Caribbean Theology Today

Just completed our first virtual forum on COVID 19. Excellent effort. There were 35 participants with 4 excellent feature presentation from Sr. Julie Marie Peters, Fr. Esteban Kross, Mrs. Gloria Bertrand and Bishop Clyde Harvey.

Our Virtual Forum is on tomorrow

Presenters at the 19th Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today, Paramaribo, Suriname, June 11-15, 2018. Theme " Laudato 'Si : Caribbean Responses"

New CTCT Logo

This book followed two other books published by Fr. St. Rose : (a) Helen and her Sister Haiti and (b) In Turbulent Waters. All of Fr. St. Rose 's books are available on Amazon.

Yesterday, December 4th, Fr. J. Lambert St. Rose launched his third book, an anthology on the relationship between the Lord's Prayer, spirituality and social justice entiled " Our Father, Prayer and Praxis.

Congratulations to Martin Schade on the publication of his book entitled "INCARNATION: The Harmony of One Love in the Totality of Reality". Schade, a former Jesuit priest, is a senior lecturer at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Schade attended the inaugural conference on Caribbean Theology Today in St. Lucia in 1994, as well as conferences in 1999,2000,2003, 2004 and 2005. His PhD Dissertation from the University of the West Indies in 2011 is entitled "Dialectical Incarnation : A Harmony of One Love, One Heart in the Totality of Reality".

Congratulations to Fr. Martin Sirju, one of the founding members of our conference who celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his priestly ordination on June 23rd, 2016. Because of preparations for the anniversary celebrations Fr. Sirju was unable to attend ST. LUCIA 2016. He however facilitated the participation of Dr. Teruyuki Tsuji, who is researching La Divina Pastora in his parish of Siparia. Dr. Tsuji currently holds the positions of Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, and Visiting Scholar at National Museum of Ethnology, Japan. His paper at our conference was entitled "The Power of Mary in Trinidad: Inspiration and Seduction for the Post/Colonial Production of Religion". In the photos attached Fr. Martin is being garlanded by his mother and family during the Jubilee celebrations. The single photo is of Dr. Tsuji.

Just received news of the passing of Sr. Jean Devenish-Huggins SJC one of our colleagues who died today. Born on 27th February, 1933, Sr. Jean first attended one of our Conferences in 2000. She has attended every other Conference since until 2009. Sr. Jean was the musical director of the Helen Chorale in Trinidad and also taught Liturgical Studies at CREDI in Trinidad. For the Conference she would usually volunteer as "scribe" to compile a narrative for reporting on the Conferences. Some of her reports can be viewed as "Older posts" on our website. They include (a) "Wednesday 17: A Day's Journey" and (b) Rediscovering Narrative: The Theological Journey".

Reflections on the Cheryl Herrera Memorial Lecture. Dr. Anna Kasafi Perkins "Caribbean women have been deformed from being forced to small up themselves in the ecclesial space". Dr Alison McLetchie "Nuff respect for de women and men who have helped all God's people get to know Him, love Him and His creations".

Fr. Clyde Harvey : "The work continues. Contributions no matter how small have value. I have a sense of transitioning. We must have at least one plank in place by the next conference. The region needs this process. Don't small up. Stay up and move forward".

Participants at ST.LUCIA 2016 (18th Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today)

Dr. Alison McLetchie (Claflin University) will deliver the "Cheryl Herrera Memorial Lecture" on June 14 @ 8.00pm at the Cardinal Kelvin Felix Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre. Her lecture is entitled "Nuff Respect : Claiming Space for Women in the Caribbean Church". Dr. Anna Perkins (UWI, Mona) will respond. Her topic "Ooman, Small up in the Space : A Response to Alison McLetchie". The moderators for this public lecture will Mrs. June Johnston and Sr. Rose Leon SJC.

The Trinidad contingent is due in this afternoon. That group includes Bernadette Salandy, Dr. Everard Johnston & June Johnston, Felix Edinborough, Gloria Bertrand, Roma Chevalier, and Dr. Sylvia Rose-Ann Walker. Also arriving this afternoon is Dr. Anna Perkins from Jamaica and Dr. Teruyuki Tsuji, who currently holds the positions of Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, and Visiting Scholar at National Museum of Ethnology, Japan. Later this evening Dr. Ramon Lusarraga, a Cuban theologian based in the USA is expected to arrive.

Gerald Boodoo, Adanna James and Peter Jordens are the first overseas participants to arrive for ST.LUCIA. 2016. Boodoo who heads the African Studies Program at Duquesne University arrived yesterday afternoon from Pittsburg. Adanna James, who is a doctoral student at the Catholic University of Louvain, in Belgium, arrived last evening arrived via London/Barbados. Peter Jordens from Curacoa also arrived last night on LIAT via Antigua.

Other presenters include :
(a) Dr.Teruyuki Tsuji ,Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies and a Visiting Scholar, National Museum of Ethnology, Japan. His topic : "The Power of Mary in Trinidad/ Inspiration and Seduction for the Post Colonial Production of Religions."
(b) Sr. Rose Leon SJC, a PhD student at Universite Antilles Guyane, will present on "Penetrating the walls of a conservative church: The case of Bèlè l’Eglise in Martinique."
(c) Chase Hyder is a Catholic graduate theology student studying inculturation among the Kalinago of Dominica.In her paper she will explore the relationship between the Catholic Church and
culture, specifically in regard to the indigenous Kalinago people of Dominica.
(d)Dr. Everard Johnston's topic is " Inculturation and Indigenization in a Globalized World: Reflections on a 200-year old Catholic church building in Trinidad".
(e)Msgr. Patrick Anthony will present "A Comparative Study of Inculturation in St. Lucia and among the Chewa peoples of Mzupadzi region of Chipata, Zambia."
(f) Sharon Syriac, a PhD student who created and co-directed the documentary (The Madonna Murti) on the La Divina Pastora/ Sipari Mai phenomenon in Trinidad, will share on her doctoral thesis entitled "Contesting Boundaries in Shared Sacred Space: Women's Rites, Rituals and Resilience at Siparia RC Church."

Rev.Omar Archer is an ordained Baptist minister from the Bahamas, currently residing in Jamaica and pursuing a PhD in Theology at The University of the West Indies Mona Campus. He wrote ", I would like to share in this conference on the development and construction of a Bahamian Theology. My paper is entitled, "We Rushing Through The Crowd: Doing Theology in a Bahamian Context."