Commissions

Communications

Chairperson: Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire

Mission: To use all tools of communications in the service of mission, communion, and authentic dialogue within the AEC and beyond.

Core Business: To foster communion through communication technology.

Key Responsible Areas:

To facilitate formation of bishops, priests, religious and laity in the spirituality, theology and skills of communications enabling them to use the Information Communications Technology (ICT) platforms to collaborate in the ongoing mission of the AEC.
To develop an Integrated Pastoral Communications Plan for the AEC and assist dioceses in developing and implementing their own Integrated Pastoral Communication Plans (IPCP) – including the development and implementation of communication policies and guidelines for the AEC and member dioceses.
To partner with SIGNIS Caribbean in pursuit of the AEC Communications Commission’s mission goals which would include providing updates and direction and collaborating with the secular media for support in its evangelisation mission.
To respond to issues, disseminate and promote trustworthy information about the Roman Catholic Church, both regionally and globally including the messages of the Holy Father.

Divine Worship and Ministry

Chairperson: Bishop Wesley Spiewak

Mission: To promote good liturgy that reflects Caribbean reality and draws faithful into fuller participation and ownership of worship and ministry

Core Business: To nurture liturgy and to encourage stewardship

Key Responsible Areas:

To advance the inculturation of the liturgy through regional and diocesan formation efforts.
To compile liturgical books, such as funeral services or family service.
To prepare members of the faithful for particular liturgical ministries.
To ensure participation in regional and international Stewardship conferences.
To facilitate the formation of stewardship commission for each diocese.

Doctrine and Faith Formation

Chairperson: Bishop John Persaud

Mission: To promote the formation of the whole person in preparation for missionary discipleship through collaboration with catechists, teachers, theologians and canonists.

Core Business: To be at the service of the Conference of Bishops and member Dioceses in matters of Faith, Doctrine, Theology and Canon Law.

Key Responsible Areas:

Update the AEC Catechetical Guidelines; assist in the production and publication of regional catechetical curricula and to be of support and provide assistance to Diocesan Catechetical Departments in the formation of catechists.
Assist Dioceses in developing governance, values, formation and curriculum framework for the prudent management of diocesan educational institutions.
In collaboration with the Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today (CTCT) and the Antilles Canon Law Society (ACLS) examine, explore and respond to questions pertaining to faith, morals and canon law; promote and/or organize studies (seminars/workshops), and conferences on questions of faith and morals.
Promote and review publications, (including films) within the AEC.

Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue

Chairperson: Bishop Clyde Harvey

Mission: To facilitate and promote ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue.

Core Business: To encourage and oversee the efforts of ecumenical and Inter-religious dialogue and collaboration in the AEC region.

Key Responsible Areas:

To motivate and guide ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue and cooperation through regional and international institutions, conferences and meetings.
To encourage the participation of the local dioceses in ecumenical and inter-religious associations in their respective dioceses.
To encourage the appointment and training of an ecumenical/interreligious officer for each diocese.
To address regional ecumenical and interreligious issues affecting the church and people in the region.
To produce an ecumenical and inter-religious directory of the AEC Region.
To continue to work for the resolution of outstanding matters concerning the Caribbean Conference of Churches

Finance

Chairperson: Bishop Robert Llanos

The Finance Commission (Canon 1280) shall consist of at least three members. Other than the Chairman and Treasurer, the members shall be appointed by the President, after he has consulted the Permanent Board.
This Commission will prepare the annual budget for review by the Permanent Board and approval by the Plenary Assembly. Likewise, the Commission will review the annual audit and the Treasurer will make a presentation to the Assembly.
The Commission shall, from time to time, examine the structure of annual dues and make recommendations for review by the Permanent Board and subsequent approval of the Plenary Meeting.

Laity and Family Life

Chairperson: Bishop Robert Llanos

Mission: To form the laity and promote participation of the laity and family in the life and mission of the Church.

Core Business: Formation of the laity with special emphasis on marriage and family life.

Key Responsible Areas:

To empower the laity to fulfill Christ’s mission in the world through formation grounded in the Church’s teachings on marriage and family life such as Theology of the Body, Amoris Laetitia and others.
To promote the formation of the Domestic Church including those families living on the periphery for e.g., irregular unions and single parent families.
To assist in the establishment and training of the family life commissions of the dioceses.
Formation of the Clergy on issues of marriage and family life

New Evangelization

Chairperson: Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon

Mission: To bring the joy of the gospel to all strata of society in our AEC Region, and through the good news to transform us from within and make us new.

Core Business: Making missionary disciples

Process: Encounter, Conversion, fellowship, discipleship and vocation.

Key Responsible Areas:

To animate and form the Caribbean Church into a community of missionary disciples
To call, equip and send forth evangelists within our AEC region
To align, equip and engage the diocesan evangelization commissions with the AEC mission
To collaborate with all AEC Commissions in deepening vocation consciousness among our people beginning with baptism and permeating our ecclesial life as daily practice at every stage.

Promotion of Human Integral Development

Chairperson: Bishop Francis Alleyne

Mission: To inculcate Integral human development as a way of living the Gospel in the region

Core Business: To promote, celebrate and defend the sacredness of human life in its entirety.

Key Responsible Areas:

To proclaim the social teaching of the Church through publications, conferences et al.
To collaborate with organizations and associations dedicated to the promotion of justice and peace to the extent possible.
To raise the awareness and initiate public conversations around the pressing social issues of the region.
To consider and promote a culture of disaster preparedness and resilience across the region.
To study, develop and promote the concept of the integrity of creation and stewardship with special attention to Laudato Si and Querida Amazonia.
To point the faithful to the spiritual and material needs of migrants, seafarers, sailors, fishermen, airline employees and passengers, tourists, refugees, asylum seekers, returnees and displaced persons.
To study the impact of tourism on the socio–cultural life of the region.
To promote healthy lifestyles and wholistic Development among our people.

Vocations and Youth

Chairperson: Archbishop Kenneth Richards

Mission: To ignite faith in our AEC youth and young adults to discern, live, and deepen their Christian vocation.

Core Business: Formation of Youth and Young Adult for wholesome Christian Living

Definition: The relationship between the youth and vocation is the need to minister to our youth in such a way to help them respond to God and to appropriately chooses their vocation.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

For Vocations

To assist each diocese in the establishment of a structure for promoting a culture of vocation.
To help dioceses plan and execute vocation promotional activities, especially the Annual Vocations’ Week celebrations, targeting students in Primary, Secondary Schools, Universities, and parish communities.
To ensure the promotion of vocations at the moments of youth gatherings such as AEC Youth Assembly
To encourage and assist dioceses to utilize social means of communications for evangelization, and vocations: including married life, consecrated life, professionals and teaching as a vocation.
To ensure that dioceses use a standard discernment and admission process for priestly and religious formation and facilitate the accompaniment of those discerning and their family.
To encourage dioceses to establish a programme for the newly ordained to help them transition in the first 5 years of priesthood.
To sensitize priests and families about their responsibility to intentionally encourage a culture of vocations.

For the Youth

To foster participation of youth in the life and mission of the Church through regional gatherings, formation of youth leaders, and adult advisors.
To offer support to young married couples, to marginalized youth and those with special needs and mental challenges
To help all young people hear and actively respond to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and enthusiastically participate in the life and mission of Jesus Christ and His Church

For the structures of Ministry

To establish a support network among Directors of Vocations, and Directors of Youth Ministry in the Region
To encourage collaboration between diocesan Directors of Youth Ministry and Directors of Vocation
To offer training for Diocesan Vocations and Youth Directors
To encourage dioceses of establish a budget for vocations promotion and youth ministry