Many people live their lives toeing the line -- they dare not make waves -- but one Bahamian young man decided to step outside the box and he is now the priest-in-charge of the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Georgetown with the parishes of St. John, Holy Name, St. Peter, St. Luke and Byrea Chapel-At-Ease under his diocese in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The appointment is historic on many fronts -- the young man is still quite youthful at age 27, and is the first Bahamian priest-in-charge to serve in the church in that island nation.
The Reverend Father Kari Xavier Marcelle was appointed priest-in-charge on February 1. The only other Bahamian to be ordained and serve in that diocese as rector of the Parish Church of St. Paul, Calliaqua with St. John, Belair was the Reverend Father Addington Crispin Johnson (1934-1938). But as far as Marcelle's appointment his simple response is: "To whom much is given, much is required." And he looks at his age in his new position as both a blessing and a curse somewhat, but he said being given the opportunity to minister to five churches gives him the opportunity to do something positive and bring new insight into the church.
"Being young comes with knowing about technology -- new ways of administration, new ways of evangelism with Facebook, Twitter, My Space and these kinds of things, to get the church to evangelize in a new, more vibrant way with keeping the Anglican tradition and faith intact," he said. Since his February appointment, the church now has a presence on the worldwide web. They are on Twitter and Facebook. The priest said the presence helps when dealing with the vastness of the parish by bringing the churches together.
"Having five churches and with the furthest one about 45 minutes away from the Parish church, it keeps everybody sort of together -- not just the younger congregants, but also the older ones -- because it's exciting for those who never learnt how to use the computer," Marcelle said. "We've used it as family tactic so that the young ones can show their parents or the sick and shut-ins in their home how to listen to services online. Someone may be handicapped and can't come out but want to come to church, so there's now a way they can listen to the sermons and even watch them."
A legacy begins to unfold With his new appointment, Marcelle has already set a legacy to be followed, but his legacy is still also at its beginning. But at the end of it all when people refer to his legacy, he hopes it's simple -- one that's Christ-like -- one that shows that he came, he taught, he tried his best to reach out to God's people, and that caused the people to reach their full potential. With a Parish that has approximately 700 members he obviously wants the church to grow, but he said God has a hand in that growth as well, and that he is just the vessel to be used to aid in the growth.
He also hopes his legacy will let Bahamians know that if they face struggles in ministry and are hearing a call to serve, that whatever circumstances face them in their home, that wherever they go, that God is definitely going to use them, empower them and equip them. "In years past, a lot of Bahamians went out to different Caribbean islands, different continents [like] Europe to minister to people and then all of a sudden it stopped, and then all of a sudden it started again.
Fr. Cornell Moss is now the bishop of Guyana; Father Denrick Rolle is now in Miami and I find myself in St. Vincent, so the legacy I'd want to leave is not one of self, but one that [says] ministry is a passion and if you have a real zeal for it, you can be a priest anywhere," Marcelle said. "God's people are his people anywhere you go. And my legacy would be that whatever I've learnt in The Bahamas I can bring and help to not only cause the church here [St. Vincent] to grow, but at the same time to give hope to a people who may not be as advanced as The Bahamas is."
Marcelle said he sees St. Vincent and The Bahamas in two extremes. St. Vincent reminds him of Family Island living to an extent with farmers and fishermen in the community where he resides. "My legacy would be that everybody prays for young priests and ministers and I would want them to know that someone came and was able to help push us, to revive us. To bring us not just into the 21st century, but to bring us to more spiritual depth and bring more spiritual blessings to [St. Vincent].
To tell you the truth, it would just be a very simple legacy." Packing up and moving away Fr. Marcelle who was ordained deacon in December 2010 and priest in September 2011 in the Diocese of the Windward Islands by the Rt. Rev'd Calvert Leopold Friday, says people can do whatever it is God has called them to do anywhere in the world as it's an open door. Fr. Marcelle says the world is simply an opportunity. And that even though he would like to be at home, he says he's comfortable and happy where he is.
He said the struggles at home serve as a constant reminder of the progress and how productive he ought to be where he is. "I honestly knew in my heart that I was meant to be a priest. I had a few stumbling blocks -- whether they seemed for the worst, I honestly believe they all worked out for the better, and sometimes the way I looked at it, if everything went smoothly for me at home, I would just have been another Bahamian priest," he said. "I think because of my circumstances ... leaving home to come to a country I had never been to in my life ...
I think the closest thing to St. Vincent I knew of was when I was in college and I actually met a girl who actually became my girlfriend who was Vincentian -- that's about it. But to come all the way here it says that not only do I have the obligation of making The Bahamas proud, but also letting everyone else in The Bahamas who may have heard God's call and had a struggle or may have wanted to do anything in life and had a struggle know that you don't have to do it home. Though I would like to be home, I'm comfortable and happy where I am," he said.
Realizing his calling According to the son of Agatha Marcelle and Paul Bowe, if you leave it up to his mother, Fr. Marcelle said she would say he was three years old when she realized he would be a priest. He says his mother's story is that he was always singing and praying for things and blessing things. But for the life of him he could not ever figure out a three-year-old doing things like that. And he says he can't remember himself at that age. "Her thing would be from I was born I wanted to be priest. That's her story and I believe she sticks to that.
Anything I did, I guess to her it just always seemed very priestly," he said adding that he did not have one of those mothers who steered him along that path. "But from the time I could remember, she was always encouraging me to listen to what God wanted me to do." "The truth is I honestly had one of those experiences where I honestly believe I was born to do what I do. I always remember loving church, playing church with teddy bears ... people thinking I was weird," he said with a chuckle.
"Supposed to be studying -- reading the Prayer Books, singing hymns and so I would give myself about [age] six ... seven. [But] I know I started serving at Holy Trinity in Stapledon Gardens under Father Etienne Bowleg at the age of five, so I could say five." Recognize the call In today's world he said there is definitely a competition between living for Christ and just living. He believes living for Christ is winning. But he says young people need to take courage and stand up for what is right. "People will always have something to say, but we don't live our lives for people if you have a calling.
Some people told me I shouldn't go [to St. Vincent] that I should stay [in The Bahamas], that it would work itself out, but the Bible does say a little child shall lead them," he said. "St. Paul would say hold fast to the things that are good, and pursue that then things would be so much better in terms of their spiritual calling as well. At home, people would look at an individual and they decide if the individual is good enough for ministry, if the individual is smart enough, if the individual is old enough, but that's not anybody's call to make.
And I think what needs to happen is more young men who are just more courageous, if it doesn't work in the box [should] step out of it. It worked for me and I'm sure it will work for others." Fr. Marcelle says he loves The Bahamas and would like to return home eventually, but he said he does not see himself that happening anytime soon because he sees the room for growth in the church. "In The Bahamas in the priesthood there seems to be a lot of competition [as in other areas of life as well], you have a lot of young priests and everyone wants to grow with their own ideas, [have] their own trend of thought, sometimes you butt heads.
Here in St. Vincent I get an opportunity to spread my wings a bit and not have to compete, because I'm in a diocese where technically every priest has a parish so there's no priest that needs to bicker and argue over wanting to get a parish. I think everybody is satisfied with where they are at. Obviously some people would prefer parishes over other parishes, but generally I think we all are satisfied," he said. The priest said God works in mysterious ways and that sometimes when people think things are at their worst it really happens to be for the best and for God's glory.
"A lot of things have happened to me that I didn't think would have happened. I came from Holy Trinity in Stapledon Gardens to [inherit] for want of a better word a Holy Trinity in St. Vincent. I find that not just ironic, but that it had to be divinely inspired. Who does that really happen to? You move from one church to inherit the same church with the same name." Fr. Marcelle who claims Fr. Etienne Bowleg as a mentor has taken Anglicanism with a Bahamian touch to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The vibrancy he learned at Holy Trinity, Stapledon he has taken to his ministry. He has introduced them to programs like Faith Alive, Discovery, Jesus in the Park, Fam Fest and lock-ins. He said it has helped to bring a revival in many ways not just to the St. Vincentian diocese, but the society as well.
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