Sunday, June 26 was indeed a historic day in the annals of the Catholic Church in St Lucia when six married men answered the call to the permanent diaconate, and were ordained to this sacred ministry by Archbishop Kelvin Felix at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Castries.

The six men are: Arnold Clouden and Andrew Edward of the Cathedral parish, Errol Frederick of Our Lady of Fatima, La Cléry, Jeremy Joseph and Gabriel Geoffrey of St Joseph the Worker parish, Gros Islet; Luvinious Inglis of Our Lady of the Assumption parish, Vieux-Fort.

A packed congregation, consisting of Catholic faithful from Gros Islet in the north to Vieux-Fort in the south, witnessed and participated in a ceremony, which extolled the beauty of family life, the fellowship of the Mystical Body of Christ, and the sacredness of charitable service embodied in this ministry of the diaconate.

At 4.00 p.m. sharp the religious procession, consisting of altar servers, Ministers of the Eucharist, deacons, ordinands and their wives, a large company of priests especially from the Castries basin, Gros Islet, Choiseul and Vieux-Fort, Archbishop Felix, together with concelebrants Msgr Justin Barthelmy, Vicar General and Msgr Patrick Anthony, made its entry into the cathedral amid the joyous strains of the rhythmic Caribbean hymn Glory and Honour by Bro Pascal Jordan OSB.

The combined Catholic choir, comprising of senior and junior choirs of the Cathedral, the La Cléry choir and The Disciple Voices of Gros Islet remained impressive and engaging throughout the ceremony. The organists Don Howell and Rawle Trim supported by drums and percussion instruments provided a musical setting which was ably directed by Rosemary Husbands and Mervyn Jn Jacques.

Master of Ceremonies Victor Reyes, left, giving last minute instructions to candidates.

The call of the candidates was indeed memorable. A senior deacon announced: “Let those who are to be ordained deacons please come forward”. At this summons the six men, one by one, entered the sanctuary in answer to their names, carrying over their arms the deacon's stole and dalmatic, the official vestments of their order.

Monsignor Anthony, one of their tutors, publicly assured the Archbishop that the six had been found worthy to be ordained “after inquiry among the people of Christ and upon recommendation of those concerned with their training.”

Archbishop Kelvin Felix in his homily saw this unique ordination ceremony as a sign of the maturity of the Church in St Lucia . He reminded the six men of how relevant the Scripture Readings of the Sunday Mass were to their newly attained way of life.

The First Reading (2 Kings 4:8-16) illustrated charity to strangers. The Second Reading (Romans 6:3-4;8-11) underscored the importance of our baptismal commitment. The Gospel (Matthew 10:37 -42) spoke of commitment and stewardship.

Their ordination to the permanent diaconate was an extension to and a maturing of their baptismal commitment. However, he warned them that their Eucharistic ministry does not end at the altar. Rather, it must take them into the world to minister to those who are in need.

Theirs is a ministry of charity which should involve them in direct service to the needy; to the ill, the abused and battered, the young and old, the dying and bereaved, the disabled, the homeless, victims of substance abuse, prisoners, the poor and many others. Archbishop Felix underlined the importance of conversion of life and personal holiness.

“This holiness must be mirrored in the example of your lives: the way you act and react, the way you treat the Eucharist, the way you treat the Body of Christ that is the Church.”

He conceded that their family life had prepared them in great measure for this service to the People of God, but that teamwork would be essential: teamwork with their pastors, parishioners and the community in general. The Archbishop thanked the wives and families of the deacons for their co-operative support and their continuing involvement alongside their husbands.

The examination of the candidates and the promise of obedience to the Archbishop and his successors were followed by the invitation to prayer – the beautiful and moving entreaty to Our Blessed Mother and the Saints of Heaven on behalf of the six who were lying prostrate before the altar.

The laying on of hands and the prayer of consecration by the Archbishop was followed by the investiture with stole and dalmatic. The congregation looked on approvingly as the six wives ably and meticulously dressed their respective husbands in their robes of office.

The presentation of the Book of Gospels highlighted the important role of the deacon in the proclamation and the teaching of the Word. The Archbishop, having placed the Book of the Gospels in the hand of each deacon said:

“Receive the Gospel of Christ,

Whose herald you now are.

Believe what you read, teach what you believe,

And practice what you teach.”

After that it was time for congratulations. The Kiss of Peace was given firstly by the Archbishop and then by the older, fellow deacons followed by a thunderous and prolonged applause from the massive congregation.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist followed the completion of the Ceremony of Ordination. At the conclusion of the Mass, Deacon Andrew Edward, speaking on behalf of the six, moved a comprehensive vote of thanks to all those who had played a part in their training over the past four years.

He spoke very appreciatively of their Retreat Director, Fr Richard Paynter of St Vincent and the Grenadines . He also thanked the animator, Sr Rufina Donat SJC, combined choirs, ushers, security officers and all those who had played a part in the ordination ceremony and Mass.

Thirty years ago, Bishop Charles Gachet FMI ordained the first permanent deacon for service in St Lucia , in the person of Reverend Bertrand Clauzel. Today the permanent diaconate is well established as a significant feature in the structure of the local Church with several parishes having one, and in some instances two or more deacons assisting the archbishop and the local parish priests.

Catholic Chronicle