Above all, I followed the Spirit."
Pedro Arrupe
Superior General - Society of Jesus
Superior General - Society of Jesus
INTRODUCTIONWhat began as a choir at St. Anns R.C. Church in 1998 evolved into a journey towards the building of a Catholic-Christian organization designed to support the Church’s missionary goals of evangelization, sanctification of humankind and the Christian formation of people’s consciences.
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Jubilee Generation representing St. Ann's RC parish in 2004
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OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS MINISTRY
In October of 2002, a group of choir members agreed to fast and pray regarding the future of the choir. God’s response to our laundry list of questions during that fast was neither immediate nor direct. Instead, he requested that we form and commit to a weekly prayer group. The request was revealed through one member, along with a word of confirmation from Jeremiah 1:7-10 (The Call of Jeremiah) which challenged the group to “Go now to those whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you to protect you – it is Yahweh who speaks.” We had no idea what this meant or could mean in the future however, all but one person agreed to commit.
In October of 2002, a group of choir members agreed to fast and pray regarding the future of the choir. God’s response to our laundry list of questions during that fast was neither immediate nor direct. Instead, he requested that we form and commit to a weekly prayer group. The request was revealed through one member, along with a word of confirmation from Jeremiah 1:7-10 (The Call of Jeremiah) which challenged the group to “Go now to those whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you to protect you – it is Yahweh who speaks.” We had no idea what this meant or could mean in the future however, all but one person agreed to commit.
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Over the next year, this group of five was repeatedly called by God to fasting and prayer and on one such occasion, one member became disturbed by repeated visions of a mountaintop. This vision was shared with the group's then-Spiritual Director and parish-priest of St. Anns R.C. Fr. Godfrey Stoute who, much to our amazement, admitted to having the same vision over the same period. After further prayer and discernment, it was confirmed that members of the group were required to proceed to Mt. St. Benedict for two days of fasting and prayer (by this time one additional member opted out of the group citing personal commitments and two new members joined the team, making it six).
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Reverend Father Godfrey Stoute supports Jubilee at the Youth Extravaganza in Maloney.
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Under the guidance of Fr. Stoute, the group proceeded to Mount St. Benedict on Friday 3rd October, 2003, to commence prayer and fasting over that weekend however upon arrival, one member made the decision not to move forward, leaving a team of five. On Saturday 4th October, 2003 - the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi - the remaining group received a clear directive from God before the Blessed Sacrament on the Mount. Of the five (5) women present:
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- One was required to (a) take up responsibilities as an intercessor “And a sword shall pierce her soul…so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare” – Luke 2:35 and (b) give overall direction to the group “Son of Man, look carefully, listen closely and pay attention to everything I show you, since you have only been brought here for me to show it to you. Tell the House of Israel everything that you see” Ez. 40:4.
- The group was given the name Prized Possessions, the scripture Wisdom 3:1-9, and a word from God: "You are called for such a time as this. You have come to break down and rebuild."
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WALKING BY FAITH
By April 2006, we received confirmation from God that we were required to leave our places of employment and begin a process of discernment which would lead to the building up of an ecclesial community. This - the resigning of our jobs - occurred in stages, with people leaving their places of employment from January to July of 2007. While the majority of 2007 and 2008 focused on prayer and discernment, the team also used the opportunity to accomplish two things: first, to meet with Archbishop Edward Gilbert in order to gain more insight into what was required by the Church and to seek his assistance in mapping out a way forward and second, to discern, articulate and document what we felt confident were the Core Values and the Vision for the community. We also met with then-Monsignor Jason Gordon in 2008 to receive further guidance and, from that meeting determined a way forward regarding formation. AGAINST THE GRAIN By 2011 (and much to our surprise) it was confirmed that all of the leadership would be (a) called to married life, (b) not required to take vows of poverty or celibacy and (c) not required to 'live in community' in the traditional sense. |
Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon
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THE WAY FORWARD
From 2012 to 2018, the group was led by the Spirit of God to further develop (a) its mission, (b) the draft for the community’s statutes and (c) the overall structure of the organization. We are now certain that Jubilee’s vision, which is “to promote and preserve Christian values in all aspects of life” will be achieved through three divisions; Jubilee Catholic Community, Jubilee Generation and Jubilee Holdings Ltd. We consider JUBILEE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY© (JCC) to be the flagship of the organization and although it is registered with the Government of Trinidad & Tobago as an NGO, approval to operate on behalf of the Church is also required from the Archbishop of Port of Spain. Jubilee is working toward JCC’s approval to carry the designation of Private Association of Christ’s Faithful to serve mainly in the area of lifelong formation. 
Psychologist Dr. Dianne Douglas addresses the audience in a session at the final phase of CONSIDER THIS! in October, 2016.
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Notes from one in a series of leadership retreats in 2016.
From 2009, JCC has functioned as a member of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission and worked from 2012 to 2016 to contribute to the efforts of the commission to highlight the harmful effects of pornography on children and family life through a multi-phased campaign entitled Consider This!
The campaign covered (a) a series of 'faceless' interviews with three persons; two recovering from pornography addiction and one partner of an addict, (b) a four-part limited drama series of the same name which aired on TV6 and Trinity TV in 2012, (c) a five-part talk show focused on the addiction's effects on the individual, school life, family life and marriage and was aired exclusively on Trinity TV in 2013 and (d) a two-day national symposium with leading local, regional and international industry experts held at the Trinidad Hilton Hotel & Conference Centre in October 2016. |
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JUBILEE GENERATION CO. LTD. © (JGCL) is the longest-running division of Jubilee. Established in 1998 as a Sunday evening choir to serve under Fr. Godfrey Stoute, the team ministered faithfully at masses, Praise & Worship and Healing services until December 31st, 2006. Since then, in addition to serving at its community masses and other Archdiocesan collaborations, JGCL has worked to assist the Archdiocese in improving the standard of music in parishes and schools by developing two ACTT and GATE-approved music programs for CREDI-The Catholic Religious Education Institute. The Bachelors and Diploma programs were launched in November 2009 with Jubilee serving as managers of the program from that time until January, 2020.
Members of the Jubilee Generation joint choir at the Living Waters Community telethon in June, 2019.
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Archbishop Edward Gilbert launches CREDI's bachelor and diploma programs in music in November, 2009.
Over the years, Jubilee Generation has also sought to evangelize society’s so-called “least, last and lost”. In 2013, we accepted an invitation to serve as the music ministry for the Palm Sunday mass at the Royal Gaol. From that time until now, Jubilee continues to not only serve at masses but has formed a joint choir with some of the inmates. Currently, there are plans in the works to institute pilot programs targeting human development in this as well as other institutions.
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JUBILEE HOLDINGS LTD. © is our for-profit division. Originally designed solely to support the work of the community, we now recognize this division as a powerful tool to create positive, systemic, societal change. As such, while it is established as a ‘for-profit’ organization, we are clear that our profit will always come from “work that elevates humanity” and will impact not only the members of the community but all stakeholders and society at large.
In 2015, the team established The Inspiration Collection®, a collection of socially responsible, original designer tees for ladies, gents, young adults and kids. Wear the Word® is the first of several brands in this collection to be launched and is a Christian brand designed as a fashion-formation tool for men, women, and children. |
Wear the Word collection (2015)
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The Daughters of Zelophehad (Hebrew: בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד) were five sisters - Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah - mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, (Numbers 27) who lived at the end of the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt as they prepared to enter the Promised Land.
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ALL IS JOYFUL
On the 15th June, 2016, God officially changed the name of the leadership from Prized Possessions to the Daughters of Zelophehad and, over the next two years, replaced two of its original members. Despite the many challenges on our journey, we can attest to witnessing God's love and mercy and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that we have experienced. The good, the bad, the pleasant and the painful, all is joyful. We choose to serve God and the way we serve God is through obedience to His Holy Spirt, a commitment to personal growth and by devoting our lives to helping others. |
WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE
When we began this journey in 2006, we presumed many things. We assumed that we needed to begin by building up the various family life ministries, that we would remain single and live together in one household and that we would be called upon to commit to all of the evangelical counsels. But that was not God's will for us. His will was that we listen closely and "do whatever he tells us" to do.
Today, we can confirm that Jubilee exists to provide lifelong formation. Put another way, we are committed to utilizing moral, spiritual and creative imagination to produce solutions which better equip citizens with the skills to positively contribute to self-enhancement, marriage, family life and the wider society. This is our charism, our work, our way of being Christian. God has given us this mission. We only need his grace to attain it. Pray for us.
Be Blessed!
When we began this journey in 2006, we presumed many things. We assumed that we needed to begin by building up the various family life ministries, that we would remain single and live together in one household and that we would be called upon to commit to all of the evangelical counsels. But that was not God's will for us. His will was that we listen closely and "do whatever he tells us" to do.
Today, we can confirm that Jubilee exists to provide lifelong formation. Put another way, we are committed to utilizing moral, spiritual and creative imagination to produce solutions which better equip citizens with the skills to positively contribute to self-enhancement, marriage, family life and the wider society. This is our charism, our work, our way of being Christian. God has given us this mission. We only need his grace to attain it. Pray for us.
Be Blessed!