Above all, I followed the Spirit."
Pedro Arrupe
Superior General - Society of Jesus
Superior General - Society of Jesus
INTRODUCTIONWhat started as a choir at St. Anns R.C. Church in 1998 evolved into a mission to establish a Catholic- Christian organization focused on supporting the Church’s goals of evangelization, sanctification of humankind, and Christian formation of 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 2002, a group of choir members agreed to fast and pray about the future of the choir. God’s response to our long list of questions during that fast was neither immediate nor direct. Instead, he asked us to form and commit to a weekly prayer group. The request was communicated through one member, along with a reassurance 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, but all but one person agreed to commit.
In October 2002, a group of choir members agreed to fast and pray about the future of the choir. God’s response to our long list of questions during that fast was neither immediate nor direct. Instead, he asked us to form and commit to a weekly prayer group. The request was communicated through one member, along with a reassurance 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, but 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. 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. Ann's R.C., Fr. Godfrey Stoute, who, much to our amazement, admitted to having the same vision during the same period. After further prayer and discernment, it was confirmed that members of the group needed to go 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, making it a total of 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 traveled to Mount St.. Benedict on Friday 3rd October, 2003, to begin prayer and fasting over that weekend. however upon arrival, one member decided not to proceed, 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. Out of the five women present:
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- Two were given a mandate to lead what would now be called Jubilee Generation Music Ministry, ‘…The Promise — Jubilee Generation - now rests with both of you…’ and
- One was required to (a) assume 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) provide 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."
Unknowingly, this marked the start of a movement toward a commitment to full-time ministry.
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WALKING BY FAITH
By April 2006, we received confirmation from God that we needed to leave our jobs and start a discernment process that would eventually lead to the creation of an ecclesial community. This—resigning from our jobs—occurred in stages, with people leaving their employment between January and July of 2007. While most of 2007 and 2008 concentrated on prayer and discernment, the team also took the opportunity to accomplish two things: first, to meet with Archbishop Edward Gilbert to gain a clearer understanding of what the Church required and to seek his help in planning a way forward; and second, to discern, articulate, and document what we believed to be the Core Values and the Vision for the community. We also met with then-Monsignor Jason Gordon in 2008 to receive additional guidance and, from that meeting, determined a way forward regarding formation. |
Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon
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AGAINST THE GRAIN
By 2011, and to our surprise, it was confirmed that all leadership would be (a) called to marriage, (b) not required to take vows of poverty or celibacy, and (c) not required to 'live in community' in the traditional sense. THE WAY FORWARD From 2012 to 2018, the Spirit of God guided the group to further develop (a) its mission, (b) the draft of the community’s statutes, and (c) the overall structure of the organization. We are now confident 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, primarily to serve 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.
Since 2009, JCC has been a member of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission and from 2012 to 2016, worked to support the commission's efforts to highlight the harmful effects of pornography on children and family life through a multi-phase campaign called Consider This!
The campaign included (a) a series of 'faceless' interviews with three individuals; two recovering from pornography addiction and one partner of an addict, (b) a four-part limited drama series of the same name that aired on TV6 and Trinity TV in 2012, (c) a five-part talk show focused on the effects of addiction on the individual, school life, family life, and marriage, which aired exclusively on Trinity TV in 2013, and (d) a two-day national symposium featuring 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.
Founded in 1998 as a Sunday evening choir to serve under Fr. Godfrey Stoute, the team faithfully ministered at Masses, Praise & Worship, and Healing services until December 31, 2006. Since then, in addition to serving at its community masses and other Archdiocesan collaborations, JGCL has worked to help the Archdiocese improve 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 Bachelor's and Diploma programs were launched in November 2009, with Jubilee managing the programs 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 aimed 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. Since then, Jubilee has not only participated in masses but has also formed a joint choir with some of the inmates. Currently, there are plans underway to establish pilot programs focused on human development in this and other institutions in collaboration with the newly established Jubilee Empowerment division.
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JUBILEE HOLDINGS LTD. © is our for-profit division. Originally created solely to support community efforts, we now see this division as a powerful tool to foster positive, systemic societal change. As such, while it is established as a ‘for-profit’ organization, we are clear that our profits will always come from “work that elevates humanity” and will benefit not only the members of the community but all stakeholders and society as a whole.
In 2015, the team established The Inspiration Collection®, a collection of socially responsible, original designer tees for women, men, young adults and children. Wear the Word® is the first brands in this collection to be introduced and is a Christian brand created 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 leadership's name 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 everything that we have experienced. The good, the bad, the pleasant and the painful, all is joyful. We choose to serve God, and our way of doing so is through obedience to his Holy Spirit, a commitment to personal growth, and dedicating our lives to helping others. |
THE ROAD AHEAD
When we started this journey in 2006, we assumed many things. We thought we needed to begin by developing various family life ministries, that all of us would stay single and live together in one household, and that we would be called to commit to all of the evangelical counsels, including poverty and chastity. But that was not God's plan for us. His plan was that we listen closely and "do whatever he tells us" to do.
Today, we can confirm that Jubilee exists to provide lifelong formation. In other words, we are committed to helping individuals grow by guiding them to utilize moral imagination, spiritual awareness, and creativity to shape their understanding of the world, their interactions with others, and their capacity to make a positive impact. This is our charism, our mission, and our way of living as Christians. God has entrusted us with this mission. We only need his grace to accomplish it. Pray for us.
Be Blessed!
When we started this journey in 2006, we assumed many things. We thought we needed to begin by developing various family life ministries, that all of us would stay single and live together in one household, and that we would be called to commit to all of the evangelical counsels, including poverty and chastity. But that was not God's plan for us. His plan was that we listen closely and "do whatever he tells us" to do.
Today, we can confirm that Jubilee exists to provide lifelong formation. In other words, we are committed to helping individuals grow by guiding them to utilize moral imagination, spiritual awareness, and creativity to shape their understanding of the world, their interactions with others, and their capacity to make a positive impact. This is our charism, our mission, and our way of living as Christians. God has entrusted us with this mission. We only need his grace to accomplish it. Pray for us.
Be Blessed!