Back row, from left to right: Burton Marchan, Maria Isaacs Williams (Senior teacher), Rhonda Daniel, Urban Herrera, Camille Lettren, Kirby Leong. Front row, from left: Christine Williams, Thora Best (principal) and Teresa Roberts.

Rosehill RC School, Laventille may be a school without a building to call its own but it is a beacon of hope for those far and near. The principal, Thora Best and her teachers seize all the positive ways they can to bring about change in the culture of death that surrounds them. What comes across clearly as you enter their space is a spirit of cooperation, understanding and compassion.

Rosehill RC again stands out in recognising that to be an agent of change one must be willing to venture into uncharted waters. The staff, under the leadership of their principal registered to do the Faith Formation Correspondence Course administered by the Archdiocesan Catechetical Office. The units incorporated Spirituality, Theology and Methodology.

The following are some comments from the staff about the Course:

• Doing this Correspondence Course reminded me of my faith, duties and responsibilities as a Catholic teacher towards my students and the community

• This Course renewed my faith and provided encouragement for the teaching of religion in my class.

• This Course opened my eyes to things I forgot and renewed my thrust to empower my students to be great disciples of Jesus Christ for they would have a role model in me.

• This Course brought to light a greater awareness of my Catholic faith, as I had to read more or seek answers from others in a bid to be more Christ-like in my words and deeds.

• Thanks for introducing the Correspondence Course and thank God for making us accept this opportunity to grow as teachers and become better informed. The lessons re-introduced me to the Bible and I even started the Bible class in my parish. The lessons were very effective and I was able to incorporate all the knowledge and ideas gained in other subject areas. Thanks to all involved in planning the lessons of this Course.

• This Correspondence Course was quite interesting, informative and enjoyable. There were aspects of my faith, and teaching strategies, which I learnt about for the first time. This Course was especially enjoyable because we worked on it as a staff and motivated each other. If anyone was falling behind we would encourage them, so that we were all able to complete together.

• This Course helped me to build the camaraderie of the staff and also helped us to grow in faith together. It was an enjoyable journey.

It is the hope of the Archdiocesan Catechetical Office that other principals utilise the Correspondence Course as a staff and use this opportunity of learning more about their faith. To register, please visit our office at 31 Independence Square, Port of Spain or Alice Street, La Romaine. Telephones: 623-5139 or 652-4446.