"Many people who are on the path of fulfilling their career goals, look at teaching as a profession, rather than a vocation. You and I though, are the ones to re-establish teaching as a vocation."

This was one of Archbishop's Gilbert's observations, as he dialogued with the participants of the Tobago Catholic Teachers Renewal Day 2006, held on May 10, at the Sacred Heart Church, Delaford.

The day's proceedings commenced with morning devotions at 9.00 a.m., after which, Gloria Brebnor-Warner, principal of Delaford RC School, welcomed the participants (mainly of Delaford and Scarborough RC schools) to the event. Present among the persons conveying their greetings was Sr Columba Byrne of the Archdiocesan Catechetical Office.

Archbishop Gilbert presided at Holy Mass with Fr Steve Duncan con-celebrating. Fr Duncan proclaimed the gospel, before the Archbishop delivered the homily.

He said, “most people who graduate and move to England, the US or other places to pursue careers or to attend university, come out of a Catholic school.”

He jokingly said, “I know not, if they send postcards for you at Christmas, but they should, because they make it through you.” They are products of a Catholic value system, a system he noted, because of its absence, is a problem.

“As far as I am concerned,” he said, “the negatives in our society, are not always as a result of drugs of broken families, but the absence of a good value system such as that of a Catholic school.”

He gave his definition of Catholic Education as:
a) a means of Evangelisation - “something we never apologise for.”
b) a design for the formation of the whole person - “God gives gifts of talent for one's total development.”
c) Operates within Catholic culture - “by planning, dialogue and communicating values.”

He advised the teachers to follow the advice they themselves give the parents at PTA meetings, which is to listen to our children with both ears and eyes.

“Children communicate more via body language and posture, rather than actually speaking.” He said, “Hindu parents send their kids to Catholic primary schools deliberately, because they believe the education and formation is better than what they receive elsewhere.” He noted that he learned and observed since being here, that the Muslim schools are clearly Muslim.

Hindu schools are clearly Hindu. “Why then, “ he asked as he concluded, “are the Catholic schools, not clearly Catholic?” He was not really speaking of how many Catholic students attend Catholic schools, but more so of the sort of formation system, under which the students are formed, trained and educated. In his final blessings, he urged the teachers to fulfill their ministry in the Church.

Being fed spiritually by both the Mass and a dialogue session with the Archbishop, the participants proceeded to the school, where they were fed physically with lunch. This period served as a time for the teachers to relax, chat and be re-energised for the afternoon workshop session, which was divided into two groups.

Fr Duncan and Bernadette Phillips conducted the two sessions simultaneously. Fr Duncan in his workshop introduced his theme, The Holy Spirit in the Life of a Teacher. He urged the participants to implore the Holy Spirit as creator.

“The absence of the Holy Spirit, makes us lose sense of creativity – not for creativity sake – but in the sense of being creative under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit,” he said as he shared few experiences of the times he called on the Holy Spirit for guidance and was answered.

He encouraged participants to pray to the Father, through the Son, with the power of the Holy Spirit. “You must ask yourself, where is your motivation coming from,” he said,  “If your motivation is coming from outside-in, then something is wrong,” he urged, “let our motivation for creativity come from inside-out.”

He then noted that he is not a teacher in the classical sense, as he comically admitted that had he become a teacher, he might not have made it – but a priest and a teacher, share a common goal.

Bernadette Phillips, lead catechist at St Joseph's conducted her workshop, “Adult Catechetics”, at the school, where a number of issues were raised.

Along with these issues discussed were the possible solutions to the problems facing our Church and schools. Participants also explored for a brief period, the possibility of introducing the Alpha programme in Tobago. Sr Columba described Alpha as a basic Christian course.

She noted though, that it is not a lecture session, but formatted in such a way, that the first 30 minutes is spent sharing food, so everybody feel as one.

The second 40 minutes or thereabout, in viewing a movie, and the final 30 minutes in sharing thoughts, based on the movie viewed.

At the end of the workshops, Eulalie Mills, principal of Scarborough RC School, gave the vote of thanks, and the day's event was brought to a close.