The Tribune

THE Archdiocesan Catholic Men’s Association (ACCMA) will hold a celebratory gala banquet to honour 24 Catholic fathers on Friday, June 20, at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Spa.

The event, entitled “Honour Thy Father”, will esteem two fathers from each of the 12 Catholic parishes in New Providence for their service to the church and for their roles as fathers in the community.

Held under the patronage of Archbishop Patrick Pinder, the event will also honour three prominent men and fathers who gave extraordinary service to the Bahamas and the wider Catholic community throughout their lives: the late Deacon Leviticus Adderley, Andrew Curry and Vincent Ferguson.

Event chairman and coordinator Eddie Thompson said the church is encouraging as many people as possible to attend and to celebrate the importance of fatherhood in the church, in families and in society.

“ ‘Honour Thy Father’ will be a major coming together that focuses on fathers, their family roles and their importance in sustaining a vibrant, holy church and a good society – just as Our Lord intends,” he said. “Each parish was only assigned 20 to 35 tickets so we encourage parishioners and families to get their tickets early, before they run out.”

Tickets are $75 and are now available from the 12 New Providence Catholic parish offices and from Mr Thompson.

“It’s wonderful that the Catholic community is coming together to honour these 24 fathers and to celebrate the lives of these three late Bahamian Catholic giants who gave such extraordinary service to their church and nation,” Mr Thompson said.

Henry Lightbourne, chairman of ACCMA, said that this year’s ‘Honour Thy Father’ celebration is an inaugural event to be celebrated every two years in June, close to Fathers’ Day.

“ ‘Honour Thy Father’ is just one of many initiatives that our Catholic Men’s Association has created to recognise and encourage greater participation by men in the growth of the church. Currently, in our church as in other denominations, we see women being much more active in various lay ministries. They seem far more willing to respond to Christ’s call that the church and our priests need help. Women give wonderful service and so do a few of our men,” he said.

Mr Lightbourne said it is especially important for more men to be active in helping the youth.

“Many ministries are more suited to men, and we cannot do without them. Our men are very generous donators of money but there’s no substitute for donating time. Men have great business skills and large networks to get things done. Our aim is to tap into the vast talents, skills and leadership qualities of our Catholic manhood. A well-organised manly team is an enormously powerful resource that has hitherto been ignored or underutilised. Men should not be shy or think they’re unworthy to serve. They are worthy and any help at all, in whatever capacity, will be warmly accepted,” he said.

Mr Lightbourne said it is evident that the Bahamian society’s moral crisis has its root causes in the spiritual realm.

“And many pundits observe the disappointing lack of participation by men. So we’re asking our good men and fathers to come forward and assist the Lord and the church in this spiritual battle,” Mr Lightbourne said.

Secretary of ACCMA Michael Hepburn said the men’s association has many plans to address obvious needs and concerns in the archdiocese and the wider Bahamian society.

“Our formation was a response to the spiritual depravation and the moral decay of some of our youth, especially men. It is widely held that families without good fathers and spiritual leaders are vulnerable to all kinds of perversions and wayward behaviour. Modern materialist society places enormous pressure and temptations on our youth, and we have to fight back with goodness and help from Our Lord,” said Mr Hepburn.

Mr Hepburn said the ‘Honour Thy Father’ event will raise funds to support ACCMA’s outreach initiatives.

“Among our plans are to help mentor the youth at the Nazareth Centre, particularly boys, who have been displaced out of their homes by some form of family distress. We’re also planning a ministry for the sick and shut-ins, for the elderly and for prisoners. We want to advise and help inmates to make a positive return to society,” he said.

The association is also asking for donations to pay for a 30-minute video that has already been filmed by veteran videographer Roger “D” Sands. The TV-quality production interviews the 24 fathers on the subject of fathering and will be broadcast in June.

The 24 fathers to be honoured are:

• The Holy Family – Joseph Glass and Valentine Farquharson

• Our Lady’s – Joseph Johnson and Rollen Goffe

• The Queen Of Peace – Robertson Dieudonne and Roland Monestime

• The Resurrection – Dr Crispin Gomez and Kirkwood Paul

• The Sacred Heart – Michael Symonette and Bobby Bower

• St Anselm’s – Wayne Edgecombe and Barry Wilmott

• St Bede’s – Alpheus Ramsey and Bertram Armaly

• St Cecilia’s – Peter Jones and Leroy Davis

• St Francis Xavier’s – Henry Saunders and Basil Davis

• St Joseph’s – Joseph Symonette and Dr Samuel P Bain

• St Paul’s – Anthony Robinson and the late Manuel Cutillas

• St Thomas More – Francis Cancino and Thomas Dean