St. PETER WALKED ON WATER, BUT THIS PRIEST NEEDS A BOAT!

THIS IS HOW ST. PETER DID IT

THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE TODAY

INTRODUCING ONE OF THE PRIESTS I WORK WITH IN THE MISSIONS

Father Rex Ramos

This is not what we typically think of when we think of a priest headed to celebrate Sunday Mass at one of his parishes, but this is Father Rex Ramos headed to one of his three islands to celebrate Sunday Mass with his three parish communities on three different islands.

Father Rex is a thirty-five year old priest from the Philippines volunteering for a second term in the missions of the Diocese of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Here is his story and his need. 

FATHER REX IN A RENTED BOAT HEADED OUT TO CELEBRATE MASSES

On November 8th 2013, I arrived on the shores of St Vincent and the Grenadines. St Vincent and the Grenadines is a multi-island state which is comprised of 32 islands and cays, with the main island St Vincent in the north and the Grenadines strung out to the southwest of it. Only five of the 32 islands are inhabited, with an overall population of 110,000 persons, of which 6 percent are baptized Catholic and 1 percent practicing Catholic. The early settlers on the island were the Amerindians, who are now referred to as indigenous people. The first Europeans to occupy the country were French, followed by the British up until the time of independence in 1979. Most residents, over 70 percent, are descendants of African slaves. The other residents are mainly mixed race and indigenous people. There are also very few whites, Portuguese and Asians. 

The Diocese of Kingstown is the lone Diocese in the country. It is comprised of seven parishes, five on mainland St. Vincent and two in the Grenadines. Each parish is assigned one parish priest except for the largest parish, that is the Cathedral parish. Besides the cathedral parish, each parish, on average, has three missions or communities to be served by the single parish priest and a married deacon who is not always available to assist. It is difficult for the few priests to minister to the faithful on a regular basis, sometimes, in the parish I serve, the people have to settle for a service done by a lay leader for the entire weekend. The Diocese of Kingstown has only nine priests, four of whom are missionary priests (2 Nigerian and 2 Filipino). 

I am assigned as Parish Priest in the Southern Grenadines, in a beautiful parish referred to as the Holy Family Parish. There are about 105 families in my parish, stretched across the three islands (Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island), which are approximately 10 nautical miles apart. The main mode of transportation between these islands is by a ferry, however, at times it is necessary for the priest to travel on a ‘speed-boat’ or ‘water taxi’ (a small fishing boat) to serve the communities more efficiently. On average, 20 to 30 persons attend mass weekly, because of the shortage of priest this number dwindles from time to time. At Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day, a large number of residents attend church, partly because at these times, the residents are sure that a priest is available for Mass.

Generally, the people on the islands (which is called the Grenadines) are lower to middle class in status and their main sources of income are tourism, fishing and setting up small shops and businesses. Some of the families find great difficulty in meeting basic requirements for survival; most of these families are single female-headed families.

I travel from island to island not only to conduct weekly masses, but also for weddings, funerals and baptisms. As the parish priest, I also minister to the troubled, homebound and the sick, I offer last rites to dying parishioners and officiate at happy occasions such as blessings of new homes and at community events. 

It is difficult to service three islands. First the ferry/boat and flight service is not always reliable. It is expensive and tiring to travel between the islands to conduct Sunday mass and other ministry work. For example, with one priest serving the parish, one church may not have a mass for up to two weekends, which has adverse impact on the members of the Catholic community, resulting in a steady decline in the number of practicing Catholics.

Although there have been many challenges, I have grown tremendously over my two-year stay in the Grenadines. I was able to see my priestly vocation with new eyes, thanks to the challenges that I have experienced. Living as a priest means, not only living the sacraments, but also trying to draw closer to the model of Jesus, who has lived for the people and with the people, especially the poor. I understand that a priest can grow in his vocation, accepting the challenge of the mission in an environment different from his own.

Coming from the Philippines, I had an instant culture shock. But, over time I have been able to understand the people and their culture. The experience over the past two years has proved to be very enlightening and rewarding. The people have embraced me and while I am able to share the word of God and influence positive change, I’ve also had the opportunity to meet a number of wonderful people and learn from them. This being my first mission, I must mention that I love and enjoy missionary work very much.

(TOP) Father Rex sitting in front of one of the decorated altars of his churches.

(BOTTOM) Father Rex and his team of altar servers lined up for Mass at one of his three island churches.

Father Rex fishes as a hobby, but also to help feed himself on a very modest salary. Any surplus is shared with families and friends. 

Father Rex on the right and Father Edmundo on the left taking the new Bishop Gerard County (center) on his first visit to the most southern islands of the Grenadines. There are 23 islands in his diocese, but only a few are inhabited.

OK! WHO IS GOING TO HELP FATHER REX GET TO HIS PARISHES? 

HIS PARISHES NEED A BOAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

THERE IS ALSO A NEED FOR A GOLF CART ON EACH ISLAND (THREE GOLF CARTS IN ALL) AS A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. A CAR WOULD BE WAY TOO EXPENSIVE TO OWN AND OPERATE. 

THESE TWO PRIESTS CAN WALK AND SWIM, BUT CERTAINLY NOT THAT MUCH!