Neocatechumenal Way lauded by Catholics of Newark’s Turks and Caicos (Synod Report)
For 24 years, Archdiocesan priests have provided pastoral and spiritual care to the Catholics of the Turks and Caicos.
The mission, Missio Sui Iuris of Turks and Caicos, was erected from the Archdiocese of Nassau in June 1984. In July 1998, the Archdiocese of Newark sent two priests to work on the mission. Five months later, the Archdioceses of Nassau, Bahamas, handed over the Missio Sui Iuris on the balmy islands to the Archdiocese of Newark as requested by the Holy See and with canonical Confirmation.
The Archdiocese of Nassau was short of priests to assign even a part-time priest to the 12 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, which is a British Overseas Territory 90 miles north of Haiti, Our Lady of Divine Providence Pastor Luis Orlando González said. At the time there were two churches — Holy Cross and Our Lady of Divine Providence and the Archdiocese of Nassau could only assign a priest to the mission for about half the year.
According to Canon Law, a Missio Sui Iuris entity can belong to an ecclesiastical territory, which in this case is the Archdiocese of Nassau, Bahamas; but be governed by another ordinary territory, which is currently the ordinary of Newark, N.J., USA, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, CSsR, Archbishop of Newark.
As the mission’s superior, the Archbishop of Newark appoints a vicar general for the Mission and assigns priests from Newark. The Vicar is Msgr. Ronald J. Rozniak, the Pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood, and priests on the islands are Father González, Father Rafael Velazquez, and Father Paul Passant.
“We, the Archdiocese of Newark, were chosen thanks to a large number of ordinations and having a missionary seminary RM [Redemptoris Mater],” Father González said.
Pope John Paul II created Redemptoris Mater Seminaries in response to the Second Vatican Council’s decree on the ministry and life of priests. That decree, Presbyterorum ordinis, says: “Let priests remember, therefore, that the care of all churches must be their intimate concern. Hence, priests of such dioceses rich in vocations should show themselves willing and ready, with the permission of their own ordinaries, to volunteer for work in other regions, missions, or endeavors, which are poor in numbers of clergy. … To accomplish this purpose there should be set up international seminaries … by means of which, according to their particular statutes and always saving the right of bishops, priests may be trained and incardinated for the good of the whole Church.”
Redemptoris Mater seminaries are ordained to the secular clergy of the diocese. The specific characteristics of Redemptoris Mater seminaries are an international character, with vocations coming from different nations; a missionary spirit that, upon ordination, the priests are available to go wherever the ordinary sends them; and have a connection to the Neocatechumenal Way.
While the Catholic Church at one time had close to 50 of these missions, today there are only eight with only two having U.S. superiors— Newark and Detroit.
When Newark priests first arrived to Turks and Caicos in 1999, there were about 6,000 Catholics on the islands, plus several Catholic tourists who sought out Sunday Mass while on vacation, according to the mission’s website.
Catholic parishioners in the Turks and Caicos reached their highest number from 2001 through 2014, when 12,000 Catholics made up 30% of the population, according to CatholicHierachy.org.
According to F Father González, the records show that the first Catholic baptism occurred at Holy Cross in August 1967. The first time the sacrament of Confirmation was conferred was in July 1998.
Our Lady of Divine Providence was built in 1989 and expanded twice, in 2004 and 2012, when it inaugurated the new church, according to a 2012 parish newsletter.
“The amount of people doubled by 2009 such that half of the congregation was obliged to sit on wooden benches outdoors, exposed to the sun and occasional sudden downpours of rain,” the church newsletter stated.
Seeing that the youth is the church’s future, the priests sought to attract young people through recreational activities, mainly sports. Upon arrival, most had not yet received First Communion, and some had not been baptized. A faith formation program was put in place at the Church. At least two of the students have now entered the seminary, according to the newsletter.
In 2006, Holy Family Academy opened with just seven children in kindergarten and first grade and it has grown to 170 students this school year, now offering Pre-K to 11th grade with an optional 12th grade for students preparing to attend college in the U.S.
“We believe that our students are called by Christ to be ‘the light of the world’ and every learning and spiritual experience in school is touched by this Biblical statement,” according to its mission statement.
When the mission spread to South Caicos, Mass was celebrated in an Anglican Church. St. Lucy chapel was built in South Caicos, with its first Mass celebrated on Easter Sunday, 2011.
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed 90% of the island, including the parish houses. The priests moved into trailers until a new rectory was completed in April 2011.
According to Turks and Caicos Tourism, natives are called “Belongers” or “Turks and Caicos Islanders” and are descendants of enslaved Africans who were initially brought over to grow cotton and work in the salt industry or have immigrated from the neighboring countries. There is also a large ex-pat community of British, American, French, Canadian, Haitians, Dominicans, and Scandinavians. Blacks make up much of the population at 87.6%. Caucasians are at 7.6%. The 4.8% remaining population consists primarily of mixed races.
Like U.S. numbers, island residents report that Catholic membership has dropped since the first Newark priest arrived. From 2017 to 2020, the number of Catholics dropped from 10,000 to 5,400, even with an overall population growth of 10,000 to 54,000, according to CatholicHierachy.org. Mass offerings are still plentiful, five times a weekend at Our Lady of Providence and three times a weekend at Holy Cross and in Creole, Spanish, and English.
Since January, the Archdiocese of Newark has joined Catholics worldwide in Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality asking: “How is the Holy Spirit calling us as a Church in the 21st Century?” And this past winter, Turks and Caicos church leaders invited residents to partake in the Synod. According to data suppled by Father González, only 56 parishioners attended the session that took place over three days. Of the participants, most were married and attended Mass weekly. Most were Black or Hispanic, aged 40 to 74, and 34 were female, according to the data.
Participants were asked what kept them connected to the parish community. According to the survey, the top response was the church’s connection to the Neocatechumenal Way, where adults are prepared for baptism and priests offer post-baptismal formation to adults who seek a Christian life. A close second was being part of the choir. Others enjoyed being part of the Mass as liturgical ministers or coming together for a prayer group.
About 12% said they felt connected to the church through the Catholic school. Another 14 percent said they enjoyed the youth group.
For more information on the Archdiocese of Newark’s participation in the Synod on Synodality, visit the archdiocesan Synod website.
