MY VISIT TO
St. John Vianney and the Ugandan Martyrs Seminary
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Since I had a whole day before my time to address the bishops this afternoon, Monday night I volunteered to go to the regional seminary downtown to spend an evening with the seminarians.
They picked me up at 4:30 so I could join them for dinner. I shared with them some of the insights I have gained working with seminarians, priests and bishops over the last several years. I gave them a short form of a talk I gave at the Canon Law Convention last Fall in Pittsburgh and one I will give the Bishops of the Antilles this afternoon.
The seminary is actually located in a parish with the parish rectory connected to the seminary. The old seminary building was just too big for such a small group. The old seminary is used for retreats, bishops' meetings and local archdiocesan functions. Above the old seminary, higher up on the mountain, is a large Benedictine monastery with only 9 or 10 monks.
The whole seminary fits in one room. The Rector had a diocesan meeting so he could not be there.
Getting the chicken, rice and vegetables out and ready for the microwave. The dinner was quite good, especially the chicken.
The kitchen was a bit crowded, so some set the table on the porch and prepared the drinks. I had Sprite with ice!!!!! It was sooooo good!
We ate outside on the porch. After dinner, we had two types of ice cream in flavors I had never experienced. Quite good!
The whole evening was a great experience, I think, from both sides! I know for sure I enjoyed it and it made me realize how much I miss working at the seminary. I was so inspired by their dedication, motivation and heroic generosity.
We laughed a lot.
This event and all the costs associated with it was sponsored by R J Mission Projects, a charity established by me and a good friend of mine.
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ANTILLES EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE
St. John Vianney and the Ugandan Martyrs Seminary
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Since I had a whole day before my time to address the bishops this afternoon, Monday night I volunteered to go to the regional seminary downtown to spend an evening with the seminarians.
They picked me up at 4:30 so I could join them for dinner. I shared with them some of the insights I have gained working with seminarians, priests and bishops over the last several years. I gave them a short form of a talk I gave at the Canon Law Convention last Fall in Pittsburgh and one I will give the Bishops of the Antilles this afternoon.
The seminary is actually located in a parish with the parish rectory connected to the seminary. The old seminary building was just too big for such a small group. The old seminary is used for retreats, bishops' meetings and local archdiocesan functions. Above the old seminary, higher up on the mountain, is a large Benedictine monastery with only 9 or 10 monks.
The whole seminary fits in one room. The Rector had a diocesan meeting so he could not be there.
Getting the chicken, rice and vegetables out and ready for the microwave. The dinner was quite good, especially the chicken.
The kitchen was a bit crowded, so some set the table on the porch and prepared the drinks. I had Sprite with ice!!!!! It was sooooo good!
We ate outside on the porch. After dinner, we had two types of ice cream in flavors I had never experienced. Quite good!
The whole evening was a great experience, I think, from both sides! I know for sure I enjoyed it and it made me realize how much I miss working at the seminary. I was so inspired by their dedication, motivation and heroic generosity.
We laughed a lot.
This event and all the costs associated with it was sponsored by R J Mission Projects, a charity established by me and a good friend of mine.
*********************************************************************************
ANTILLES EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE
ANNUAL MEETING
Port of Spain
Trinidad and Tobago
April 12, 2016
(continued)
"BUILDING INTENTIONAL PRESBYTERATES"
What I Have Learned in My Seventeen Years of Work Teaching and Implementing Canon 245
Rev. J. Ronald Knott
A view of the city of Port of Spain from where we are meeting.
We are meeting in the closed regional seminary, now retreat house and meeting spaces.
Since it was a regional seminary, many of the bishops went to the seminary here.
Above the seminary, higher up on Mount of St. Benedict is the Benedictine monastery called Our Lady of Exile Abbey. It is a very large building with about 9-10 monks left. They make and sell yogurt. St. Meinrad Archabbey is blessed to be thriving so well even in these days.
A typical scene at Morning Prayer and Mass. On this particular day, Bishop Karel Choennie, Bishop of Paramaribo, Suriname, was celebrant (hidden from view). The bishop immediately to the right, closest to the camera, is Bishop Burchell McPherson of Montego Bay, Jamaica. In the middle is Archbishop Robert Rivas, OP, Archbishop of Castries, St. Lucia.
We sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" as the closing song - with a strong Caribbean beat and a steel drum sound on the synthesizer. Marvelous!
RON, YOU'RE ON!
I did my presentation to the bishops this afternoon at 3:30 pm. I talked about an hour, using Power Point and they were given time to ask questions. They were very engaged and very appreciative of the topic. Some wanted to know how to order my books.
I think they were a bit amazed by the "neglect" of presbyterates, presbyteral theology and issues related to the presbyterate. As one Archbishop mused out loud, "After all we have been through since Vatican II, how did we let this neglect happen?" He seemed a bit stunned by the information presented - maybe by how obvious it all is? I felt very, very good by the reception I received - and to believe that I was crippled by bashfulness in situations like this when I was in the seminary! I never could have imagined then what I have just done!
What I thought would happen, happened. The invitations are flowing in to come to their dioceses to speak to their priests: St. Lucia, Barbados, Belize, Dominica and so on! I have my work cut out for me until I am 80!
Belly up to the bar, bishops!
After a long day of meetings, a drink before dinner!
Lunch was heavy! A light dinner of soup and sandwiches was served - with ice cream! Anything cold, please!!!!! A couple of times during afternoon siesta time, I took my pillow and the bedspread and took a nap on the floor of the computer room. It has air-conditioning! I may do it tonight at least until it cools down. I have to get up at 3:00 am and be ready to go to the airport at 4:00 am to catch the 7:00 am flight to Miami and then home to Louisville.
ALLELUIA!
My participation in this event for the bishops and all the costs associated with it was sponsored by R J Mission Projects, a charity established by me and a good friend of mine.
(continued)
"BUILDING INTENTIONAL PRESBYTERATES"
What I Have Learned in My Seventeen Years of Work Teaching and Implementing Canon 245
Rev. J. Ronald Knott
The English, French and Dutch territories of the Caribbean, with the exception of Haïti, constitute the geographical area entrusted to the pastoral care of the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
The Catholic Church within these territories comprises five Provinces, consisting of five archdioceses, fourteen dioceses and two Independent Missions, i.e., twenty-one ecclesiastical units in all. Politically, within the five Provinces there are thirteen independent nations (Belize, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, Guyana, Suriname, The Bahamas, St. Kitts-Nevis, three Departments of France (Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique), two parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands having complete internal autonomy (Curacao + and Aruba ), and six British colonies (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands). In addition, one United States Dependency, St Thomas, enjoys observer status.This conference of bishops serve about 2,145,000 Catholics.
A view of the city of Port of Spain from where we are meeting.
We are meeting in the closed regional seminary, now retreat house and meeting spaces.
Since it was a regional seminary, many of the bishops went to the seminary here.
Above the seminary, higher up on Mount of St. Benedict is the Benedictine monastery called Our Lady of Exile Abbey. It is a very large building with about 9-10 monks left. They make and sell yogurt. St. Meinrad Archabbey is blessed to be thriving so well even in these days.
A typical scene at Morning Prayer and Mass. On this particular day, Bishop Karel Choennie, Bishop of Paramaribo, Suriname, was celebrant (hidden from view). The bishop immediately to the right, closest to the camera, is Bishop Burchell McPherson of Montego Bay, Jamaica. In the middle is Archbishop Robert Rivas, OP, Archbishop of Castries, St. Lucia.
We sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" as the closing song - with a strong Caribbean beat and a steel drum sound on the synthesizer. Marvelous!
RON, YOU'RE ON!
I did my presentation to the bishops this afternoon at 3:30 pm. I talked about an hour, using Power Point and they were given time to ask questions. They were very engaged and very appreciative of the topic. Some wanted to know how to order my books.
I think they were a bit amazed by the "neglect" of presbyterates, presbyteral theology and issues related to the presbyterate. As one Archbishop mused out loud, "After all we have been through since Vatican II, how did we let this neglect happen?" He seemed a bit stunned by the information presented - maybe by how obvious it all is? I felt very, very good by the reception I received - and to believe that I was crippled by bashfulness in situations like this when I was in the seminary! I never could have imagined then what I have just done!
What I thought would happen, happened. The invitations are flowing in to come to their dioceses to speak to their priests: St. Lucia, Barbados, Belize, Dominica and so on! I have my work cut out for me until I am 80!
Belly up to the bar, bishops!
After a long day of meetings, a drink before dinner!
Lunch was heavy! A light dinner of soup and sandwiches was served - with ice cream! Anything cold, please!!!!! A couple of times during afternoon siesta time, I took my pillow and the bedspread and took a nap on the floor of the computer room. It has air-conditioning! I may do it tonight at least until it cools down. I have to get up at 3:00 am and be ready to go to the airport at 4:00 am to catch the 7:00 am flight to Miami and then home to Louisville.
ALLELUIA!
My participation in this event for the bishops and all the costs associated with it was sponsored by R J Mission Projects, a charity established by me and a good friend of mine.
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