PM Commends Roman Catholic Community for Work on Mustard Seed Projects

Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, has heaped praises on the Roman Catholic Community and in particular, the founder and head of the Mustard Seed Communities, Father Gregory Ramkisoon, for the work they have been doing for persons who otherwise would have been abused, abandoned and discarded by society.
Describing their work as ‘the actualization of the Ministry of Jesus Christ’, the Prime Minister said persons who perhaps would never have been given the opportunity or who would have become the refuse of humanity, have been rescued and given new life and hope.
Mr Golding’s praises came on February 15 at the end of a tour of two of the Mustard Seed Communities Projects – the Mary’s Child Home in downtown Kingston and the Mahoe Drive headquarters of the Mustard Seed home, whose mission is to uplift the most vulnerable members of society, especially the disabled, abandoned and marginalized. At the Mary’s Child Home which caters to pregnant teens, the Prime Minister was taken on a tour of the facilities by its Manager, Winsome Smith and members of the Roman Catholic Community led by Archbishop Lawrence Burke and Father Kenneth Richards.
In a brief address Mr Golding commended the Roman Catholic Community for ‘taking girls who had suffered injury to their lives and had repairing and restoring those injuries to give them the dignity that they have lost and to instill in them, the dignity that they never had’. ‘It is a tremendous contribution to humanity and I have tremendous respect for them’, Mr Golding said.
The Prime Minister said initiatives such as those taken by the Roman Catholic community provided room for collaboration between the government and private volunteers. He noted that the government would look at the possibility of providing assistance when the budget is being prepared, to see what assistance could be provided to the organization.
In welcoming the Prime Minister’s support, Father Gregory noted that the Mustard Seed communities are in dire need of both financial and voluntary assistance. He pointed out that roof of the Mary’s Child home for pregnant teens had been damaged by Hurricane Dean and that some $1-million was needed to effect repairs. Other immediate needs he said were for beds, kitchen facilities, computers and help from more volunteers. Prime Minister Golding has given an undertaking to provide assistance with computers for the Mary’s Child Home. The tour of the Mustard Seed Mahoe Drive home saw the Prime Minister meeting and greeting the children and young adults and viewing some of their handiwork. At both homes, he was presented with gifts including paintings, pottery and plants- all done by the residents as well as members of the surrounding communities. During the Mahoe Drive tour, the Prime Minister was joined by the Parliamentary Caretaker for south west St Andrew, Garnett Reid, directors of Mustard Seed and several overseas and local volunteers.