THE MOST REVEREND
ANTHONY PANTIN 1929 - 2000
By Earl Manmohan
Express
March 13, 2000
Page 7
The
Most Rev. Anthony Pantin, the late Archbishop of Port of Spain
was born August 27, 1929 to Julian and Agnes Pantin.
He
was the third of 12 children.
Before
him was Fr. Gerry Pantin, known for his work in Servol. A sister born immediately after him is a
nun, Sr. Mary Rosa, Sister of the Order of St. Joseph of Cluny, who accompanied
him to Miami for surgery on January 14.
He was also the brother of former NAR Minister Clive Pantin who is now
CEO of FEEL.
The
Archbishop received his early education at the Sacred Heart Private School and
the Belmont Intermediate School. His
secondary education was at St Mary's College and tertiary education at Montreal
University, Canada.
He
knew since he was about 17 that he wanted to be a priest.
He
joined the Holy Ghost Congregation in 1946, taught at St Mary's College from
1949 to 1952, after which he left for Dublin, Ireland, to pursue studies in
theology from 1952 to 1956. He was
ordained a priest on July 3, 1955 and was then assigned to Guadeloupe from 1956
to 1959.
Pantin
returned to teaching at Fatima College from 1959 to 1964 and was appointed
Religious Superior at St Mary's College from 1965 to 1967.
He
was nominated Archbishop of Port of Spain in December 1967 and became the first
national to be consecrated Archbishop.
His
ordination on March 19, 1968 - St Joseph's Day - was historic in that he became
the first Trinidadian to be raised to the Archbishopric in his own Cathedral
and to take over the Archdiocese of Port of Spain. A crowd of over 3,000 jammed the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception to witness his ordination.
In
1998 Pantin announced his intention to resign this year, but was told by
Vatican officials that the Pope would most likely not accept it. According to
Canon
Law 401 Section 1, a Bishop is supposed to submit his resignation when he
reaches 75 to the Pope who could either accept or reject it as he sees fit.
Besides
being Archbishop of Port of Spain, Pantin served as president and in other
offices in the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO). He was instrumental in the formation of the organisation. He became actively involved in a number of
organisations, such as the Leprosy Relief Association, the Christian Council of
Churches, Auxiliary Child Care Association, St Martin Trade School and Gayap
Cultural Foundation.
Pantin
also assisted in pacifying the population during the 1970 uprising and 1990
coup attempt.
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HE LIVED FOR ALL
THINGS TO ALL MEN
Trinidad Guardian
March 13, 2000
Page 4
When
38-year-old Monsignor Anthony Pantin was consecrated archbishop of Trinidad and
Tobago on March 19, 1968, he not only became the eighth Archbishop of the
country but also the first local person to assume the office.
He
succeeded the erudite Archbishop Finbar Ryan who retired at the age of 85 after
heading the archdiocese for several decades.
His
appointment was enthusiastically received by all sectors of the country,
including other Christian and non-Christian denominations.
It
was a great change for the former language master of St Mary's College. But he brought with him special personal
gifts, of holiness, humility and love for others, which enabled him to make a
success of his episcopate.
Archbishop
Pantin received his primary education at Belmont Intermediate School, now the
Belmont Boys Secondary RC School, from where he won a scholarship to St Mary's
College.
He
is remembered as a keen sportsman who took part in many sporting
activities. He was fairly brilliant
academically and was expected to be a keen contender for honours in the open
scholarship examinations.
However,
at the age of 17, instead of pursuing the scholarship, he announced his
decision to become a priest.
After
a short teaching stint at his Alma Mater, he headed for the Holy Ghost Seminary
in Canada.
After
his novitiate he continued studies in Ireland where he was ordained to the
sacred priesthood in 1955 at the age of 28 years.
Returning
to Trinidad he taught at Fatima College and at St Mary's. He was well liked by his students, and
popular with both the clerical and lay staff of the two colleges.
Just
prior to his Episcopal consecration he was elected Superior of the Holy Ghost
Fathers, (Spiritans), an experience which no doubt served him well in his
administration of the archdiocese.
As
archbishop he took the motto, "All things to all men." And he tried to live out this motto in all
his activities.
He
was well known for his love of humour and his humorous anecdotes. As Archbishop he was keenly interested in
alleviating the distressing conditions of the disadvantaged in the country.
In
1971, he left the comfort of Archbishop's House to take up residence in the
dilapidated presbytery at the Laventille Shrine and assume duties as Parish
Priest.
Eventually
he had to give up this work as he became ill with colitis, a stomach disorder.
Archbishop
Pantin was also a fervent supporter of the ecumenical movement among Christian
churches. On several occasions he also
served as president of the Inter-Religious Organisation. He was also president of the Antilles
Episcopal Conference, the organisation of Catholic bishops in the Caribbean
area.
On
January 11 he went to Miami for surgery "to correct a bile-duct
problem." Returning to Trinidad
and Tobago he resumed duties after a short rest.
Last
Wednesday, he presided at the traditional Ash Wednesday ceremonies at the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where he delivered his last public
homily.
Ironically,
in his sermon he told the congregation, "Our faith will also help us to
see God in all the events of life, even those that bring us sorrow."
Archbishop
Pantin was one of 12 children born to the late Julian and Agnes Pantin, nine of
whom are left to mourn their loss. These
include Fr. Gerard Pantin of Servol and Sister Rosa Pantin of the Cluny
Sisters.
His
family and the Catholic community, as well as the many people who were dear to
him, will need their faith to sustain them in this hour of sorrow.