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“It was a moment of great significance,” reads an excerpt from the Catholic News, the official paper of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. That moment, November 3, 2009 was the beginning of a new partnership between Catholic Leadership Institute and the Archdiocese of Port of Spain. For the first time in Catholic Leadership Institute’s history, Good Leaders, Good Shepherds is being delivered outside of the United States to priests from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
Thirty-seven priests, including the Archbishop of Port of Spain, Most Rev. Edward Gilbert, began the two-year process in support of the mission of the local Church which is to “build a civilization of love.” Fr. Bill Dickinson, National Director for Ministry Development said, “The Institute hopes to help them build this civilization through quality training and support that will enable the priests of this Archdiocese to better lead and serve.”
In the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, there is approximately one priest to every 5,000 Catholics; this ratio is roughly 44 percent larger than the U.S. National average. The statistics may be daunting, “but a lot of the challenges priests from Trinidad & Tobago encounter are very similar to those in the United States,” said Lucille Smith, Catholic Leadership Learning Leader, who traveled with fellow faculty member Dennis VanAuken to deliver the second session of training in Trinidad. Many priests are responsible for more than one parish, and as is true in the U.S., the median age of active diocesan priests in Port of Spain (58 years of age) continues to increase.
The numbers tell some of the story, but not all of it. “What was so evident from the moment we arrived was how grateful the priests were to have the opportunity to take advantage of this training,” said Lucille. “They have an obvious desire to want to develop the skills to build and lead vibrant faith communities.” “I appreciate that I have a good point of reference for the future of my ministry,” said participant Fr. Steve Ransome. “I now have some tools for strengthening my leadership abilities and for better understanding others.”
The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago is located in the southern Caribbean, just northeast of Venezuela, approximately 2,200 miles from Catholic Leadership Institute’s headquarters in Philadelphia, PA. The cultural disparities presented unique challenges for Dennis and Lucille. The food was different “but wonderfully flavorful,” Lucille recalls, but in addition to the training schedule modification to accommodate the main meal in the middle of the day, there was a communication barrier to overcome. The official language of the country is English, but the main spoken language is an English dialect known by most as Creole. “I had to train my ear to listen very carefully to what the priests were saying and I was very conscious that they too, would have a difficult time understanding me,” said Lucille.
During the course of the training—with the appreciation of cultural traditions and the recognition of what unties us—Lucille was struck with a very poignant, but beautiful reminder, “that truly we are a Universal Church.”
The participants have now completed two of the six modules of Good Leaders, Good Shepherds, including Self Preparation for Leadership and Leadership of Self. They are scheduled to complete the program in May 2011.
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