Twenty-five years of priestly ordination

It All Happened In 1985

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 was the occasion of the celebration of a beautiful liturgy marking the Silver Jubilee of priestly ordination of the largest single group of Caribbean men, in the history of the institution, to graduate from the Regional Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs.

It all happened in 1985. Over a period from June 30th to August 18th, ten (10) men from the region were ordained to the presbyterate. This includes Bishop Francis Alleyne, OSB (Trinidad & Tobago), Bishop Gabriel Malzaire (St. Lucia) Fr. Karel Choennie (Suriname), Fr. Stephen Geofroy (Trinidad & Tobago), Fr. Leroy Hopkin, OP (Grenada), Fr. John Persaud (Guyana), Msgr. Michael Stewart (St. Vincent & the Grenadines), Fr. Celsus Auguiste (Dominica), Fr. Charles Martin (Dominica) and Fr. Ron Yeemon (Trinidad & Tobago). The latter three were unable to join their confreres for the Jubilee celebration. Present with us, however, was Fr. Eddy Birmingham, SJ, the present Dean of Studies at the Regional Seminary, who also celebrates 25 years of priesthood this year. Fr. George Williams (St. Lucia), who began his formation with the same group but who was ordained five years ago, likewise, was among those celebrating with the jubilarians.

The Eucharist was presided over by the Ordinary of Port of Spain, His Grace, Archbishop Edward Gilbert, CSSR, and the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, was the homilist. In his homily Archbishop Gullickson reminded the congregation that “Priesthood is not a point of arrival, a decoration for somebody’s lapel; it is a point of departure …. Priesthood is a life-long adventure and although we are never ‘home free’ this side of the grave, there is certainly a sense in which after 25 years we can rejoice in the yield of the harvest.” On this special occasion it seemed most fitting for him to add: “We thank the Lord for these men and all the good which has come to the Church in the region at their hands”, but “in well-founded hope, we pray that the next 25 years will be even more fruitful to the greater honor and glory of God.” The Nuncio assured the seven men and the congregation that “Life for a priest only gets better as you enter deeper into the mystery of fulfilling God’s Will and of cooperating with the grace bestowed.”

Using the occasion to encourage a greater awareness of the value of local vocations, the Nuncio stated: “Fair or not, I think we priests, completed as we are by Him in whom we live and move and have our being, have even more reason to give thanks. Our gratitude, profound gratitude for the representational role bestowed upon us in union with Christ, is certainly mysterious but not esoteric. Believing folks have appreciation for what this means and how important priesthood is both for the Church and for the life of the world. If parents of small children don’t dream about a son of theirs becoming a priest they don’t have the faith; they have somehow missed out on where joy lies this side of heaven.” And how infinitely true is this last sentence!

The Jubilee celebration served as a great occasion for what was a short reunion of clergy, religious and laity alike. Some were fellow students, present and past lecturers, and also friends, benefactors and well-wishers of the seminary.

After a sumptuous dinner, the former Rector, Fr. Henry Charles, under whose leadership all the jubilarians were formed, and Dr. Everard Johnston, who has been a lecturer in various subjects areas throughout the formation period of the ten men and still a member of the Seminary faculty, expressed their pride in the Class of 1985, and shared sentiments of joy for being part of that journey.

It was then the turn of each jubilarian to share some thoughts on his time spent at the Regional Seminary and his 25 years of priestly journey. These inputs were reminiscent of an enjoyable period of study and formation that was made possible by the many people who contributed to its success. The reflections featured not only the lecturers and formators, but also the many friends of the seminary, the individuals and families in Trinidad who opened their homes to the students, especially those from the various islands and the Guyanas, the kitchen and other ancillary staff who played a significant role in keeping them healthy, the many friends who cared for the well-being of the seminary, and the religious and lay students who brought an added dimension to the theological discourse. The jubilarians spoke of the comradry in the group, the prayer life, the social interaction, the engaging lecturers, the lively liturgies, etc, that characterized that period in their life.