On the annual feast of Corpus Christi, top Roman Catholic religious leader Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon used his keynote address to the faithful to issue a urgent call for deep moral and spiritual transformation across Trinidad and Tobago, arguing that a fundamental shift in national values is required to address growing systemic inequity.
Gordon spoke to a congregation of hundreds of worshippers who gathered at Port of Spain’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, undeterred by overcast conditions and light, intermittent rain that marked the day’s events. Though turnout for the traditional street procession and Holy Eucharist remained robust, attendees noted the crowd was noticeably smaller than in pre-event years.
After the indoor service, participants embarked on the customary procession through central Port of Spain, starting and ending at Independence Square, and winding through Henry Street, Park Street, Piccadilly Street, Duke Street and Nelson Street. Uniformed schoolchildren from multiple local educational institutions joined the march, alongside senior public figures including Government Ministers Kennedy Swaratsingh and Saddam Hosein, and Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro, who attended in civilian attire. Three formal benediction stops were held along the route, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Rosary Church among other locations.
In his homily, Gordon drew a provocative parallel between the ancient Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert after their exodus from Egypt and Trinidad and Tobago’s own path as an independent nation. He noted that the country has been abundantly blessed with abundant natural resources and unprecedented developmental opportunities, but has consistently failed to leverage these advantages for collective national benefit. “We have become a nation that has wanted only the material stuff, wanted only to feed off of the sensational stuff, wanted only what is glamorous,” he told the gathered congregation.
Gordon pulled no punches in criticizing what he labeled a rising national culture of materialism and entrenched self-interest. Rather than directing the country’s resource wealth toward lifting all citizens, he argued, powerful and private individuals have prioritized accumulating personal gain, leaving vulnerable communities behind. “Everybody trying to eat a food,” he remarked, adding that many wealthy and privileged Trinidadians hoard far more resources than they need for basic comfort and security, leaving growing shares of the population trapped in poverty and destitution.
Rooting his appeal in scripture, Gordon reflected on passages from the Book of Deuteronomy and the First Epistle to the Corinthians, reviving the ancient biblical call to be one’s “brother’s keeper”. Referencing the story of Cain and Abel, he told worshippers the answer to the age-old question of responsibility for community welfare is unambiguous: “Yes, I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper.”
For Gordon, authentic devotion to the Holy Eucharist is inextricably linked to active service to low-income and vulnerable communities. Care for the poor is not an optional add-on to faith, but a core requirement of religious life, he emphasized. He also noted that Corpus Christi has long held traditional cultural meaning as a day for planting crops, framing the holiday as an ideal moment to plant deeper roots of faith and spiritual commitment across the nation. “Today is also the day when the seed of faith is planted deeper,” he said, urging worshippers to open their hearts to divine influence to allow moral conviction to take stronger root.
Seminarian Jameke Brown echoed Gordon’s message of faith-driven social change during a stop on Nelson Street, telling attendees that Catholics are called to transform national and local life through living out their core beliefs. “We are called to partake of God’s body and blood so we can transform our country,” Brown said. “We can transform our communities; we can transform this community. Jesus left two commandments for us: love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength. The second commandment is to love your neighbour as yourself.”
Brown added that a posture of gratitude is the foundation of a deep, lasting relationship with God. “The secret of coming to love God, as I have come to understand it, firstly, is by having a heart of gratitude. Despite our situations, there is always something to be grateful for,” he told attendees.