Archbishop Edward Gilbert has stressed the need for “Catholic teachers to pass on the tradition of the Catholic Faith to Catholic students”. This as the archbishop spoke about the “Values and Virtues” programme that is to be implemented in all 120 Catholic primary schools by March 2008.

The Archbishop’s comment came at the launch of two programmes - "The Revitalisation of Catholic Education" and "The Values and Virtues Formation programme" - on Wednesday, September 26, at Archbishop’s House.

Archbishop Gilbert once again emphasised the need for solidarity within the archdiocese, stating, “The glue that would hold all (these projects) together is solidarity." He then went on to explain solidarity, as it should be understood within the Catholic context.

Also making presentations at the historic event were, Episcopal delegate for Education Hazel Reis, change management consultants Carolyn de la Rosa and Selwyn Bhajan, and Episcopal Vicar for Family Life, Fr Robert Llanos. The evening's proceedings went smoothly with presenters speaking briefly on their respective topics with the aid of power point presentations.

Carolyn de la Rosa, who spoke on “The Revitalisation of Catholic Schools”, which seeks to meld a host of activities – physical and otherwise – into the school curriculum, outlined some critical success factors, which included “setting clear road maps”, having a clear end result and ensuring that there is timely communication between all parties.

Selwyn Bhajan, Fr Robert Llanos and Archbishop Gilbert at the launch

These, along with the training and support, which the archdiocese will provide, will ensure the future success of this programme, she said.

Ms de la Rosa noted that the Catholic tradition has always had a pivotal role in the education system of Trinidad and Tobago and that the Church is always seeking new ways to ensure that our nation's children get the best education possible.

She stressed that the key people to ensure the programme’s success are the principals of the Catholic primary schools, who are to become “change agents”, fostering the smooth implementation of this programme and bringing it home to our children.

Each school will need to have its own set of “blueprints” for integrating this programme into their already "packed" days, she said.

Fr Llanos changed the tone of the evening somewhat as he spoke, not about the technical aspect of the programme, but about the spiritual benefits of such a programme.

Fr Llanos was very direct about the purpose of this project, saying, "We expect, in the end, a positive change in the nation."

Fr Llanos said that Catholic schools account for 23% of all schools in the nation which gives the Church a wide influence. “This programme”, said Fr Llanos, “was designed to facilitate behavioural change and create the foundation for virtuous living among our nation's youth”.

Part of this programme, explained Fr Llanos, was to track the children's progress “after they leave primary schools".

Presenting on behalf of CREDI (Catholic Religious Education Development Institute), Mr Bhajan explained CREDI's role in these programmes, underlining the fact that CREDI is a legitimate company, established within the Ministry of Education, since 1997 by an Act of Parliament.

Mr Bhajan said that with CREDI the archdiocese was already in the right space to provide support for the projects. CREDI's main objectives are "To foster the spiritual, apostolic and human development of its members through continuing training, spiritual guidance and support,” he said, and to “develop the talents of all members and, more specifically, to utilise the talents and skills of teachers, students, retirees, and those with managerial expertise in the various health, education and social service institutions which are serviced by the institution.”

After Mr Bhajan's presentation the floor was left open for questions and light refreshments were served before the evening officially ended.

Among guests at the launch were Vicar General Fr Christian Pereira, Episcopal Vicar for Social Justice Fr Michael Moses, Fr Reginald Hezekiah, Mona Rahael, a stakeholder in the “Values and Virtues” programme and wife of Health Minister John Rahael; Wendell Constantine, Lisa Bhajan and a number of primary school principals.