Bennett
Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
COMING TO Jamaica a few days after the passage of Hurricane Ivan became somewhat of a baptism of fire for the Most Rev. Gordon Bennett, S.J., the new Roman Catholic Bishop of Mandeville.
He arrived in the night of September 23, 2004, twelve days after the passage of 'Ivan', and electricity had gone from several parts of the island, Bishop Bennett was guided to his residence by the man he was succeeding, Bishop Paul Michael Boyle.
The next morning he and Bishop Boyle went to Black River in St. Elizabeth to view the damage done by the hurricane in that region. He explains: "There have been some really good things that happened, I think, because of the hurricane. One of them is, I had an opportunity to visit almost half of the 23 churches that I have (within the diocese of Mandeville). I might not have had that if it weren't for the hurricane. I have been able to meet the people, spend some time with them, had some meals with them. It was a very good introduction."
GOOD THING
Another good thing to have come out of the hurricane, says the new Bishop of Mandeville, is that he got early in his tenure here, a good look at the needs of the people. Some of those who were displaced because of the hurricane were able to benefit from relief offered through the Catholic Relief Services, an international welfare organisation. The Catholic Relief Services, he said, has helped or is helping about 300 families with roofing, latrine facilities, and other housing-related needs.
"If we did not have 'Ivan' we would not have been able to develop a relationship which is really proving to be beneficial. It is tragic on the one hand but, on the other hand, it is allowing us to do something we might not have been able to do otherwise."
He acknowledges that there is much work left to be done. "I don't know whether some of my perceptions have been skewed by the hurricane or not but I still see people struggling to get back to normal. The infrastructure just did not have the power to help after a disaster of such magnitude especially things like the electrical power, and there are still enormous potholes in some places."
Gleaner: What do you think God might have been saying through the hurricane?
Bishop Bennett: He is always saying 'Trust Me, trust Me, trust Me. It is such a huge temptation for us to kind of cling to our own power and not surrender to what God keeps promising He will do for us if we let go."
Bishop Bennett, 58, this year celebrates the 30th anniversary since his ordination to the priesthood. He attended a high school in Los Angeles which was run by Jesuits. He was impressed with their dedication and spirituality and it became a factor in his decision to pursue the priesthood. As a priest-in-training he became a high school teacher. After he attended seminary, he became principal of his alma mater, and later president. Before coming to Jamaica, he served for six years as an Auxillary Bishop in Baltimore a charge with 56 parishes. Altogether, it took him six years to visit all the churches within his parish. But since coming to Jamaica, with far fewer churches, he hopes to visit all the churches within his diocese by May this year.
Prior to his arrival in Jamaica, Bishop Bennett said he was told that his diocese was comprised of urban and rural communities; places of moderate wealth to extreme poverty; congregations that are faithful and joyful. All these things, he said, he has confirmed to be true.
MAIN FUNCTIONS
The new Roman Catholic Bishop of Mandeville sees himself as having two main functions within the diocese:
Firstly, he explained: "What I am called to do is to help people to understand the Great Commandment that is, to love God above all things and love your neighbour as yourself I am trying to be a personal example of this."
Secondly, he acknowledged that within the diocese, there was growth in the number of institutions which served the Catholic church, which was complemented by significant numerical growth in members. "My job," said Bishop Bennett, "is to consolidate that growth and to monitor it to make sure we are always able to have the personnel and resources we need to carry on the life of the church in this area."
As head of a diocese, and as one who formerly had responsibility in the US to mentor new recruits studying for the priesthood, Bishop Bennett is particularly interested in ensuring that more men enter this vocation for which the numbers have been dwindling in the Roman Catholic church globally. Indeed, the same is true for many other denominations across the world.
INTERESTED YOUNG MEN
To get young men interested in the priesthood, he said, "The priest has to personally invite young men who are suitable into considering this as a movement of God in their lives. God is always calling to all of us in the depths of our lives and hearts. He never stops talking. But we don't often know how to listen. What we need priests to do is to encourage this (listening) in young men. Priests must always provide the kind of religious atmosphere where this does not become such a strange question. Priests must encourage them into a life of prayer, encourage them in the receiving of the sacraments and in valuing a life with God."
He continued: "Prayer helps us to listen it makes us open and available to God. The second way is service. The third way is using your common sense." He said common sense must guide one to avoid self-destructing lifestyles such as drugs and sexual immorality.
Quizzed about his views on the continuance of an old and increasingly frail John Paul II in the papacy, the Bishop said "In an image-conscious world that might be important. But he has always been more than about image. When God is ready to take him, He will take him. I also think that some of his best deeds have been done in his infirmity. Not to mention the example of a person who is obviously weak and feeble but who is completely devoted to his job and ministry."
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