Tribute to the late Most Rev Samuel E. Carter
THE JAMAICA Council of Churches (JCC) is grateful for the opportunity to offer public expressions of gratitude to God for enriching our witness by and through the gifts and ministry of the late Archbishop Samuel E. Carter. A true pioneer and colossal figure in the Church in the Caribbean, the council salutes the Roman Catholic Church for ensuring that we do not quickly forget this gift of God.
For decades, the Most Reverend Samuel Carter was synonymous with the JCC, and one could easily regard
him as the leading Roman Catholic ecumenist of the 20th century. He was a leading figure in the council’s work and witness – an engagement that spoke eloquently to his adopted motto, drawn from the prayer of Jesus for the unity of the church: “that they may be one”.
Two of the more lasting and telling expressions of his contribution to the ecumenical project were when he, in conjunction with the then Anglican Bishop of Jamaica, initiated and blessed the very first jointly owned AnglicanCatholic Church of Reconciliation in Portmore. The other was the pivotal role he played in birthing the first 24-hour, all-island, ecumenical radio station, the National Religious Media Commission (popularly known as LOVE). It was Archbishop Carter, acting on behalf of the council, who singlehandedly secured thousands of dollars as ‘seed money’ for the entity, and there was great rejoicing when its broadcast began on February 14, 1993.
Whether it was as president, an office he held from 1979-1982 and from 1991-1994, or an executive committee member, Samuel Carter demonstrated God-given graces, which made him approachable, dependable, fearless, and consistent. His quick-wittedness, matched by a ready smile, made him an ever-welcoming presence in many a meeting and discussion as difficult and thorny issues were tackled in a warm and respectful spirit.
HIS CONTRIBUTION
The council remembers with gratitude archbishop’s contribution to the ecumenical landscape not only here in Jamaica, but the wider Caribbean as well. He was one of those privileged to bring into birth the 1973 inauguration of the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) and one of the first three presidents of the CCC, and in fact, the first chair of the presidium.
Few Caribbean theologians will forget the archbishop’s contribution to Caribbean theology. In 1973, he wrote the foreword to Troubling the Waters, the seminal text that launched the Caribbean Theology project. Reflecting his Christological perspective, the archbishop declared: “Jesus, though born in Bethlehem, is not a Middle Easterner, nor is he a European or an African. His incarnation is more than a past historical event … Emmanuel – God with us – is incarnate, as well, in this rapidly developing Caribbean world of ours, and it is in discovering Him that we will finally discover to the full our own Caribbean identity.”
Indeed, long shall the memory of this outstanding Christian servant live!