Posted By  richards on October 19, 2014    
				
				    On the eve of his 57thbirthday    and 12th anniversary of his Episcopal ordination, Bishop    Gabriel Malzaire of Roseau launched his second book    entitled, The Eucharist and the Poor.  
    Among those present for the October 3 event were His Excellency    Charles Savarin, President of the Commonwealth of Dominica;    Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt; past Presidents Dr Nicholas    Liverpool and Eliud Williams; Dorothy Mensah-Aggrey, an    official from the Virtual Learning Community of Dayton    University, Ohio, USA; members of the clergy, and men and women    religious.    The bishops compound had been transformed to accommodate the    large number of guests who had responded to his invitation to    the dinner and book launch.  
    After a few words of welcome by master of ceremonies Deacon    Alvin Knight and the singing of the National Anthem, Vicar    General Msgr Eustace Thomas offered the opening prayer and    dinner was served. The book launch followed towards the end of    the sumptuous meal.  
    Archbishop Joseph Harris of Port of Spain had been invited to    be one of the speakers introducing the book to the public.    However, due to air travel challenges and his obligation to be    in his archdiocese the following day, he was unable to be    present. Msgr William John-Lewis read a message sent by the    archbishop.    Quoting from the Talmud (Judaic text) as well as from    Cuban poet Jose Marti, Archbishop Harris reminded the audience    that it is said that every person should plant a tree, have a    child and write a book by way of securing some measure of    immortality. In his words, Bishop Malzaire had planted many    trees, had had many spiritual children, and now with the    launching of his second book was ensuring a certain    immortality.  
    He said the book not only invited the reader to reflect on the    Eucharist as a sacrament - where Jesus self-emptying    exemplifies his own poverty and thus is reflective of his    identification with the poor - but into the mind and heart of    the author and his own love of the poor.  
    Mensah-Aggrey began her sharing by making the connection    between her native Ghana and Dominica. Many years ago, Bishop    Joseph Bowers SVD, a native of Dominica, had been sent to Ghana    as a missionary where he subsequently became the first black    bishop of the Diocese of Accra.    She went on to speak of the importance of the book as a further    contribution to the numerous volumes that have been previously    written about the Eucharist and about the poor. This book, a    condensed and edited version of the doctoral dissertation of    the bishop, would be another document highlighting the social    dimension of the Eucharist.  
    Fr Clement Vadakkedath CSsR was the last to offer a reflection.    He began saying that when he learned of the books title, he    wondered if anything new could be written on the subject. After    reading the manuscript, he was impressed by the content and the    approach that the author had taken in showing the indisputable    relationship between the mystery of the Eucharist, and the    practical application as it relates to the body of Christ    expressed especially in the poorest of the poor.  
    The final speaker was the author himself, Bishop Malzaire. He    offered his personal thanks to all who attended the dinner and    book launch; the Cathedral Renovation Committee who organised    the event; and those who facilitated the realisation of his new    book. The bishops first book was titled A Decade of    Grace and released October 2012.    Proceeds from the sales of The Eucharist and the    Poorwill go toward the renovation works of the Cathedral,    and the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society who attend to    the needs of the poor.    - Msgr William John-Lewis, director of the Diocesan Pastoral    Centre  
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