The Rt. Rev. Claude Berkley, Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago, Head of the Anglican Diocese celebrates his birthday 2014 August 18. Growing up in Pembroke, Tobago, Bishop Claude Berkley’s early life centred around the Church, his Schools and his Community – He understood responsibility and learnt that one simply did not, ever, say ‘No’ when the Church asked for something to be done. From a very early age he was a Server in the parish of St Mary’s – under Fr. Peter Willis and later Canon Cyril Grazette. Both these men, together with his parents and godmother, were the primary influences on his young life. He graduated from Valsayn Teachers’ College, Trinidad in 1982 and returned to Tobago where he taught at Delaford Anglican, and then Pembroke Anglican Schools. He continued to teach at Sunday School and was a Lay Minister, assisting throughout the large dispersed parish. He was also Sports Master and a TTUTA official and was deeply involved in his Community’s Best Village programme. . He married his wife Dawn, also a teacher, in 1984, and has two daughters Safiya and Fayola. Canon Grazette’s sudden death along with encouragement from Bishop Abdullah, prompted him to heed “the call to the Ministry” and he entered Codrington College in 1989. He graduated in 1991 with a B.A. - TheologyHons., earning the Colin & Pearl Kirton Prize for Doctrine. In 1992, he obtained the Diploma in Pastoral Studies, taking the St. Catherine & St. Mark’s Prize for Preaching. He was ordained as a Deacon on August 6th 1992, and served at St Patrick’s, and later St Mary’s. He was ordained as Priest on October 28th 1993. Inspired by his success at Codrington, he applied for and was offered a one-year full scholarship for the M.Phil. Degree in Contextual Theology, at the University of Birmingham, England. While in the UK, he assisted at the parishes of St Barnabas in Worcester, and at St Edmund’s in Birmingham. His thesis, ‘Partnership in Mission’ explored the relationship between the USPG and the CPWI and earned him the Constance Naden Medal. In November 2000, he returned to Tobago and served at St Patrick’s and St Mary’s, while teaching at his alma mater, Bishops High School. In 2001 he was elevated to the rank of Canon- stall of St Chad. In August 2002, he was transferred to All Saints in POS Trinidad and in 2009, he retired from teaching, so as to devote his time to the Church. At the Synod of the Diocese in May 2010, Bishop Bess announced his intention to retire in December 2011. As a result, Bishop Claude was elected as Coadjutor Bishop in the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago in October 2010 and was consecrated as Bishop on March 17, 2011, at a ceremony at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Port of Spain. His integral involvement in all Diocesan and Provincial activities, (among them Chairman of the North West Region, Member of the Diocesan Council, Chairman of the Education Board, Chairman of the Capacity Building Committee, delegate to Provincial Synod and a member of the Provincial Standing Committee) points to an energetic and passionate Community Worker, striving to build and challenge the people of God into living practical Christian lives. How does he do it all? In spite of his humility, Bishop Claude is a man with the stamina, spiritual strength and possibly a measure of stubbornness, to do all that has to be done and to do it well. To know his ‘guiding principle’ might help us to understand his strength and determination. Luke 9:62 - ‘no-one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’. He is particularly concerned about the Youth in this Diocese and recognizes that new tools and technologies are needed to create and embrace a more intimate relationship with the youth. He has advised that he will seek to develop new ministries that will relate real life to real vocation and so provide guidance, while inculcating the fact that Vocational Discernment is for anyone who wants to experience transformation in his or her life. The experience gained by Bishop Claude in managing the Diocese’s Capacity Building Exercise provided him with a sound base for guiding the future direction of the Diocese. He has resolved to transform this Diocese into a New Wine Vineyard… “where the entire community of stewards, labourers, tenants and others know and love God in unity with each other; resulting in a high-quality abundant yield of New Wine.”
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 03:58:41 +0000
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