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our CATHOLIC community Volume 3 No. 11 September 2014 Issue A publication of the Diocese of Roseau, Dominica $2.00 Professing Vows Feast Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Hike With Your Clergy Sts. John & Lewis Parish Bazaar A Virgin Mary Success Inside Editor’s Pen Bishop’s Message: The Catholic Educator In An Evolving Environment - Part II 03 OUR CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND Greater Recognition and Respect LAY ASSOCIATES for Teachers Hike With Your Clergy 04 he Summer holidays have come Journey To The Priesthood: Interview With to an end and the new school Brs. Garvey Blanc & Calvin Auguiste 05 Tyear is upon us. It is hoped that the respite the summer vacation New Appointments In The Diocese Of Roseau 05 has provided has been relaxing, Missionary Sisters Of The Immaculate Heart Of rejuvenating and recreational. Mary, (ICM) Celebrate 100 Years Of Presence As professionals, many teachers In The Caribbean -Part V 06 may have taken some time during their vacation to reflect on their contribution OUR DIOCESE to the education process during the Know Your Faith: past year, identified areas that need improvement and examined ways of Liturgy Update: The Homily - Part V 07 enhancing their performance during I Believe In The Holy Catholic Church - the coming year. The Church In The Plan of God 07 Each new year, teachers at all levels Tell Fr. Ben 08 of education are faced with numerous Celebrating The Feast Of Sts. Anne & Joachim 08 challenges and are required to make Our Catholic Heritage - The History Of Our Lady Of adjustments to meet those challenges; pressures of the classroom and Lourdes National Shrine In Soufriere 09 classroom management; maintaining Hail Alphonsus 10 currency with the Information Age and 2014 CSEC Examination Results In 11 the technology required to manage Personal Rosary Crusade 11 this information; deciding on the most Feast Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary 12 effective methodology to deliver the Redemptorists Professing Their Vows 13 content of the target subject; demands from school administration and the Sts. John & Lewis Visit Twinning Parish 14 Ministry of education; preparing term Gregorian Mass For The Feast Of The Assumption 15 and weekly lesson plans; curriculum Sts. John & Lewis Parish Bazaar A Success 16 requirements; completing the syllabus; Events & Notice Board 17 setting up marking schemes for tests Prayer Corner 17 and examinations- the list goes on. Teachers are entrusted with OUR CHURCH IN THE CARIBBEAN the education of the nation’s most 23rd Biennial Conference Of CACT 19 valuable resource. Without their efforts in developing this resource OUR CATHOLIC WORLD no other resource necessary for the growth and development of the nation Pope Francis Reveals Top 10 Secrets To Happiness 20 would be possible. It is through the intelligence, knowledge, skills, talents KID’S CORNER 21 and experiences of a nation’s human resource that a nation develops. And OUR YOUTH: EDUCATION, this is achieved in great measure RECREATION AND FAITH through the hard work and diligence Interview With Catholic Teachers & Students 22 and dedication of teachers. Farewell Fr. Brancker John 23 When one considers the formidable task that teachers face The Social Communications Office in delivering quality education to the Diocese of Roseau, Turkey Lane, P.O. Box 790 nation’s most valuable resource, it Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica behoves the powers that be, and all Tel: (767) 448-2837 - (767) 448-8717 stakeholders, to take cognizance of this Fax: 1(767) 448-3404 fact and give teachers the recognition Email: [email protected] and respect they so richly deserve. 02 OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER 2014 ISSUE Bishop’s Message The Catholic Educator in an Evolving Environment - Part II of this progress in our daily lives, benefits 1. In referring to the role of the Catholic on which we are becoming increasingly School in the new evangelization, the dependent. As a result, science and gospel must be announced in such a technology are in danger of becoming fashion as to assure the relationship today’s new idols. In a digitalized and between faith and life of the individual globalized world, science can easily be person and in the socio-cultural considered a new religion, to which we setting in which people live, act and turn with questions concerning truth interrelate. and meaning, even though we know that 2. Secondly, the Catholic School the responses provided are only partial personnel should be grounded in a and not totally satisfying. New forms of faith-based Catholic culture, and by “gnosis” are emerging where technology witness to the faith in both words and itself becomes a kind of philosophy actions. The formation of personnel in which knowledge and meaning are will allow the Gospel message and the derived from an unreal structuring of living presence of Jesus to penetrate life. New cults are increasing each day the entire life of the school community and they ultimately end up by turning and thus be faithful to the school’s religious practice into a form of seeking evangelizing mission (AEC PL, pp. 13- prosperity and instant gratification. 14). This is the basis of the contemporary The Bishops further emphasized success-oriented philosophy, which has that “Catholic educators are called become so commonplace today. It does to do much more than share religious not correspond to the principles of the knowledge. Professionalism should be Gospel preached by Jesus. marked by, and raised to, a supernatural n an address to a group of new The Catholic Teacher as Agent of Christian vocation. It is the personal ambassadors to the Holy See in May Change in the Caribbean witness and holiness of the teacher that I2013, Pope Francis called on world In his Apostolic Exhortation: will have the greatest impact on the leaders to end the “cult of money” and to Evangelii Nuntiandi Pope Paul VI states: students. Catholic educators therefore do more for the poor. He told the diplomats “Modern man listens more willingly to should model collaboration, love that free market economy has created a witnesses than to teachers, and if he for the faith, communion with the tyranny, in which people were valued does listen to teachers, it is because they Church and concern for the poor and only by their ability to consume. “Money,” are witnesses” (EN. 41). Here the Pontiff marginalized. They must be committed he said, “has to serve, not to rule,” thus makes it clear that it is primarily by the to leading the students to encounter Jesus urging ethical financial reforms. The conduct of his/her life that the teacher and develop a relationship with Him that Vatican Bank has launched a website will evangelize the world, that is, the expresses itself in witness and service” and will publish its annual report in an local situation in which he/she lives and (AEC PL, pp. 26). effort to increase transparency. works. No matter what the proposal in Again the Bishops stressed Pope Francis said life had become the “new evangelization” and no matter that, as a religious and moral leader worse for people in both rich and poor what the pastoral project of proclamation of the classroom, the teacher has a countries. He said the “worship of the and transmission of the faith, there is no responsibility to demonstrate a Catholic golden calf” of old had found a new and escaping the fact that people’s lives give lifestyle and implement the Diocesan heartless image in the current cult of force to their efforts at evangelization. education programme that reflects money. Reforms were urgently needed Precisely in this manner, their life has Catholic Christian values: as poverty was becoming more and more an exemplary character, confirming the a.Foster and maintain classroom prayer; evident. People struggle to live, and authenticity of their selfless dedication b.Internalize the “servant” model of frequently in an undignified way, under and of the truth of what they teach and Christian service; the dictatorship of an economy which call upon others to live. c.Assist students to use religious lacked any real human goal. He said that Today’s “educational emergency” education classes to understand and the Church has a special duty to defend as it is referred to by Pope Benedict XVI, internalize a sense of God’s plan for the poor. calls upon educators to know how to be humankind, the mystery of Jesus Christ, Finally, the fifth sector which credible witnesses to this reality and of the Church, and our spirituality (cf. AEC. challenges the work of the new the values which can serve as the basis PL on Ed. p. 39). evangelization is scientific and for personal existence and the shared Such is the challenge of the new technological research. We are living projects of living together in society. In evangelization in an evolving environment at a time when people still marvel at its agenda for Catholic Education in the and to which our teachers are called to the wonders resulting from continual 21st Century the Bishops of the Antilles be prime agents, especially in the context advances in scientific and technological emphasized in their recent Pastoral of the Catholic schools. research. All of us experience the benefit Letter that: “IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURES IS IGNORANCE OF CHRIST” 03 Hike With Your Clergy By Fr. Herman Sharplis ver 70 clergy and lay people participated in the annual O‘Hike With Your Clergy’ for 2014. Frs. Herman Sharplis - president of the Association of Diocesan Clergy, Nigel Karam, OUR CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND LAY ASSOCIATES RELIGIOUS AND LAY OUR CLERGY, Branker John, and Deacon Curtis Victor, accompanied by 40 lay persons, began the ‘Hike With Your Clergy’ at 8:00 a.m.