Loving Update:

I now have a new phone and I am totally clue less as to how to use it efficiently or effectively. It looks like a whiteberry, however the brand name is like that of a motor vehicle. There is a difference in  the application of concepts on the phone.  I have to wrap my head around applying what I read. I am taking it slowly, if slower than slow is what you define as slowly.So far it is being used for phone calls alone and I am happy when I forget it on the desk and go out. LOL

Re entering the Job Market or the World of Work

Some years ago, I  re entered the job market  or the world of work after working on my own for a period of time. The following are  the factors which can  impact on the re entry into the job market:

Continuing Professional Education  - Today almost all fields rely on continuing professional education. Understand that you are a professional, and prior to returning to work, search the Internet for sites which are free of charge  which provide updates on your area of knowledge.   This will  indicate that there was continuous development taking place and that there is an interest in the development of self which will be ongoing. Keep that commitment.
Ability to deliver at the standard /level which is expected -
While you may have been on a career break,  on returning to work you would  need to show your future employer that you are capable of handling work at the level which is expected of the position.  Start reading as many articles  as possible to bring your knowledge to the current level of persons with whom you will be working as well as  that of the industry.
Ask about the Organisation chart, its availability to persons at your level, this is acceptable language and shows an interest in the company!
Also there may have been changes in the practices of the area so that the way things were done may have changed significantly. This may be identifiable through the articles which are available online.  Ask about innovations in the company and its intended impact.
Expectations and ability to commit - In some instances,  ask what are the employer's expectations and deliverables so that you are both being upfront about the deliverables during the probationary stage. Also ask what is expected after the probationary stage as you may not make it past that period of employment and there may not be any intention for you to continue past the probationary stage.
Ability to deliver at a consistent pace during the employer's hours of work. - Many persons who have been on a career break may experience difficulty functioning at the pace and during the hours of work of most companies as they may not have had the practice  during their career break.  Understand how you will be able to cope with this challenge. It is likely to be a question in the interview.
Use of Technology  - Use of technology varies from company to company. Try to understand what are the innovations which are available, especially with respect to storage of documents electronically, use of databases. There are many simple solutions which have been made available through networking ( I.T. style) in spite of the availability of wireless. If your field prior to going on the career break was specific to one type of company, which may have been paper based, then try to discuss how breakthroughs in technology in other areas can benefit your speciality.
Solutions - In reviewing the above points, I realise that these may be beneficial at any point in a person's work life, whether they are returning to work or looking to change industries or jobs. I hope I remember to ask them at my next interview or the interviewer covers these areas.

Cathedrals of the Caribbean/Antilles Part III

 
Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven of Roseau, originally known in French as Église de Notre-Dame du Bon Port du Mouillage de Roseau - Exterior and interior. Materials are volcanic stone. Well written article on wiki. See the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseau_Cathedral.

Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo is dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation. It is the oldest cathedral in the Americas, begun in 1512 and completed in 1540. The Cathedral once held the title Primate of the Americas, it has since been the only Archdiocese to have held this title.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catedral_de_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_la_Menor 

This Cathedral is listed as a  UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The photos below shows the rear  and interior of the Cathedral. Again wiki has done a great job.

Cathedrals in the Caribbean/Antilles - Part II

The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception which is located at Marine Square in Port of Spain is currently under renovation, however the photo shows the "Cathedral" which we all grew up with.
http://www.catholictt.org/parishes/north/191-the-cathedral.html

The photo below was published in the Catholic News - Update Cathedral Restoration work at July 29, 2012. see the link for Additional Information

http://www.catholicnews-tt.net/joomla/2012/142-features/3832-update-cathedral-restoration-work-jul-29
In a letter to the Archdiocese by His Grace, Archbishop  Edward Gilbert,  dated June 20, 2010 the  various aspects of updates which would be provided on the project was covered.  "Initiating the Financing process" covered the methods by which contributions can be made to the project.

Our Lady of Perptual Help - San Fernando
"It is to be noted that with the cathedral in Port of Spain now closed for repairs, the Chair of the Archbishop has to be relocated to San Fernando, making Our Lady of Perpetual Help the pro-cathedral in the south."

source: "Catholic News - San Fernando- a parish with a wealth of history. http://www.catholicnews-tt.net/joomla/parish-update/3875-san-fernando-a-parish-with-a-wealth-of-history-aug-12

Cathedrals in the Caribbean/Antilles - Part I

I had never seen a church so large  which was  constructed out of wood. Visiting Suriname after  working in Guyana where the use of wood was main stream, I was in awe.
I loved the color scheme on the outside, never imagining that those colors could be used so reverently.  Having seen the exterior when it was closed, I grew more restless as  the days passed and I could not satisfy my curiousity to see what the inside looked like. I could not get inside for one reason or the other. Eventually, I got the chance one lunch time to visit the inside when Mass was going on. The interior was even more beautiful with the carved pieces of wood supporting the structure. This building was an example of what all of the descriptions of the temples in Jerusalem could evoke.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter_and_Paul_Cathedral


I had previously seen the interior of the Cathedral in St Lucia which was distinctly Caribbean in concept and was appealing., but the above was spell binding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Basilica_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_in_Castries, This photo attempts to show how beautiful the Cathedral in St Lucia is, but it does not do the beauty of  the interior much justice.

The presence of St Dominic in Trinidad

St Dominic's Chapel which is located at 34b Belmont Circular Road in  Belmont serves as the chapel for the members of  St Dominic's Home. The Home was founded in 1871 by Fr. Mariano Forestier O.P, a Domincan priest. Here Domincan refers to the Order of Preachers  as the priests and friars of the Order are called.  In Trinidad the Dominican Family consists of several branches: friars, nuns (contemplative), sisters (share an active apostolate) and the laity (who share the Order's way of life). Currently  there are Sinsinawa Domincan Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary, the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena and Rosary Monastery  located in different parts of Trinidad. Rosary Monastery is devoted to contemplative life and for a number of years, one of the by products of the Monsatery was the  bread for the altar..  http://www.catholicnews-tt.net/joomla/othersupp/157-50th-anniversary-of-independence-/3936-the-contemplative-life-in-rosary-monastery

Rosary Monastery

Rosary Monastery  - another time

A little more on the Domincans  from the  website  by the Domincan's http://dominicanstnt.weebly.com/signs-of-a-vocation.html states that:

"Dominicans are men and women who are consumed with the desire to be holy and to make all other people holy also. They try to live like Christ who was chaste, poor and obedient to his Father’s will. That is why they take the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience."

"Dominicans were established by St. Dominic because he was filled with the idea of a special aspect of Christ’s life. He wished to imitate Christ as an itinerant preacher. Christ never settled down in any one place and Dominic was like him. Dominicans have to be “mobile’, ready to go where the Church or the Order needs them. They go for the salvation of souls through preaching."

Years ago, in our parish of St Mary's Mucurapo, we had a Domincan Priest, Fr. Michael Hayden, who was orignally from Ireland. I loved hearing his sermons, whether it was for the lilt in his voice,  or the gentleness of his tone. Usually there was  a hush in the church, quiet expectation when it was time for  the sermon.   While Fr Hayden was serving in our parish,  I did not know that he was a Domincan, I thought that all Irish priests had those qualities probably as a result of growing up with mainly Irish priests,  However in looking at the website http://dominicanstnt.weebly.com/bible-study.html, where you see information on the Bible such as the following, which you would not have access to unless you went searching or did a course on Bible Study do you realise the part of the basis for the  Dominicans being excellent preachers:

"These seventy three book were written in a time spanning about 1200 years. The time beginning in 1100BC to about 100AD and during this time the landscape of the Bible flowered with many literary forms such as wisdom sayings, parables, letters, sermons, laws, sermons, history, etc.

The "Origins"of the Bible. The Bible has its origins in three languages, these are as follows: Hebrew and Aramaic for the First Testament (Old Testament) and Greek for the Second Testament. This means that the Bible was just a number of lose books around the Jewish religious landscape. The also means that the Bible was not divide it to clear chapters and verses as we know is today. These divisions in terms chapters were added only in the thirteenth century and chapters into verses in the sixteenth century.

In addition to the information on the Bible, there is  a list of  "26 Papal Documents on the Rosary"  which were issued during the period 1883 to 2002 http://dominicanstnt.weebly.com/26-papal-documents-on-the-rosary.html. 

There are many wonderful, positive qualities  and benefits which are attributed to those who belong to St Dominic's which range from the making of the bread which reaches the altar at mass, to caring for the children who have no one to take care of them, to providing knowledge and inspiration on the life of Christ.  

The different Orders which exist in Trinidad:

"As Holy Faith Sisters we are called to live our vowed life in community. Margaret Aylward desired that the lives of her sisters would be marked by the virtues of Humility, Simplicity, Faith and Charity and be rooted in Prayer, the practice of Discernment and the Eucharist. We treasure the core community values of sharing our lives and prayer - prayer which supports us in ministry and prayer for the needs of the Church and the world."

Growing up, I was familiar with the Holy Faith sisters or as they were more properly known, Sisters of the Holy Faith. On reading info from their website, I am reminded that the purpose of the blog was to capture a bit of information on the various orders as  well as the reason for the existence of the different orders as detailed in the extract above. http://www.holyfaithtt.net/. 

In searching for information on Margaret Aylward, I noted on wiki that the congregation was founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1857 and the sisters were originally involved in the areas of faith development and education. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_of_the_Holy_Faith  In Trinidad, most of the Holy Faith sisters  were involved in schools, both secondary and primary, some of which exist today. The sisters  were known for their practical faith based approach to matters. I remember  as a child in a group of students approaching a multiple choice exam, being told by sister who was dealing with numerous questions and requests to pray for us,  repsonding "when in doubt say "Holy Spirit help me to chose the right one."  Whether the prayer worked or not in helping me to select the right answer so as to pass the exam, it would bring a moment of calm which was badly needed in an exam.

One of the activities which the Holy Faith sisters are involved with today  deals with the establishment of the Holy Faith Archives  which was in response to  The Pastoral Function of the Church Archives, "In the mind of the Church, archives are places of memory of the Christian community and storehouses of culture for the new evangelization." [The Pastoral Function of Church Archives - 1997] http://www.holyfaithsisters.net/holy-faith-archives.

So back to the past and the original topic. It was only that on reaching adulthood, I started learning about orders, not that I paid much attention to them in the many years leading to the acquisition of the knowledge. All right so that is not quite true, I knew that there were monks who lived on a hill in our northern range of mountains which was called Mt. St. Benedict. There was a place close to the Mount which served tea that was quite inexpensive and it was enjoyable. See the link below: http://www.planetware.com/trinidad-north-range-and-north-coast/mount-st-benedict-monastery-tri-tri-mst.htm Gradually I learnt that the monks chanted at 3:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon, the Gregorian chants which were interesting to listen to. In time, I have learnt that some of these monks or Brothers as some are referred to, compose liturgical peces of music which are primarily used for Mass and other occasions. They teach and are employed in different professions. In short they contribute to the world. Also of interest is that the Abbey celebrated one hundred years of existence in October of 2012.

With blogging, you start planning to cover things from one angle and you end up with  a whole lot of stuff which was unplanned. While viewing the website for the Monks of St Benedict or as the location is more properly known,  the Abbey of Our Lady of Exile according to wiki, I found an article from the Vatican  which was titled Saying "I Believe In God The Father Almighty" Is Saying "I Believe In The Power Of God's Love" Vatican City, 30 January 2013 (VIS)" ttp://www.paxabbey.com/. I have not managed to read  the article as yet, however at a glance the first paragraph seems quite interesting as shown below:

The first and most fundamental definition that the Creed teaches us about God is that He is the Almighty Father. This was the theme of Benedict XVI's Wednesday catechesis during today's general audience that was held in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

"It isn't always easy today to speak about fatherhood," the Pope began, "...and, not having adequate role models, it even becomes problematic to imagine God as a father. For those who have had the experience of an overly authoritarian and inflexible father, or an indifferent, uncaring, or even absent one, it is not easy to calmly think of God as Father or to confidently surrender themselves to Him.

Perhaps the next order or two will go in an orderly manner.