By Lesroy W. Williams
Observer Reporter
(Basseterre, St. Kitts) – Father Bernard Latus, SVD, Administrator of the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, is a man on a mission. Like the “Energizer Bunny” he keeps going and going. One wonders where he gets so much energy.
His zeal and zest for ministry is motivated by his love of God and his passion for the building up of God’s Kingdom.
Fr. Latus is a member of the religious congregation Societas Verbi Divini, known in English as the Society of the Divine Word. The Society of the Divine Word is an international congregation of Catholic missionary priests and brothers founded by Saint Arnold Janssen in September, 1875 in Steyl, a small village in the Netherlands, just across the border from Germany. Divine Word Missionaries, as they are called, work in 60 countries around the world. They are trained in cross-cultural studies to be able to bridge the cultural divide.
Fr. Latus hails from Poland, the country that produced John Paul II, arguably one of the greatest popes in the history of the Catholic Church. He was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood 20 years ago, on the October 3, 1987. Since his ordination, he has been assigned to the missions in the Caribbean. He is no stranger to Caribbean people and their way of life. He has worked in Jamaica, Antigua, the Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis and other islands. He has been the Administrator of the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for the past five years. St. Kitts and Nevis belong to the Diocese of St. John’s-Basseterre which comprises Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands.
He started his ministerial studies for the Roman Catholic Priesthood in Poland in 1980. He spent three years in the Philosophy Department of the Seminary, finishing in 1983. In 1983, he migrated to London, England, where he did his Theology at Missionary Institute affiliated to the University of Louvain, Belgium. He holds a Masters in Religious Studies from the University of Louvain. From 2001-2003, he studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois, where he earned a Masters Degree in Theology.
Asked about Church population and attendance, Fr. Latus noted that there has been an influx of Catholics on the island due to the tourist industry. Contractors from Asia come to St.Kitts and Nevis to work in the construction industry, others come to work at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, yet others come to attend medical schools. The last census taken in 1998, registered just a little under 2,000 resident Catholics in the Federation. On a regular weekend at the
Co-Cathedral, 500 or so members attend Church. This number varies depending on the tourist season or different events in the liturgical life of the Church such as Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas.
There are several groups and organizations at the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception that collaborate in the life and ministry of the Church. Such groups include Junior and Senior Choirs, the Young Adult Group, Junior Youth Group, C.A.W.A. (Catholic Women in Action), Men’s Fellowship, Grief Support Group and Children’s Choir. Fr. Bernard highlighted that the Church would like to reach out more to children. They are contemplating forming a Children’s Dance Group and a Children Altar Servers Guild.
There are a number of outreach programs. A group of parishioners visit the hospital, Cardin Home and Her Majesty’s Prison. At the prison, the prisoners undergo the Houses of Healing Program of Rehabilitation and a
Bible Service once a month. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society (S.V.P.), the social arm of the Church, on Saturday’s reaches out to the poor by providing them with food and clothing.
Fr. Bernard believes that the Church has not done enough to reach out to the gangs in the Federation. He feels that we are overwhelmingly concerned about our own security and comfort and have failed to reach out to the gangs who are searching for a sense of identity and belonging. He also feels that we have not done enough to help dropouts from schools and teenage mothers. The Church has to do more in these
Areas, he said.
He thinks that the fragmentation of the Churches has led to a diminishing of the positive impact of the Church on society. He said that too many churches are simply concerned about their membership, becoming insular in the process, and thereby not addressing the social, political, and economic malaise in the society. He claims that since assuming the role of Administrator at the Co-Cathedral, he has been bogged down by maintenance, where he has had to build a new presbytery, now a new school and yet think of repairs to the Church. He feels that other areas of his ministry having to do more with pastoral outreach, has suffered as a result and he laments this.
He founded the St. Jerome Biblical Institute in 2004.
At the moment, he is the sole Director and teacher but he hopes to get teachers. St. Jerome was a biblical scholar and translator of the Bible. He translated the Old Testament from Hebrew and translated the original Bible into Latin. This is called the vulgate.
St. Jerome was known to have said that “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Fr. Latus strongly believes that Christians should have proper knowledge and understanding of the Bible. However, he also believes that Bible Study and reading should be done in a communal setting rather than an individual one, although this has its place. The “Bible and me approach” he said can lead to serious errors of interpretation and the selfish philosophy of individual salvation. The Bible he said should not be used as ammunition to attack others but as a vehicle for spiritual growth and development.
When questioned in relation to the Church’s involvement in politics, Fr. Bernard stated clearly that the Church’s position with regard to politics is more about morality and that the Church has no right in telling people who to vote for. However, the Church is a signatory to proper electoral conduct. The Church must be objective and not partisan. The Church is against slander and character smearing in campaigning. The Church has a responsibility he said to denounce political corruption. Those who are voting should be properly informed of the political issues and vote with a clear conscience, he believes
The Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish celebrates 150 years this year. In 1858, the first parish priest was appointed. Fr. Latus said that there are a number of events slated for the 150 years celebration of the parish. He said a booklet would be published outlining a history of the 150 years. On December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, parishioners who have been faithful servants of the Church would be honoured. He also stated that there is a big concert being planned for this celebration but details would be forthcoming.
Fr. Bernard said that after 20 years he still finds his ministry rewarding. He thinks that what he does is relevant but would like to work more at the grassroots level rather than in administration.
“I feel that that building a school and presbytery will be the biggest contribution I leave behind although when I came here I had a different focus,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the Catholic Church is in the United States this week for a pastoral visit. The Catholic Church in the United States has had its image tarnished from clerical sexual abuse of minors that has cost the church millions of dollars in lawsuits. Young people’s lives have been shattered, trust has been broken and suspicion has been raised as a result. The Church is also suffering from a decline in vocations to the priesthood. Some are questioning celibacy, branding it as anachronistic.
I asked Fr. Latus what he thinks Pope Benedict should have on his agenda for this pastoral visit,
Fr. Latus thinks that the Pope should acknowledge the wrongs of the clerical sexual abuse of minors and young people and admit that the Church was slow to act. The pope’s message should be one of reconciliation, first and foremost, the father said.
He also thinks that the Pope should speak about the war in Iraq as being waged on false pretexts and that war should only be pursued as a last resort. According to Fr. Latus, he should speak about the sacredness of life and the unnecessary destruction of life brought about as a result of the war. He also said that the Pope should speak about the protection of life by denouncing a culture of death with respect to abortion and euthanasia.
Asked what makes his Church special, Fr. Latus said the word “Catholic.” He said that the word Catholic means universal and that therefore the Church is universal in its apostolate.
“We can draw from the richness of the liturgy and what unites us around the world,” he said. “The Catholic Church has a rich and long history, over 2,000 years, even though there have been bad spells in the history,” he noted.
However, he said, the Church is not perfect because human beings are imperfect.
The Church continues to make its pilgrimage in the world towards sanctity, he said.
