The 2025 Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today (CTCT) invites scholars, theologians, pastors, activists, and community leaders to gather for a dynamic and timely theological exchange under the theme Prophetic Responses to Contemporary Challenges.

This year’s conference takes place July 7 to 11, in Barbados, and will feature over 30 groundbreaking papers that explore how theology can serve as a liberating, healing, and prophetic force in the lives of Caribbean people.

The Conference will engage deeply with the region’s lived realities—addressing ongoing colonial legacies, economic inequality, and spiritual disconnection.

Key themes include:

• Prophetic resistance and decolonisation through Carnival, Rastafarianism, and storytelling
• Gender and ecclesial reform, including presentations on the possibility of Catholic women deacons, the role of the laity, and theological reflections on marriage
• Youth disengagement and trauma, especially among Black Caribbean males and marginalised communities
• Mental and spiritual health, with reflections on meditation, art, and communal healing
• Ecological and socio-political responsibility, including sustainability, reparatory justice, and synodality
• Theological formation and education, addressing seminary training and archival research challenges

As the region faces evolving spiritual landscapes and societal crises, CTCT 2025 offers a prophetic space for critical reflection, solidarity, and transformation—where theology does not remain in the abstract but walks with the people. Virtual and in-person attendance are encouraged.

Register now: ctctsec1994@gmail.com / @https://www.facebook.com/CTCT1994

On an ordinary day, I stand on my feet in the sand in ankle(ish) deep water. The ends of the waves coming and going, the water splashing all around me. Some waves are larger than others, but the one certainty is that the waves are coming.
Few of us in the Caribbean are any strangers to the sea in all its awe and wonder. For better and for worse, we’re keenly aware of its grandeur and unpredictability. Yet we know so little about it.

The sea was here when we were born. It’s here as we live. It will be here when we
die. As much as we might pollute and taint it through our capitalistic ventures and
lack of concern for its wellbeing, we can never eliminate its existence.
Being lost in the moment, I found myself likening the Caribbean Sea to God’s
grace. Full of energy and teeming with life, for us and our ancestors, the sea has
been, and continues to be, a major source and sustenance for us all, at least in
some capacity.

Looking out to the horizon, from my vantage point, things seem calm and still. The
view is vast, and the possibilities, endless. God alone knows what kinds of
creatures and wildlife exist within it. I can’t perceive any sort of activity. I can’t
recognise the undercurrents, or the creatures, or whatever else might be out
there. All I can see is this flat, infinite line. Yet I believe there’s more beyond the
line and below the depths, though my naked eye can’t see it.

Shifting my gaze from the horizon to a central point, I can see the waves beginning
to form. No two waves are the same. All ultimately lead to the same place: the
shore. The waves are powerful. They are beautiful. I don’t know the exact specifics
as to how or why the waves form, but I know that they do. As irregular as they are
in their patterns, they’re constant in their movement.

Then, drawing my eyes down to myself, I see the way my feet are immersed in the
water. Tiny little bubbles, foam, sand, all the like, come and go, come and go. I
couldn’t control the movement even if I tried. It’s just pure force, and I have to just
stand here and take it all in.

Speaking of taking it all in, that’s exactly what I’m doing, not only with my eyes,
but with my skin as well. Though my eyes can’t tell me, my pores are open,
absorbing the sea in ways I could have never known before science was able to
prove it. We know what our elders would always tell us what the cure for every
thing is: a sea bath.

Considering all this, I can’t help but see the sea through new sight, in the light of God’s grace. Regardless of how I look at it, something is happening. If I look out
afar, I can’t tell what’s going on, but it’s clear that it’s there. If I look halfway, I can’t
say how or why things are happening, but it’s clear that they’re happening. If I look
to my own self, it might not seem like much compared to everything else that’s
going on further out, yet it’s clearly there, ubiquitous in the details. And my body
can’t help but take it all in, whether my mind wants to or not.

The currents continue ripping, the waves continue crashing, and the bubbles
continue foaming. That much is clear. Whether it’s the theologians, Church
leaders, or people sitting, liming, talking about it in concrete or abstract ways, the
Holy Spirit moves and grooves in ways no one can give specifics on, yet everyone
can point to as there.

That’s what’s most paradoxical of it all. As “clear” as our Caribbean Sea’s
existence is, it’s just as mysterious. My “knowledge” is balanced with, and
outweighed by, my unknowing. Everything that’s happening ultimately leads to me
standing on the shore. In the same way, everything that’s happening in my life
ultimately leads to God’s grace meeting me where I’m at. So I’ve decided: time to
take a dive.

Angelo Kurbanali

Conference On Thelogy In The Caribbean Today [CTCT] Biennial Conference:
Turning The Tide. November 8-12, 2021.

The Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today (CTCT) recently held a Virtual Forum on the theme “Black Lives Matter: Caribbean Theological Perspectives”. The two-hour event took place on Zoom. The majority of the 100 participants were based in mostly English-speaking Caribbean countries, while some logged in from the USA and western Europe. Among them were clergy, pastoral workers, educators and students; most participants belonged to a Christian denomination, especially Catholicism; and there were slightly more women than men. The group first listened to three presentations, each from a different angle. 

Dr. Alison Mc Letchie, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at South Carolina State University, USA, is a Roman Catholic Trinbagonian who has resided in the US for more than twenty years. She related her experience with the BLM movement in the US South as a Catholic Caribbean immigrant. Dr. Mc Letchie remarked that racism in the US, as in the Caribbean, stems from the plantation system. She posited that, in general, the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in the US South still displays a Eurocentric and segregationist culture, seems not to understand the BLM movement, and has been unwilling to truly engage with critiques of systemic racism. She called upon the faithful, especially theologians and educators among them, to take the responsibility to collaborate toward dismantling racism and becoming one in Christ’s body. 

Rev. Dr. Sonia Hinds, Rector of St. Leonard’s Anglican Church in Barbados, explained that racism became institutionalized in the early Anglican Church in Barbados through complicity with colonialism and slavery. She used the legacy of Christopher Codrington (†1710) as an example of the Church’s efforts to maintain slavery and the plantation system in colonial Barbados. While there has been significant progress during the past half century, race-related challenges remain within the Anglican Church and wider Barbadian society. For example, whereas since 2000 all Anglican clergy are of African descent, Eurocentric iconography remains prevalent in the Church. Rev. Dr. Hinds argued that theology can be an engine for social change and explained that the all-embracing Anglican concept of Holy Baptism logically implies that racism is unchristian, is unacceptable to God, and is a sin. 

Rev. Fr. Stephan Alexander, recently ordained Roman Catholic priest of the parish of St. Martin de Porres, Coryal, Trinidad and Tobago, pointed to connections between the current BLM movement, the 1960s civil rights movement in the USA and Canada, and the 1970 Black Power Revolution in Trinidad. He referred to both Scripture (“seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand” ― Matthew 13:13) and philosophy (“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend” ― Henri Bergson) to foreground persistent attitudes in modern-day Trinidad and Tobago that demean Black people and deny their human dignity. Fr. Alexander argued that an intimate relationship with Christ and a balanced approach grounded in spiritual and ethical values are prerequisites for understanding racism and for countering it.

All three presentations directly or indirectly argued that the basic tenets of the Christian faith, and especially the notion that all human beings are created in the Divine image (Genesis 1:27), invalidate and reject racism. However, this then presents the disturbing contradiction of the persistent presence of racism among persons of faith and within the Church. The three presenters agreed that the Church should play an active role in fighting racism, by confronting the Church’s own contradictory praxis in both the past and present, by actively engaging with anti-racist movements, and by consistently promoting a just society. 

In the open-floor discussion that ensued, a wide range of issues surfaced, such as the question of Caribbean iconography (images and colonial legacy), the role of Catholic Education, the need to ‘Caribbeanize’ concepts like BLM that are imported from the North, what does it mean to matter  in the context of a theology of human dignity, reparations, metanoia (penance), and pastoral strategies to bring about effective change toward equity and equality. 

The Forum showed that the topic of BLM has multiple dimensions to which a two-hour platform obviously cannot do sufficient justice. Reflection upon these dimensions and other topics will resume at the 21st Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today, which is scheduled for June 2021

“Caribbean Jubilee and Creation: In a Time of Pandemic and Natural Disaster”, the theme of the third “Virtual Forum” hosted by the Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today [CTCT] on Thursday October 15, 2020 elicited local, regional and international participation. Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’ (LS), the Pope’s 2020 post-synodal exhortation, Querida Amazonia (QA) and the recently concluded Season of Creation (September 1-October 4, 2020), featured presenter, Joel Thompson, S.J. – a Guyanese Jesuit pursuing graduate studies in Theology – developed his presentation based on a four-dimensional theological framework: beauty, community, justice and hope. Bishop Gabriel Malzaire of the Diocese of Roseau, Dominica, responded to the presentation.

Identifying jubilee as a time of remembrance, in which we rest, reflect and cherish the memory of our inter-relational existence, Joel considered each of the four dimensions against the paired backdrop of “integral ecology” (L.S. § 225) and our Caribbean realities. He urged a holistic and integrated view of creation while asking, “What’s a good life for a Caribbean person?” The dimension of beauty, existent in Caribbean peoples, our countries and realities, was identified. Joel echoed the Pope’s identification of beauty as the lens through which we should be looking at reality because “rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise” (L.S. §12). It was noted that a way of beauty inspires gratitude and helps us to see others and all created things as beautiful.

Community, which draws on our interconnection with each other (L.S. § 219), was identified as a sustaining force that is important for resilience (Q.A. § 20). Justice was considered in terms of a lament in relation to global consumerism levels and the serious impact of the ecological crisis on the Caribbean region. The need for urgent practical action to remedy this injustice was posited. Joel suggested that hope is a commitment to actions in the present that will lead to the future we want. Hope was reflected in terms of the cumulative efforts of communities working for ecological justice and founded on the idea of ‘good living’ for ourselves and for those who will come after us.

Bishop Malzaire’s reply highlighted the Dominica Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan 2020-2030 as a local level practical response to that which threatens Caribbean nations regionally and globally. Identified in the plan were six “result areas”, namely:  strong communities; robust economy; well planned and durable infrastructure; enhanced collective consciousness; strengthened institutional systems; and, protected and sustainably leveraged natural and other unique assets. It was suggested that focusing on these six areas would allow the Government to deliver on its resilience targets

In contributing to the four-dimensional framework, Bishop Malzaire referenced the encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (2020). He confirmed: that the resilience agenda proposed by the Dominica Government was intended to preserve, maintain and enhance the beauty of the country and its people, not only physically, but socially, educationally and spiritually; the aspect of community is of great importance to the success of any developmental agenda in the Caribbean (F.T. § 8); justice flows from “true development of a people”; and, the three dimensions previously mentioned find their true meaning in a spirituality of hope (F.T. § 54 & 55). Our vulnerability and the increased urgency to achieve results due to the Covid-19 pandemic was acknowledged and emphasized by Bishop Malzaire.

A “Q & A” segment followed the featured presentation. One such contribution identified the wisdom of indigenous peoples in their relationship to the land and environment (L.S. § 146). Relying on his experience of life in the interior of Guyana, Joel identified two lessons learned from the indigenous communities: firstly, land is not a right but a gift from God that must be appreciated. Adopting this perspective would change our view and usage of land as a natural resource. Secondly, in observing the indigenous people’s practices of consumption, namely, consuming only what is needed, we would have less waste and better differentiate between our needs and wants (for profit). CTCT will host its fourth “Virtual Forum” in December 2020.

Questioning the relevancy of priest and ministers in this current crisis,  reflecting on the dangerous role fear plays in this pandemic, finding hope in a situation of hopelessness, learning to live in the now, embracing one’s vulnerability, hailing the rise of the domestic church, searching for a spirituality to endure crises, adopting a missionary spirit and not returning to a clerical church were among some of the reflections shared by the four main presenters at the CTCT’s first ever held Virtual Forum, “Theological Reflections on COVID-19”. The Forum was held on April 16 and comprised thirty-five member-participants including the four presenters. Each of the presenters highlighted a different aspect of the unique experience of the pandemic: Fr Esteban Kross, Vicar General of the diocese of Paramaribo, Suriname shared on his experience of being forced into quarantine during the historic lockdown of the Holy City. Sr. Julie M. Peters, Assistant Superior General of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, offered a bird’s eye view of reality from being in Rome, Italy, the first major epicentre of the virus in the West, Gloria Bertrand, retired housewife, married for sixty-five years shared from the perspective of the elderly, a group hailed as most vulnerable during this pandemic and Bishop Clyde Harvey, of the diocese of St. George’s Grenada pondered on the pastoral impact of the pandemic in the Caribbean space. 

Lockdown of the Holy Land: ‘Doctors and nurses…more relevant than priests and ministers?’

Kross concluded his presentation with a stated desire: a listening Church that pays attention, resolves not to go back to the way things were, ponders deeply and acts. What preceded such conclusive remarks was a profound reflection on Kross’ pilgrimage-experience with 45 Surinamese and 3 Dutch pilgrims to the Holy Land which ended abruptly, a mere twenty hours into the trip. The group was forced into quarantine with the historic lockdown of the Holy Land, a feat not even accomplished with years of intense fighting between rival forces. Kross recounted his own felt vulnerability as a priest called upon to lead and appear in control amidst his own deep-down fears and terrible uncertainty being subject to the mercy of foreign authorities who were making drastic decisions to protect their own population at the expense of visitors. Kross retold a situation of widespread panic that had erupted in Bethlehem following the first appearances of the deadly virus, noting the poisonous combination of fear, panic and blaming others that had ensued posing a serious threat to the safety of the group who had to be put under military guard.  This experience led him to observe the global disintegration and lack of cohesion that were natural outcomes of panic. Yet even amidst these challenges, Kross also recounted the solidarity that quickly spread among the group who ate, prayed, mourned, reflected and searched for meaning together. Fundamental questions were raised throughout this unique experience for Kross, who admitted to being confronted by a reality in which doctors and nurses were seen as far more relevant than priests and ministers

Lessons learnt outside the classroom: A walk in the footsteps of Sr. Julie Peters

For Sr. Julie, life in Rome in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis is a life in lessons learnt. What started off as a crisis located in Northern Italy quickly spread, until the whole of Italy, fell victim to the deadly effects of the COVID-19 virus, evidenced by the second largest death toll in the world of over 20,000 (to date). Against this backdrop, Sr. Julie took us through a deeply personal journey unfolding through her journal entries which she dated from March 29. Her sharings ventilated through reflections on biblical texts, liturgical experiences and everyday realities. Shaped in the form of questions and aided by important liturgical metaphors such as the Easter tomb-stone, Sr. Julie raised concerns which emerged in the following ways: “What are the stones we need to roll away from our lives, the life of the Church, the life of the world?’ “What entombs me, the Church, the society in which I live?” “What steps do we need to take to get out of our tombs?” Refusing to offer affirmative statements, she raised questions to respond to other questions. To the question of whether persons will return to Church after such a prolonged absence, Sr. Julie asked if this was even an appropriate question. Instead, she put forward Pope Francis’ papal vision of a missionary church working to ensure that no-one is left behind in dealings surrounding COVID-19 as a model response. Sr. Julie highlighted Pope Francis’ most recent efforts of encouraging collaboration among Vatican committees, global charity organisations and pharmacies to direct attention toward local churches and the most vulnerable in our societies including prisoners. This stood for her as a sure sign of hope. She spoke of her intention to supplement this hope through a re-reading of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter Evangelii Gaudium, the Gospel of Joy, encouraging others particularly those in positions of authority, to do the same as a means of offering an immediate response to the present problems.

Living in the land of my captivity 

In the situation of the current pandemic, many have been asked to stay away from the elderly who have been labelled as most vulnerable to the deadly effects of COVID-19. Yet it is precisely this vulnerability that Gloria Bertrand, retired housewife turned caregiver to her husband Harold, embraces and encourages. ‘Being vulnerable is a good posture to have…it allows you to be softened. It shows you how to receive, be pliable…” She did warn that it was up to us however to embrace or reject this reality. Bertrand shared how her years of being primary caregiver to her husband, a situation thrust upon her when her husband suddenly fell and became somewhat paralysed had prepared her for this time of quarantine, social distancing and overall health vulnerabilities. She shared how she found new skills to help her manage her personal life crisis which included making immediate drastic changes, assessing what would no longer work, focusing on basic needs, thinking about financial implications, listening to those with more knowledge, including her own children at times. She learnt how to live in the moment and showed how faith was needed to take you through difficult, frightening times. As she reflected on the closure of the Church, she highlighted how similar the experience was to what she had been going through since her husband’s illness, being shut-in and unable to continue going to Mass. Her faith was sustained by returning to the marriage vows she made as a young woman, to familiar habits that had helped cultivate her faith over the years such as lectio divina and incorporating other daily simple practices that brought her joy, such as gardening and crocheting. The global lockdown was for Gloria a way to see things as they had already been existing in the world for some time now. Yet Gloria maintained that being shut-in did not mean living without hope. Rather, she used the biblical experience of Israel living in the land of one’s captivity to suggest a way to live during this time. She ended by calling on the Church to accept that the domestic church was its future and to take pattern from how families get by through difficulties to guide the post-COVID 19 Church. 

 “I will resettle you on your own land” (Ez. 36): COVID 19 and the Pastorale

‘We do not know’ is the response Bishop Clyde Harvey highlighted as the most common one to important questions being raised in the wake of the pandemic. This pointed to a double dimension of the experience: its universality and its mystery. All of humanity is being taken through a walk in ignorance and mystery, stated Harvey. It is precisely within that tension that important urgent decisions are being taken. That tension was uncovering an even deeper one of God’s presence-absence during this time, a reality more starkly revealed with the closure of churches. For Harvey, the present situation of empty churches was making clear what had been happening in the Caribbean Church for some time now. ‘Because we’ve had enough people present, we were able to shut out the many who are absent”. Harvey further lamented the absence of a spirituality to assist with dealing with crises in the Caribbean. That spirituality lacked the essence of a missionary spirit. Too many times the faith response to crises is one of ‘Lord, save me’ as opposed to ‘Lord, send me’, chimed Harvey. He attributed this lack to a strong clericalism at work in the Caribbean church which had failed to adequately prepare the faithful to make its way through crises. Other issues raised by Harvey included Caribbean unity and leadership. Harvey ended by urging that the way forward was a poor Church standing with the poor, able to discern our gifts and what we have and seek to build around that. In a tone of foreboding Harvey warned that: ‘we cannot take it for granted that the Church will change’.  

{adapted from Gerald Boodoo’s reflections on the occasion of the 25th anniversary Conference held in Trinidad in June 2019}

Retrospect – 25 Years

As we come to the closing sessions of our 25th anniversary Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today, there are some markers that have been present and consistent over the years that we should highlight and be justly proud of. The first and most Christian/Catholic of them all is:

1. Hospitality. From the beginning of this conference in 1994 right through to this conference in 2019, the openness to welcome anyone who is interested and working, directly or indirectly, in religious, pastoral and theological matters in and on the Caribbean has been steadfastly followed…as a result of most participants lodging at the conference site over the conference, hospitality also manifests itself in the many social activities, planned and unplanned…These after and in-between hours events that are usually accompanied by drinks and snacks, build solidarity as well as mutual respect and understanding, and play a large role in the acceptance of various ideas precisely because of the cordial relationships built at these “limes”. If anything, some have claimed that it is at these “limes” where the real theology is done at the conference. It is hard to dispute this and it highlights how hospitality is indispensable for creative expression, for unity and for vibrant faiths! 
2. Resiliency. Celebrating 25 years is no small feat. What is even more startling is that this occurred through the voluntary efforts of so many persons, living and deceased, whose commitment and nurturing created and sustained spaces for the conference to survive …This was no mean task and for some years it seemed like the conference would not make it. Yet here we are, celebrating 25 years and also implementing the handing over of the reins of the conference to another generation. 
3. The Experiential and Faith Dimension. It is not uncommon during our formal presentations to have persons share, and sometimes quite emotionally, their deep spiritual and experiential insights. This commitment to the varieties of religious experience by the conference is enshrined in the three memorial lectures the conference has established over the years: the Rev. Idris Hamid Memorial Lecture, which honors who we consider to be the first person in the region to organize and publish, in ecumenical/inter-faith fashion, theological texts based on theologians from the region; the Cheryl Herrera Memorial Lecture, which explores women’s experiences, contributions and visions for the churches in the Caribbean, and honors the first executive secretary of the conference who worked tirelessly to assure the success of the conference; the Founders Memorial Lecture, which honors the founders of the conference, Fr. Michel De Verteuil, C.S.Sp., Archbishop Joseph Harris, C.S.Sp., Msgr. Patrick A.B. Anthony.
4. Location. Over the years, the conference has met in St. Lucia, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname. This attention to location is also thematic in the insistence that presenters must relate to some feature or place in the Caribbean region or its diaspora as well as use thinkers and resources from the region to inform their thinking. 
5. Poetics and the Body. From the very beginning, and with increasing regularity, presentations at the conference have always looked to Caribbean literature, music, art and poetry as ways to understand and adequately express our ways of existing in the region. Interestingly, these resources have always led us to reflect and speak about the human body or the body of the earth.

Perhaps this is the true legacy of the conference over the past 25 years, the construction of a community of thinkers and activists that have experienced and expressed love, to each other and to God. (Boodoo, 2019)