Tota-Maharaj celebrates Shouter Baptist Day in Canada

For the first time ever, Spiritual Shouter Baptist Liberation Day has been celebrated by our country’s Consul General in Toronto, Canada. To mark this special occasion Consul General Dr Vidhya Tota-Maharaj told an audience of Canada-based nationals and citizens of other countries gathered for the programme, of the struggle the Baptists 61 years ago to be recognised and accepted by the national community in Trinidad and Tobago.

Tota-Maharaj, who was a district medical officer before taking up the diplomatic position, told her audience: “We are pleased and honoured to join with the Spiritual Baptist Shouter Archdiocese as they pray and reflect on the challenges that members of the faith have endured in the attainment of liberation.

“Your journey is one of inspiration in which you have challenged the British colonial powers. “A day such as this prompts us to reflect on the misfortunes of the past and ways in which we can heal and teach the future generations the value of forgiveness and more importantly, the attribute of resilience in overcoming such memories by retaining the positives rather than dwelling on the negatives.”

Recalling that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was a practising Hindu but was baptised as a Spiritual Shouter Baptist, the diplomat said the Baptist community epitomised true courage and taught individuals to attain spiritual strength which is a necessary element in dealing with challenges. Giving a brief history of the faith was journalist William Doyle Marshall with the message and benediction performed by Archbishop Dr Deloris Seiveright.