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J. Lambert St Rose
Fr. Lambert St. Rose, a native of Saint Lucia, has spent most of his thirty-two years as a priest, working among his people, something he derives great pleasure in doing. He holds a master’s in the...view moreFr. Lambert St. Rose, a native of Saint Lucia, has spent most of his thirty-two years as a priest, working among his people, something he derives great pleasure in doing. He holds a master’s in theology with emphasis on catechesis. His real forte—wayside, open-air evangelization—is a most powerful and useful tool, which enabled him to build and sustain a vibrant parish community wherever he was assigned to. Passionate cultural protagonist, avid proponent of enculturation, he is a firm believer in the notion that the people and their culture must be the starting point for any effective catechetical process or evangelization program. This approach necessarily placed the author in very close contact with his parishioners; he felt their heartbeat, he felt their pain, as much as he understood their patterns of thought, their sense of judgment, and popular belief systems, which were, most times, inconsistent with the Christian faith they professed. That, surely, was what opened the door to the flood of exorcisms that he was ill prepared to deal with in the initial stages of his priesthood.
The cover illustration is an apt depiction of the Ship of State and the Bark of Christ, battered by turbulent waters. The people, stranded on ground, wailing, victims of a subculture, look for someone to rescue them from the evil that befalls them. This local subculture has endured the rigors of colonialism and Catholicism long enough to witness the death of African culture and African traditional religion to become a dominant underground force within every institution, including the churches in Saint Lucia today. Still, the author believes there is hope for redemption and purification, if the principles of the gospel and the sacraments are adhered to.view less