Catholics To Honour Fathers With A Gala Banquet

Wed, Jun 18th 2014, 06:18 PM

The Archdiocesan Catholic Men’s Association (ACCMA) will hold a celebratory gala banquet to honour 24 Catholic fathers on Friday June 20th at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Spa on Cable Beach. 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 His Grace, the Most Reverent Archbishop Patrick Pinder, S.T.D., C.M.G., 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.

Also attending will be Governor-General His Excellency Sir Arthur & Lady Joan Foulkes and Chief Justice The Hon. Sir Michael & Lady Camille Barnett. It will feature the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Pop Band and a surprise entertainer.

Event Chairman & Coordinator, Mr. Eddie Thompson, says 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,” says Thompson. “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 now available from the 12 New Providence Catholic parish offices and from Eddie 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,” says Thompson.

Henry Lightbourne, Chairman of ACCMA, explains that this year’s Honour Thy Father celebration is an inaugural event to be celebrated every two years in June, near 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,” says Lightbourne.

“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. But the church needs more males to get involved, to be active and to help our 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 underutilized,” says Lightbourne.

“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,” added Lightbourne. “Their networking skills are a hidden treasure trove.”

“At ACCMA, we’ve been charged by the Archbishop to get active, to evangelise and to extend charity to those in need throughout every parish, without exception. An archdiocesan association means every parish, according to His Grace,” says Lightbourne. “Since we started the campaign to energise our men back in 2006, Archbishop Pinder has been very encouraged by the response. His Grace was very pleased, for example, with the large numbers of men who attended our two retreats.”

“We believe that if we can continue the momentum to harness the power of our men in aiding the Church, the sky’s the limit. There’s so much good we can accomplish together. We can support the Archbishop, the priests and the parishes—and help our Bahamian society as a whole. We’re especially intent on helping our young men. It takes good fathers and a strong and active men’s group to inspire and lead them to more productive and spirit-filled lifestyles.”

“It’s evident that our 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,” says Lightbourne. “Our group will also help enrich and illuminate our own men’s spiritual lives.”

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

“ACCMA was born out of concern for the direction in which many of our Bahamian youth are taking. 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 behavior. Modern materialist society places enormous pressure and temptations on our youth—and we have to fight back with goodness and help from Our Lord,” says Hepburn.

ACCMA’s forerunner, formed by Archbishop Pinder in 2007, was the Archdiocesan Men’s Council headed by Benson Russell as Chairman, and Winston Rolle as Secretary, and Deacon Samuel Mitchell as Chaplin.

Hepburn says 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 Center, 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.”

ACCMA Chairman Lightbourne explains: “For all these efforts, funds are essential as well as the selfless volunteering courage of our Catholic men. So, in this Father’s Day period, we’re urging businesses and parishioners to advance our good cause by attending the event and by donating advertising in the event’s program and our excellent video, soon to be broadcast. Each contribution will aid the Archbishop’s Diocesan Annual Appeal, the ACCMA and each parish’s men’s group.”

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 – Mr. Joseph Glass & Mr. Valentine Farquharson.

• Our Lady’s – Mr. Joseph Johnson & Mr. Rollen Goffe.

• The Queen Of Peace – Mr. Robertson Dieudonne & Mr. Roland Monestime.

• The Resurrection – Dr. Crispin Gomez & Mr. Kirkwood Paul.

• The Sacred Heart – Mr. Michael Symonette & Mr. Bobby Bower.

• St. Anselm’s – Mr. Wayne Edgecombe & Mr. Barry Wilmott.

• St. Bede’s – Mr. Alpheus Ramsey & Mr. Bertram Armaly.

• St. Cecilia’s – Mr. Peter Jones & Mr. Leroy Davis.

• St. Francis Xavier’s – Mr. Henry Saunders & Mr. Basil Davis.

• St. Joseph’s – Mr. Joseph Symonette & Dr. Samuel P. Bain.

• St. Paul’s – Mr. Anthony Robinson & the Late Mr. Manuel Cutillas.

• St. Thomas More – Mr. Francis Cancino & Mr. Thomas Dean.

Honour Thy Father event tickets are $75 and are available from each church and from Eddie Thompson. To donate by advertising in the program or by sponsoring the video, supporters are asked contact their local parish office or event chairman Eddie Thompson at: Tel: (242) 433-7833 or at: ent1958@hotmail.com.

The celebratory banquet starts in the Sandals Ballroom at 7:30 pm. Secure parking in Sandals’ two parking lots, one across Bay Street from Café Milano’s and the other down the lane east of Café Milano’s is available as well as valet parking at the entrance of Sandal’s Kirchner Convention Center, off the roundabout along Malcolm Avenue.

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