DECISION OF THE ANTILLES EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE

After continued prayerful reflection and discussion on the challenges facing our Regional Seminary over a number of years, the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) passed the following resolutions by a unanimous vote:

1) The Regional Seminary Board (RSB) will suspend training at the Regional Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs, for a period of 3 years from 30 June, 2010, for the purposes of improving the facilities and enrolment, increasing resident faculty and developing the financial base for the Regional Seminary
2) The RSB will make arrangements to move present and new Seminarians to Santo Tomas de Aquino Seminary in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the beginning of the academic year 2010-2011.
3) The RSB will make special provisions for current students nearing completion of their academic programmes – seminarians, both Diocesan and Religions, and lay students.
The Bishops want to emphasize that this is only a suspension of seminary formation at the Regional Seminary. Many challenges will have to be faced in this period of transition. At the same time, however, there is hope and a renewed desire to work for a better future in which the Bishops will be able to provide the best possible seminary formation for the candidates that God calls to priestly life and ministry in the local Churches of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs, Pray for us.

Archbishop’s Bishop Column

This weekend I shall have the privilege of ordaining 20 Permanent Deacons in the Cathedral for service in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain. I was pleased to learn that a number of Permanent Deacons from other (Arch)dioceses in the Caribbean, Europe and the United States will come to Trinidad to join the candidates for their ordination.

Programme Information

For the information of the Archdiocese, the candidates for the Permanent Diaconate have completed a long and demanding programme. To be eligible for the programme they were required to have three years of positive pastoral service in the parish that nominated them. They needed letters of recommendation from those who knew them for more than ten years.

They received the same psychological testing as the seminarians of the Archdiocese. If married, their wives had to agree to their admission into the programme. They were then interviewed by the Seminary Admissions Board which made a recommendation to me as Archbishop as to whether or not they should be admitted into the programme.

Once admitted, they completed three years of biblical, academic and pastoral studies along with courses in spiritual theology. They experienced retreats. I taught in the programme myself. Halfway through the programme, I personally interviewed each diaconal candidate along with his wife if the candidate was married. At the conclusion of the programme each candidate was evaluated and, once again, if married, the candidate’s wife had to agree to his ordination. Twenty four candidates entered the programme and twenty were approved for ordination.

Each candidate was asked to sign a Memorandum of Understanding which clarified issues of assignment expansion and financial matters especially if individual Permanent Deacons were assigned to full time employment in the Archdiocese.

Assignments of Permanent Deacons

The candidates will be assigned to the parish priests/administrators who nominated them because the people in these parishes already knew the candidates. Cases in which the parish priest was changed during the three year programme or a candidate moved to another parish during the programme were settled in dialogue with the new parish priest/administrator and the candidate.

Challenging News

Effective June 30, 2010, the Bishops will ‘suspend’ the Seminary Programme. There are a number of aspects of the Bishops’ decision that must be clarified for the general public and for those with specific interests e.g. the lay students in the School of Theology:

1)The Regional Seminary operates under the jurisdiction of the Conference of Bishops which is subject to Rome. The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples appoints the Rector of the Regional Seminary.

During the last visit of the Bishops to Rome, the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation, after studying the data on the Seminary and listening to the Bishops, asked the Bishops to consider closing the Regional Seminary temporarily, taking some time to establish a recovery programme and then reopen the Regional Seminary. After trying all possibilities to continue the Regional Seminary programme, the Bishops followed the advice of Rome. The decision was approved by the Papal Nuncio.

2)There are four elements to be addressed in the recovery programme: 1)improving the facilities; 2)increasing seminary enrollment; 3)increasing resident faculty; and 4)developing the financial base for the Regional Seminary. Obviously, number 2 implies more attention be given to vocation recruitment throughout the Antilles Episcopal Conference.

3)The Seminary to which the students from the English speaking Caribbean will be sent, Santo Tomas de Aquino Seminary in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has the traditional four year philosophy programme after which the student earns a degree. The theology programme is also a four year programme at the end of which the student earns a second degree. The philosophy faculty numbers 24 resident members. The theology faculty numbers 22 resident members. There are two hundred students in the seminary.

4)The Bishops realize they have ethical responsibilities to the students at the School of Theology at the Regional Seminary. They have decided to continue the School of Theology for the students who are presently taking courses at the School of Theology. However, they will not accept new students in the programme.

As a result, the library at the Regional Seminary will be maintained and a library staff will be retained.

5)The Archdiocese of Port of Spain will have to study the possibility of continuing the School of Theology to protect the accreditation enjoyed by the School of Theology so that when the Regional Seminary reopens, the Regional Seminary programme will still be fully accredited. At the recommendation of the Dean at the Regional Seminary, dialogue will begin immediately between the faculty of the School of Theology and the faculty of Credi.

The only way the programme at the School of Theology can accept a new entrance class of lay students is if the present faculty at the School of Theology will agree to teach very small classes for the next three years and join the faculty for the Credi programme. Then the joint faculty can support both programmes. In this way, the present faculty at the School of Theology who agree to teach in the Credi programme (over 500 students) will actually teach more students than it ever did in the Seminary programme

Before making the decision to continue the School of Theology thereby continuing the collaboration with the University of the West Indies, the Archdiocese will also have to examine carefully the reasons for the ongoing annual deficit at the academic programme.
In addition, in dialogue with the people of the Archdiocese, the Archdiocese must decide whether it can assume the cost of the programme for the indefinite future.

In this context, during March the Archdiocese will be consulted about the wisdom of introducing an annual Archbishop’s Appeal to financially support the growing demands of Synod implementation, Cathedral restoration and significant expenses.

6)The Bishops will continue to raise funds for the Regional Seminary in their own (arch)dioceses as part of the recovery programme. More details will be available after the next meeting of the Bishops in April.

7)The full text of the Bishops Communique provided by the Executive Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference is attached to this column.

Conclusion

The ‘Good News, Challenging News’ that has been reported in this column raises some important issues. I conclude with these requests:

1)Pray for the newly ordained Permanent Deacons that they may serve the parishes of the Archdiocese well and, along with laypersons, provide support to the overworked priests of the Archdiocese;

2)Pray for the success of the temporary transition plan to move the students for the priesthood from the Antilles Episcopal Conference to Santo Domingo;

3)Prayerfully consider why there are so few vocations in the English speaking Caribbean. What is the explanation for the fact that the Hispanic Caribbean has 200 seminarians while the English speaking Caribbean has 8?

4)Appreciate more fully the practical importance of evangelization/new evangelization programmes for the (arch)dioceses of the English speaking Caribbean;

5)Accept the wakeup call contained in this transition without discouragement but with positive energy. As an Archdiocese, rise to the challenge of building the future together;

6)Think positively! There are opportunities in this transition. For example, we will eventually have bilingual priests in the Archdiocese to meet the growing needs of Hispanic ministry. There are also opportunities present for educating and forming Catholic laity for spirituality and pastoral care along with continuing to serve the ecumenical and interfaith needs of students at the University of the West Indies.

Pope tells Scottish Catholics to prepare to 'grapple' with secularism

Vatican City, Feb 5, 2010 / (CNA).-

Pope Benedict XVI met with bishops from Scotland Friday morning on the occasion of their “ad Limina” visit to the Holy See. Not only did he confirm that he will be visiting their nation this year, but he addressed a variety of issues relevant to the Scottish Church, including the need to defend Church teaching in the face of secularism.

In his message to the bishops, Benedict XVI commended them for their "Priests for Scotland" initiative, which addresses significant issues being dealt with by the Scottish clergy. The Pope remarked that “the witness of priests who are genuinely committed to prayer and joyful in their ministry bears fruit not only in the spiritual lives of the faithful, but also in new vocations.”

Initiatives of this sort, he said, must be offered along with catechesis to remind the lay community of the “indispensable” nature of the priesthood to the life of the Church, especially in providing the Eucharist.

A “renewed focus” on the role of the “lay apostolate” is also needed as it is sometimes confused with “lay ministry,” the Pope said, noting that through the clarification of the roles of clergy and laity a “strong impetus” will be given to the evangelization of society.

The task of evangelization, Benedict XVI continued, “requires a readiness to grapple firmly with the challenges presented by the increasing tide of secularism in (your) country” especially in regard to the important issues of euthanasia and medical ethics.

In this activity, insisted the Holy Father, “if the Church’s teaching is compromised, even slightly, in one such area, then it becomes hard to defend the fullness of Catholic doctrine in an integral manner. Pastors of the Church, therefore, must continually call the faithful to complete fidelity to the Church’s Magisterium, while at the same time upholding and defending the Church’s right to live freely in society according to her beliefs.”

He also highlighted the beauty of marriage and the joy of parenthood, of which the Church offers the world a positive vision “rooted in God’s infinite, transforming and ennobling love for all of us” to promote hope and counteract the perception that Church doctrine is just “a series of prohibitions.”

To address the division and sectarianism in the country, he underscored that the Scottish Church’s participation in the group “Action of Churches Together in Scotland” (ACTS) is important for the “work of rebuilding unity among the followers of Christ.” These efforts, the Pope cautioned, should resist “any pressure to dilute the Christian message” and the goal should be “full, visible unity, for nothing less can respond to the will of Christ.”

The ACTS initiative seeks to unite various Christian denominations in Scotland in living the Gospel and provide increased understanding and create common life between them.

At the end of the address, the Holy Father recognized the contribution of the country's Catholic schools to "overcoming sectarianism and building good relations between communities" and pointed out that "faith schools are a powerful force for social cohesion."

"As you encourage Catholic teachers in their work," he told the bishops, "place special emphasis on the quality and depth of religious education, so as to prepare an articulate and well-informed Catholic laity, able and willing to carry out its mission... A strong Catholic presence in the media, local and national politics, the judiciary, the professions and the universities can only serve to enrich Scotland’s national life, as people of faith bear witness to the truth, especially when that truth is called into question."

Haitian archbishop tearfully recounts burial of seminarians killed by quake

Port au Prince, Haiti, Feb 5, 2010 / (CNA).-

The president of Haiti’s Bishops’ Conference has mournfully recounted the burial of seminarians killed in the country’s massive January quake. Describing the strains and torments in the disaster’s wake, he says the surviving seminarians will help other grieving victims despite their own suffering. “I cannot hold back the tears when thinking about their burial. We could not even provide them with a coffin, only a pathetic plastic bag,” Archbishop Louis Kébreau of Cap-Haitien told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

“I feel completely helpless in this situation,” he continued.

The earthquake killed 16 diocesan seminarians in Port-au-Prince. Another 10 from the Montfortian order died when the earthquake destroyed their seminary bus. Most were under 25 years old.

Those whose bodies were recovered were buried on the grounds of the devastated major seminary. The bishops are concerned that they may never find all the bodies.

The 200 seminarians who survived the quake lost their formation center and are now in severe need of help. ACN dispatched $170,000 in aid within a week of the disaster. This included support for the seminarians.

Archbishop Kébreau said he was “deeply grateful.”

“ACN always comes to help, like the Good Samaritan, bringing shelter and giving hope.”

The archbishop said he feels responsible for the seminarians’ physical health and spiritual well-being.

“It shakes me to the core when I think about how I had to give the go ahead to the amputation of a leg of a seminarian and of an arm of another,” he explained.

“It is necessary for the reconstruction of the whole country that these seminarians overcome their trauma and receive good theological formation,” the Haitian archbishop added.

He now wants to focus on caring for the surviving seminarians so that they can help other disaster victims.

“A lot of people have lost relatives, some are now completely alone and all of them are in complete misery.”

Archbishop Kébrau traveled 125 miles from his diocese in the north of the country to Port-au-Prince to meet bishops from the neighboring Dominican Republic, who visited to show their solidarity and to contribute $100,000 to the relief efforts.

The archbishop’s journey took 12 hours after his own vehicle broke down halfway through his trip. ACN reports he had to borrow another car to complete the trip.

Asked about his own needs, the archbishop said he needed nothing, but asked “that God grant me the necessary strength so that together with the other bishops we can rebuild the Church.”

He also quoted the prophet Jeremiah: “Judah mourns and her gates languish; her people lament on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.”