St Vincent Gets New Priest

Photo: Congratulations to a fine young man who will be a great priest. Pray that God will continue to bless you in His vineyard.
Fr. Alando Willams and his Bishop Jason Gordon

On the 4th May, 2013 at a 3 p.m. Mass at the renovated Cathedral of the Assumption in Kingstown, St Vincent, 31-year-old Rev. Alando Williams a recent graduate of the Regional Seminary at Mt. St. Benedict was ordained priest by Bishop Jason Gordon, which co-incidentally was his  first since being made bishop in 2011.

In attendance were: Archbishop Robert Rivas, the first Bishop of Kingstown and now Bishop of Castries – under whom Williams began his seminary formation, the Bishop Emeritus of Bridgetown – now parish priest of St Michael – Bishop Malcolm Galt. Government and Opposition representatives, members of the clergy from Grenada, and members of the St Vincent Christian Council were also in attendance.

In the congregation were a few people from Trinidad – especially from the Tortuga parish where Williams worked on weekends for two years while at the Seminary, some from Our Lady of Fatma Curepe parish where he lived for one year, and the Living Water Community in which he resided in his final year and others from St Lucia, where Fr.Williams did his pre-seminary formation.
Fr.Williams became a convert to Roman Catholism in 2002 and entered the pre-seminary programme in October 2005. He entered the Regional Seminary in August 2006 and graduated in June 2012. Four months later, he graduated from UWI, St Augustine, with a BA in Theology and won the CLR James prize for a paper in African Culture.

Fr. Williams was ordained deacon 3th October, 2012. Since his diaconate ordination, he has been doing an “audit” of the parishes, meeting with groups, ministries and apostolates to examine their membership level, work, contribution to the mission of the Church, and needs in St. Vincent.

“Also, part of my work was visiting lapsed Catholics to find out why they would have left. I also took time to visit practising Catholics to find out how they see their parish and what work needs to be done to get them more vibrant. At the end of my visitation to a parish I submit a report to the Bishop who discusses the findings with the parish priest or relevant person with the hope of beginning changes,” Williams explained.

Concerning his priestly ordination, he said: “I think the Church in St Vincent has been looking forward to this day."

Congrats Fr. Alando Williams.

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