Leela Ramdeen
Tomorrow is the first day of Advent, the beginning of a new Liturgical Year. Pope Francis has said Advent is “a season of active waiting and watchfulness,” the time we can be “shaken out of our lethargy and awakened from our slumber” to be vigilant always; “to always be aware of the presence of God and to welcome Him in our daily lives.”
Recently, my brother sent me a brief video clip of the late Servant of God, Archbishop Gordon Anthony Pantin, celebrating the Eucharist at my home in London with concelebrants Bishop Sydney Charles and Fr Vincent Compton. They have all departed this life.
Those gathered included late former T&T president Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke TC GCMG, his daughter, Margaret-Ann Fisken, my family, and members of Cardinal Basil Hume’s Committee for the Caribbean Community (C5). The Cardinal was the chair, and I was his vice chair.
Archbishop Pantin reminded us that we do not journey alone; that God loved us first, and He expects us to love, not only Him, but everyone else, particularly the poor and vulnerable. In the midst of his homily, he told a few jokes, but each joke was underpinned by serious messages as to how we should live our lives.
Some priests and bishops had visited my parents’ home in Chiswick before, but this was the first time that Archbishop Pantin visited my home. I remember also taking him to an event at our High Commission in London.
Gordon Anthony Pantin was born in Port-of-Spain on August 27, 1929, the second son of Julian Andrew Pantin, a business executive, and his wife, Agnes, nee Mazeley. I migrated with my family to the UK in June 1967. He was elected Archbishop of Port-of-Spain on November 29, 1967, and was installed as the 8th Archbishop and the first local Archbishop of Port-of-Spain on March 19, 1968, the Feast of St Joseph.
Although I was not present at his installation, I made it a point to always arrange a meeting with him or speak with him via telephone whenever I visited T&T. He died at Archbishop’s House of acute heart failure at age 70 on March 12, 2000.
Many of you may be aware that there is an ongoing cause for the beatification of Archbishop Pantin. In 2013 the Holy See gave permission for the opening of the Diocesan Inquiry for the cause of beatification. Members of the Diocesan Tribunal that has been established in our Archdiocese to investigate and gather evidence continue to work diligently.
Evidence collected will be sent to The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Rome, for review, and a report/posito will ultimately be presented to Pope Francis. The late archbishop currently has the title “Servant of God.”
The journey to beatification and canonisation is lengthy. Archbishop Pantin was truly a man who lived a holy life. He decided to enter the priesthood at age 17 and was ordained a priest on July 3, 1955. Inter alia, he was an educator at both St Mary’s College and Fatima College. He was a prolific writer. Do you remember his ‘Ask Me Another’ articles?
Much has been written and said about the life and work of this humble Servant Leader, for example, “If you want to know what the love of God looks like, let me see how you are loving your neighbour, and Archbishop Pantin made this text his life. One of the things we know about him is he had a heart for the poor” (Archbishop Jason Gordon).
“He spoke out publicly when he had to, for example, in 1970 during the Black Power Movement, when tensions between Trinidad and Tobago were high and there were calls for secession, and during the attempted coup of 1990 ... By his courage he provided hope for the church and for the nation” (Fr Martin Sirju).
“He challenged and engaged national leaders in the Government, business, and unions. He was afraid of no one and always demanded nobility and integrity from the highest to the ordinary (Msgr Christian Pereira).
“He was instrumental in forming the Inter-Religious Organisation and took an active role in that group. He also took an active role in the activities of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.” (Fatima Old Boys Association).
We are all called to be saints. Let us emulate this beloved Servant of God, Archbishop Pantin, whom we pray will someday be numbered among the canonised saints.
