REVEREND CANON CLAUDE BERKLEY

Although Reverend Berkley is the fourth national to be appointed Bishop, he will be the third coadjutor, requested by Bishop Calvin Bess, who asked the Synod for Episcopal assistance until his retirement on December 18, 2011, at which time the Coadjutor will assume charge of the diocese. The two other nationals are retired Bishops Clive Abdulah and Rawle Douglin.

The delegates to current meetings in this diocese, of the House of Bishops of the Church in the Province of the West Indies, and of the Provincial Standing Committee, will attend today's ceremony. The Bishop of Belize, the Right Reverend Philip Wright, has been invited by Canon Berkley to preach the sermon at his consecration, as the two have remained friends since their days as seminarians at Codrington College, Barbados, between 1989 and 1992. Canon Berkley preached the sermon at his friend's 2005 consecration as the Bishop of Belize in St John's Cathedral, Belize.

This relatively young man, born on August 18, 1957, the eldest of five children of Maurice and Anona Berkley, in rural Pembroke, Tobago, is married to Dawn (nee Beard) for the past 27 years and they are parents of two adult daughters, Safiya, a law student in Barbados and Fayola.

The very first thing one observes on meeting this very intelligent and well qualified educator, is his humility. The students at Bishop Anstey High School, where he last taught, are still “missing Cans” and referred in glowing terms of his recent visit to conduct Assembly, just before Carnival, leaving them with sound advice.

Speaking to Dawn Berkley, a teacher at St Ursula's Anglican School, for whom there will be changes in life, which she is quite ready to deal with, there was praise as she said: "Claude is a good father and husband, he is jovial but stern and believes that there is a time and place for everything. He is humble and makes the best of whatever little there is. He is a hard worker and goes the length and breadth to get his work done. His new position makes him not only a father and husband to All Saints Church and his immediate family but also to the Diocesan family. I am happy for him, and believe that the way he treats his family, the same will be extended to the diocesan family and they will be in good hands."

The Coadjutor's 75-year-old mother, Anona, who has come from her home in Pembroke where she still lives, said with pride: "I am feeling very great about it. I did not visualise him being bishop, but I knew he was always a brilliant fellow who loves reading and people, and grew up among the elder people in the village. They would always call on him and he was beloved by them. His father who passed away in 1990, would have been proud as he always backed Claude all the way."

Growing up in the village of Pembroke, Reverend Berkley reminisces, "Although totally and always involved in the church, I never really thought of becoming a priest. But church was a strict thing for my parents and this was underscored by my godmother Evangeline “Diddy” Phillips, who was a real part of my upbringing. She had raised my father after his aunt died so she was also like my foster grandmother, and really that's where this all began.”

On leaving Bishop's High School in Tobago, young Claude entered Valsayn Teachers' College . "I did not really know at this time exactly what I wanted to be. I had played teacher, policeman and priest as a little boy, blessing people in procession, beating a post as a teacher and directing traffic. It is a strange thing, I was heavily involved in the church from a boy – singing in the choir, as an altar server, teaching in Sunday School, leader of the Youth Group, then became a licensed lay minister – so commitment was always showing but could not say for a fact that I was pursuing the priesthood. I just always thought it was something you may do.”

Berkley was a teacher at St Mary's in Pembroke, when Canon Grazette, priest at St Mary's in Pembroke, passed away, and says Canon Berkley, “Things were a little disorganised in the parish. In his lifetime everything was well planned. He had been saying that I should go to Codrington College. He must have seen some commitment. I kept saying no. Then Bishop Abdulah came to St Mary's and I asked how do I become a deacon or a person who could help to organise this congregation the way it used to be. Right away he said you need theological training, but that was not on the cards as it meant going to the College in Barbados. I asked just give me some authority to organise this congregation until you send a priest. To which he replied "Why don't you become a priest there."

"I did not think I could manage that so withdrew. I was teaching in Pembroke, already had a wife and family, so could not see this happening. Still Bishop Abdulah insisted, ‘I will send you two forms which I would like you to complete.’ I did so and naively returned them. Here it is I am simply asking for authority to organise a parish, and he is telling me you need theological training so you could be a priest.

“I had been brought up from small to not say no to the church and to God. This was a sacred understanding from my godmother. So I completed the forms and sent them back. Father Peter Patrick, who was then at St Andrew's in Tobago, was talking to me about Ministry as he was looking over the parish. Next thing I am invited to this interview with the Commission of Ministry at Christ Church to see if I am suited to the Ministry.

“Looking at my answered form, they said to me right away 'You should have been at Codrington already'. No. was my answer. Talk to your family, was the reply. You are the kind of person who should be going to the College.’

“The response back home was ‘no, no we have two little children here.’ My mother did not mind but was not happy about going to Barbados. My father said: if they tell you that, you go straight ahead, what is the problem. I started to look for them. My animals was the first, who would take care of my goats and the others?

“My father was having none of that excuse. ‘I will handle them.’ Then my job. “Go and talk to the Administrative Officer in the Ministry.’ Again my father knew it was not what I wanted to do, you always did not say no to the Church and to God."

By September 1989, Claude Berkley went to Codrington College, having been granted no pay leave and a monthly allowance for his young family from the parish.

"Interestingly I set off in September and my father died in January so it was back to square one. That time I was sure I needed to complete this, it was like a fulfillment of his direction. My godmother had also died so he had taken up her torch. She was the frontrunner and they were backing her up solidly. Looking back I have to say it was organised where he sent me forward and then died.

“I was then sure I have to make something out of this because my father would not be happy for me to drop out of it. I gave it my best shot and was ordained Deacon by Bishop Abdulah at St Andrew's in Scarborough on August 6, 1992.”

On October 28, 1993 Bishop Douglin ordained Fr Berkley priest at the Trinity Cathedral and he became assistant curate at St Mary's, under Father Patrick's guidance, and continued teaching at Belle Garden.

At no time did it enter Father Berkley's head he would one day be Bishop of the Diocese. In 1993, Bishop Douglin now took up the mantle that the young priest should be exposed to Ministry in Trinidad. And so from 1994 to 1998, he came to Trinidad for one month on school vacation, with his family, as priest in residence at vacant parishes in San Fernando, Siparia, Tunapuna, La Brea and Chaguanas.

In 1996 he was appointed rector of St Mary's Parish in Tobago, which included eight churches up the Windward Coast.

In 1999 Father Berkley proceeded to the University of Birmingham to complete an M Phil in Contextual Theology for one year and while there was attached to St Barnabas in Worcestshire, and did services at St Edmunds Tysley in Birmingham. By 2000 he returned home, completed his thesis from here, sent it back, and was assigned to St Patrick's in Tobago.

In 2002 Bishop Bess asked him to come to All Saints in Trinidad as rector, and the rest is now history. Canon Berkley has endeared himself to the people of the Newtown parish where with one voice they speak of his "humility."

Bishop Berkley, as he will be addressed, will remain at All Saints until his predecessor demits in December. At this point in time he is not sure where his family will live as Hayes Court is in dire need of restoration at a cost of millions.

Last year, Canon Berkley was appointed chairman of the Diocesan Project Management Team (PMT) of an ongoing Capacity Building Programme which aims to move the Anglican Church forward. The team worked with consultants Price Waterhouse Cooper and an overwhelming response from Anglicans, identified through a survey that they want to see changes in the Anglican Church.

"We are caught in a moment in time," says the Coadjutor. "We were a big church with the governors and administrative power and clout behind our way of operating. The paradigm has shifted and we are now seeking to respond to the changing processes. A new order will be set up to differently target various groups. What will happen has already been outlined in my vision (published after his election). There is a period of great expectation as to what is to happen but Anglicans have to get on board, join hands, discuss, plan, and implement actively and consistently.”

More than 3,500 Anglicans from across the Diocese responded on January 30, 2011, and came together at Bishop/Trinity East for a day planned by the Capacity Building Project Team, at a symposium "Anglicanism Reloaded: My Anglican Christian Identity.

Says the Coadjutor Bishop, “It was a success in two main ways, people responded and spoke from their hearts, and panel discussion on the prayer book, scriptures and the sacraments were held. Heartwarming response from the people made and exceeded our targets for perception. It revealed to us many areas of work needed to follow through on things. That is a success point as we have discovered a number of places where there are gaps and holes, and plans are afoot to address these gaps in our operations.

“We are starting with teaching in the parishes during Lent through ‘My Anglican Christian Identity’ follow up, having discussion by using resources from the reload. People do not seem to know who we are. We have to try to meet people where they are and give them what they want. All I can say is try your best and God will do the rest.”