Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has issued a message to the nation marking the simultaneous start of Lent and Ramadan, calling the overlap a powerful reminder of Trinidad and Tobago’s spiritual and cultural diversity.
In a press release, the Prime Minister described the convergence of the two sacred seasons as rare and significant, noting that while Christians and Muslims express their faith through different traditions, both observances draw on the same core values of reflection, discipline, compassion, charity, and justice.
“Though expressed through different traditions, faith calls us toward the same higher virtues,” the Prime Minister said, drawing on scripture from both the Holy Bible and the Holy Qur’an in her address.
For the country’s Christian community, Lent marks the beginning of a forty-day period of prayer, fasting, sacrifice, and repentance leading up to Easter. For the Muslim Ummah, Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, and charity intended to deepen devotion and strengthen faith.
Mrs. Persad-Bissessar used the occasion to stress that both traditions teach transformation rather than mere abstinence, arguing that the observances serve not only personal spiritual growth but also the strengthening of families, communities, and the nation as a whole.
The Prime Minister also addressed security arrangements for the season, confirming that she has directed all relevant protective forces and national security agencies to implement measures ensuring that citizens can practise their faith safely, freely, and peacefully as they gather in churches and mosques across the country.
She closed her message with individual blessings for each community, urging the nation as a whole to choose “patience over anger, generosity over division, and unity over discord” during the shared season of reflection.
“Lenten blessings and Ramadan Kareem to all,” she concluded.