The Catholic Businessmen's Forum held at the Hilton Trinidad Hotel and Conference Centre in Port-of-Spain on Sunday last provided a place and opportunity for Christian businessmen to network and provide mentorship for other members of the faith. Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, Leela Ramdeen, who gave testimony on four Christian business exemplars, said the forum was not only concerned about profit.
She said they are helping Christian businessmen to incorporate their faith in their daily lives and to help build the common good in their communities. The forum was organised by the Companions of the Transfigured Christ in St James, in collaboration with the Archbishop's Annual Appeal and in association with the Catholic Commission for Social Justice.
Also present at the forum were Gillian Lee, Raymond Francis, deacon Lennox Toussaint, co-founder/director CTC community and co-founder/director of The John Paul II Centre on Fatherhood, Mikkel Trestrail. In the forum on Sunday, the younger business entrepreneurs suggested that a Christian support group and a business association be formed, an idea which was supported by the experienced businessmen present who said they were willing to provide guidance and mentorship.
"By so doing, what the young entrepreneurs learned could be taken back to their businesses and communities," Ramdeen said. "The whole theme of the forum was to educate and empower Christian businessmen to bring Jesus Christ to the workplace and make a difference, as well as provide Christian mentorship." The forum was designed to promote a Catholic corporate identity, business networking, Catholic social justice, ethical corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility among the Catholic businessmen.