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Message
to Archbishop-elect,
Edward Joseph Gilbert,
from the Diocesan Administrator Your
Grace It
is my privilege to welcome you, on behalf of Bishop John Mendes, the
clergy, religious and laity of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain as our
ninth Archbishop. You
have visited the Archdiocese many times over the past seven years as
Bishop of Roseau, Dominica, a member of various Commissions and Boards of
the Antilles Episcopal Conference and a speaker at various
conferences. Now, however, we welcome you as our chief shepherd. For
the past twelve moths, since the death of Archbishop Anthony Pantin, we
have been praying that God will give us a shepherd after his own heart, a
true son of Mary, someone who would be aflame with love for God and for
all his people here in Trinidad and Tobago. We have always known
that it would be difficult for any one person to fulfill that ideal.
Today we, the church in this Archdiocese, pledge ourselves to work with
you so that God will enable you to be the answer to that prayer. At
the annual Chrismal Mass, celebrated some weeks ago, we the clergy of the Archdiocese,
together with Bishop John Mendes, renewed our commitment to our priestly
vocation in the service of God's people. Our religious brothers and asters,
including those in lay communities, continue to give testimony to their
special charisms in prayer, service and the practice of the evangelical counsels.
Our laity are blessed with a deep understanding of their baptismal call
and are eager to play their part in the mission of the church, especially
by being a leaven in our society., We
are confident that, under your leadership, our Catholic Church will
continue to give effective witness to the Gospel so that we can continue
to play our part in building a civilization of love in our country
and the world. We hope to continue our special commitments to minister
to the poor and marginalized, to collaborate actively with other religious
bodies, and to work with all men and women of good will for the glory of God
and the good of his people. This
weekend we celebrate the feast of La Divina Pastora in Siparia and next weekend
we begin the annual series of devotions to Our Lady of Fatima at the
Laventille Shrine. We are pleased that you have agreed to be part of
these two important Church events. Our Archdiocese, dedicated to the
Immaculate Heat of Mary under the title of Maria Spes, is blessed to have
you among us., Christian
D Pereira
Diocesan Administrator Friday,
4th May, 2001
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