centre.
• The 57th anniversary of the death of the foundress of the Corpus Christi Carmelite Sisters, Mother Mary Ellerker (known as “Little Mother”) was observed at the Novitiate, Mount St Benedict, on January 11.
• The Carmelite Prior General, Fr Joseph Chalmers, and General Councillor, Fr William Henry, celebrated Mass at St Mary’s RC Church, Mucurapo, for the Carmelite family during their visit to Trinidad.

FEBRUARY

• Archdiocesan Family Life Commission held one-day conference for separated, divorced and widowed Catholics.
• The Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre at Carmody Road, St Augustine, was closed due to “low participation” at events held there.
• Mary “Mae” O’Neil, the mother of Archbishop Edward Gilbert died on February 6 in Chicago. She was 95 years old. A special Mass for the repose of Mrs O’Neil was celebrated at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on February 13.
• The chapel at Carapo was dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on February 12, more than 14 years after the first Holy Mass was celebrated on August 25, 1991.
• Kay and Wilfred Holder received a papal award for their 30 years of spearheading the Family Life Commission.
• On February 2, the religious of the archdiocese gathered, along with Archbishop Gilbert, at Rosary Monastery for the annual celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.
• Bro Matthias Farrier celebrated 40 years as a Benedictine monk.
• The sod-turning ceremony for the construction of the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre was held on February 21.
• The Catholic Commission for Social Justice said goodbye to its first chairperson, Leela Ramdeen. Ms Ramdeen was instrumental in the establishment of the Social Justice Commission.

MARCH

• The Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal opened more offices to make its services available to all.
• Catholic men were called to a day of brotherhood at the UWI School of Continuing Studies to discuss health, catechetics, among other issues.
• On March 5, the 27th biennial Music Festival had its gala opening at Queen’s Hall.
• Rotary clubs across Trinidad and Tobago held their “Torch For Peace” project ending in a rally around Queen’s Park Savannah, as part of Rotary International’s annual observance of World Peace and Understanding.
• Former Archbishop Anthony Pantin was remembered at special Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Archbishop Pantin died on March 12, 2000.
• Parishes across Trinidad and Tobago held a meeting on April 29 to discuss Adult Parish Catechesis as Archbishop Gilbert urged parish coordinators to put more emphasis on this area of parish life.
• Several Church groups joined with non-religious organisations in procession to protest the proposed aluminium smelter, industrial estate at Chatham.
• Holy Name Convent celebrates 10 years of Eucharistic Adoration.
• Pan Crusade for Peace 2006 began on March 27 at the Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars pan yard. The five-day event takes Catholic faithful out of the church and into the streets.

APRIL

• April 2 marked the anniversary of the death of John Paul II.
• Solemn Holy Week ceremonies began on April 9 with the annual Palm Sunday blessings and processions. Holy week is the most sacred time of the Church year.
• Fr Vincent Compton celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination on April 17.
• Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago hosted the 24th annual National Games starting with opening ceremony at the Jean Pierre Complex.
• Catholic Charismatic Renewal launched “National Gospel Competition 2006”, which was open to all different genres of music to encourage more youths to participate.
• “Fit for Christ” was the theme of the first walk-a-thon organised by the community of Christ the King RC Church, Les Efforts, San Fernando, on March 30.
• On April 6, the Living Water Community opened their newest ministry, Mercy Home, a hospice for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
• On April 10, the Trinidad and Tobago Postal Corporation issued a series of stamps to commemorate the pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to our island in 1985.
• Jackie Hinkson exhibited a series of new paintings called “Christ in Trinidad”.
• St Joseph Covenant Keepers, a ministry that focuses on empowering men, was formally launched in the archdiocese on May 6 at the Malabar RC Church.
• Armed with umbrellas, bottled water and banners and accompanied by a sound truck, Southern parishioners came out in their thousands on April 23 to attend the annual Mercy March, held on the feast day of Divine Mercy.
• Laventille devotions began on May 14 for 2006 with the theme “Praying for the Nation”.

MAY

• The Archdiocese of Port of Spain hosted the third biennial meeting of CADFO (Conference of Antilles Diocesan Fiscal Officers) at Emmaus Centre, Arima from Tuesday 16 – Thursday 18.
• The Archdiocesan Commission for Evangelisation co-produced I Am Risen, an original play written by Jemma Allong-Redman.(Pix-pg 1-May 28)
• On Saturday 13, Sr Adriana Noel received a papal blessing on her Golden jubilee of religious profession. (Pix – pg 1-May 21)
• “The Pride in Gonzales Project” founded in part by Fr Jason Gordon, nabbed Community Policing award.

JUNE

• After 76 years of service, both Ita Lewis and Cornelius Gabriel retired from the teaching service and said goodbye to Talparo RC School.
• The Annual Apostleship of Prayer rally was held on June 25 at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Curepe.
• The Archdiocese wished the ‘Soca Warriors’ “good vibes” as they head to Germany for the World Cup competition.
• The Catholic Commission for Social Justice called for a full public debate and consultation on all issues related to the system of national awards, in particular the Trinity Cross.
• The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) hosted training sessions to introduce Parish Family Life Units (FLU), yet another ministry in the AFLC.
• The Living Water Community organised a pilgrimage to Germany, the pilgrimage included attending the World Cup matches of the “Soca Warriors”.
• On June 13, Radio Trinidad launched a new programme titled, “Rosary Monastery in Night Prayer”. The programme aired for nine weeks.
• Catholic Charismatic Renewal held their 31st national rally on June 25, with the theme “Revival Time”. (pg 1- June 25)
• Catholic tradition and national pride in our national football team intertwined on June 15 as the Archdiocese of Port of Spain celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi.
• Fr Emmanuel Pierre celebrated the 25th anniversary of his priestly ordination on June 21.
• Msgr Christian Pereira and Fr Clyde Harvey celebrated the 30th anniversary of their priestly ordinations on June 27.
• Rita Cordington, housekeeper and cook at the San Fernando Presbytery died on June 30. “Auntie Rita” or “Virtue” as she was called served the Church for over 25 years and received a Papal blessing in 2005 for her tireless service.

JULY

• God’s Anointed New Generation (GANG) hosted its second conference for adult men at Bon Air High School. The theme for 2006 was Be Strong! Sons of God Arise!
• The first edition of a new Social Justice ‘e-zine’ or on-line magazine, called “Link Up” is launched. Parish link teams will produce the e-zine across the country.
• Jesus Explosion IV took place on July 14 to 16, amid much excitement.
• The Catholic Charismatic Renewal called a press conference on July 7 to launch the National Gospel Competition 2006, titled “Chariots of Sound, Winds of Praise”.
• The ‘Pride in Gonzales’ initiative, a collaboration of CITY (Community Intervention Transforming Youth), the Ministry of National Security, the city of Port of Spain, the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), UWI and the community of Gonzales, won first place in Motorola’s 2006 competition for Community Police Initiatives.
• Diocesan Youth Coordinators of the AEC met at the Regional Seminary, Mount St Benedict from July 10 to 15.
• The first Fils de Marie Immaculee (FMI) – Sons of Mary Immaculate religious profession is made by Kent Caldon, of the parish of the Holy Trinity, Arouca on July 15.
• On July 23, four Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny celebrated Jubilees of religious profession. Srs Eugene Herrera, Pia Maria Babb, Emerica Grace and Maria Goretti Cherebin together celebrated 230 years of service.

AUGUST

• After a one-year hiatus, the School of Liturgy returned to Mount St Benedict, from July 31 to August 5.
• Caribbean School for Catholic Communication opened for 2006 at Emmaus centre, Arima, under the theme “Communications and Religious Imagination - Creating a Culture of Peace through Literature”
• The School of Continuing Studies of the Regional Seminary celebrated its graduation at the Seminary Chapel, Mount St Benedict, on July 28.
• On July 31, Brasso Seco Primary School received a gift of eight light microscopes and other scientific equipment from the Biology department of Virginia Wesleyan College (Norfolk, Virginia, USA.)
• On August 15 to 16, SIGNIS Caribbean came into being. Its registered office is in Trinidad and Tobago. SIGNIS Caribbean is an organisation for the support and coordination of regional Catholic media professionals and practitioners.
• Former President Noor Hassanali died at his Westmoorings home on August 25.
• On August 25, the newly refurbished Marian House re-opened its doors.

SEPTEMBER

• The Mary Care Centre officially reopened its doors on September 1, after being closed for four months, due to renovations.
• On September 7, the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception hosted a special Mass in honour of the 85th anniversary of the Legion of Mary.
• The Missionaries of Charity officially opened the doors of their new home at Laventille on September 5. The date also marked the ninth anniversary of the death of Mother Theresa.
• St Benedict’s College, La Romaine celebrated its golden jubilee with a host of activities, which began on September 10.
• On September 18, Fr Tom Willesmen CSSp celebrated 40 years of priestly ordination.
• The Emmanuel Community welcomed the inclusion of “Enshrined Rights” among the Draft constitution of clause 5.2, which deals the right to life.
• Carifesta IX opened on September 22 at the Hasley Crawford Stadium, under the theme Celebrating Our People, Contesting the World Stage.

OCTOBER

• The government of Trinidad and Tobago declared October 12 a holiday in commemoration of the arrival of the Chinese 200 years ago. Archbishop Edward Gilbert celebrated Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on October 8 in honour of the Chinese community, in commemoration of their “arrival”.
• Parish priests and Administrators met to discuss the distribution of priests, as well as the shortage of priests that was presenting a severe challenge in serving the nation’s Catholic population.
• The start of the 2006-2007 academic year of the Seminary at Mount St Benedict was celebrated on September 15.
• Archbishop Gilbert challenged Police Officers to “build a civilisation of love”, at their 20th Intrer-faith service held at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on October 1.
• Students of Catholic secondary schools accounted for half of the recipients of national scholarships, which were awarded, based on the results of the June 2006 CAPE and GCE A-Level examinations.
• A programme of Catholic Adult Formation was launched in October, utilising the media and cyberspace, the new channels for catechetics/religious education according to Archbishop Gilbert.

NOVEMBER

• On November 1, at St Theresa’s Church, Woodbrook Sr Christina Araujo made her first profession as a member of the Sinsnawa Dominican Sisters.
• Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny launched the celebration of 200 years of service to the Lord – May 12, 1807 to May 12, 2007.
• Archbishop Gilbert announced the appointment of Fr Jason Gordon as Vicar for Administration of Archdiocese of Port of Spain.
• The parish of Siparia celebrates 250 years of Catholicism as the 2006-2007 devotions to La Divina Pastora began in November.
• On November 29, the Catholic community filled the Church of Assumption, to bid farewell to Louisiana “Martina” Pollydore. Ms Pollydore who served presbyteries across Trinidad died on November 24 at the age of 71

  DECEMBER

  • The Toco/Matelot parish celebrated its 250th anniversary on Dec 3.
  • Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent and continuing through the Epiphany in 2008, the Dominican Sisters of Rosary Monastery celebrate a jubilee year, dedicated to the memory of the 800 years of the contemplatives (the nuns of The Order of Preachers).
  • Archbishop Gilbert met with nominees for the permanent deacon programme on December 16. The programme, the first for the archdiocese will begin in January 2007.
  • Fr Ferdinand Warner OP was named the new regional Prior of the Dominican Fathers in Trinidad and Tobago.