Gonzales needs love

Archbishop Jason Gordon, left, Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez 
and President Paula-Mae Weekes chat during the Port of Spain City Day interfaith service at St Martin De Porres Roman Catholic 
Church Gonzales.
Archbishop Jason Gordon, left, Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez and President Paula-Mae Weekes chat during the Port of Spain City Day interfaith service at St Martin De Porres Roman Catholic Church Gonzales.

Archbishop of Port of Spain Jason Gordon made a stirring plea for the development of Gonzales which he said, for the most part, had been neglected while other parts of the city, like Woodbrook, had been given more attention.

During his homily at the interfaith thanksgiving service held at St Martin De Porres RC Church in Gonzales to mark City Day on Friday, Gordon said Gonzales was the centre of the city because it was there that culture had been born, creativity had flourished and pan and calypso had emerged. He said it was also there that most of the city found its breath and soul.

Unfortunately, he said, far more attention is paid to the fiscal rather than the cultural love of the city.

Gordon noted how infrastructure was provided for businesses to operate but said the city had not attended to its cultural side to ensure that there was an academy for the arts in a community like Gonzales.

Gordon said if there was development in the city, those in charge must ensure that every citizen, user, business person and every person in the cultural sphere must have what they needed to flourish in the city.

“We have not yet learnt what to do with the flourishing of the people of the city. The beauty of the people of Gonzales is their dynamism.

“Gonzales is a place where culture emerged, and this too is part of the city and the love must flow to development, and the developers must ensure that all aspects of the city have what is required to flourish. People must understand that we have to deal with those living in our city if we are going to have a city where people are free to walk and enjoy themselves.”

Gordon then told Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez, the city corporation’s CEO Annette Stapleton-Seaforth, councillors and other officials of the city: “I challenge you today to find a way to bring development to areas of the city where it is most necessary.

“Not for the pot holes in the road or the buildings that are derelict which also need care, but for the child of this community who is talented, the one who could get to play internationally in football or in music, who has A-grade talent that is oozing out of their ears but has no space for development. Let us find a way to create a great city, a city where all the inhabitants will be proud to say, this is my city, this city is here for all of us.”

The city celebrated its 105th anniversary yesterday, themed: “The City’s Charter to Prosperity.”

President Paula-Mae Weekes attended the mass along with members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the Spiritual Baptist faith, the Hindu community, the Spiritual Assembly of Bahai, the Muslim community, the Orisha Faith and the Ethiopia Orthodox church, who all prayed for the city and those who lived in it. They also prayed for those in charge of the city and for the entire nation.

The Nelson Street Girls RC School Choir performed several songs of love, praise and unity, ending with God Bless Our Nation and Till All My People Are One.

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"Gonzales needs love"

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