The Problem of Violence

Our Lady's Patronage of Jamaica is celebrated on the Feast of her Assumption, but devotion to Our Lady has never been strong on the island. According to the 2001 census, the country's largest religious denominations on Jamaica are the Church of God of Prophecy (24%), Seventh-day Adventist (11%), Pentecostal (10%), Baptist (7%) and Anglican (4%).  Roman Catholics make up only 2% of the population.  The efforts of the Dominican Sisters in Jamaica center more on humanitarian outreach to the poor and justice efforts to counteract the violence that is so rife throughout the region.   

 In 2010 with the help of a grant from Catholic Health Initiatives Sr. Gene and Sr. Pat Twohill began the Jamaica Outreach program, a collaborative effort between the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt and Students Crossing Borders directed by Dr. Lynn Caruso out of Toronto, Canada. The program focused on education, health care, inter-community youth projects, partnership, and community development. 

The Sisters offered early literacy and a free lunch to children ages 3-16 in Riverton Meadows, a summer program at St. Pius X Catholic Church and Dupont Primary School and donated school supplies and computers to schools in Kingston.  

 “With this project, we hope to engage and empower youth to become useful citizens and peace ambassadors… The problem of violence in Kingston, Jamaica, is multifaceted and includes issues related to lack of education, unemployment, competition for basic needs, and the culture itself with corruption, drugs, and gangs. One of the goals of the Jamaica Outreach Collaborative is to build peaceful partnerships and to demonstrate to the youth that there is an alternative to violence.”  These efforts are still underway.