Torontonians Celebrate Father Guiseppi silver jubilee

Toronto Celebrates Father Guiseppi’s Silver Jubilee

By William Doyle-Marshall

“Brother Carlyle (Guiseppi) is to you as he is to us, truly a man of faith: someone who knows God well, who has walked with God in his journey in life and that makes him so relevant to each and every one of you.”  Father Robert Colburn, Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost made this observation during celebration observing the 25^th anniversary of Father Carlyle Guiseppi, a Trinidad and Tobago national’s ordination in 1989.

                                                 Father Carlle Guiseppi

                                                The Tiny Tots cerenaded the Parish Priest

It was quite a day of celebration as the congregation of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church where Father Guiseppi is the Parish Priest. The congregation turned out and freely expressed their feelings for his work over the past seven years. He received tokens of appreciation from parishioners and La Petite Musicale during the celebratory service and later in the parish hall downstairs. “Just like God knows your troubles Father Carlyle knows your troubles too; probably more than you wished he knew,” Father Colburn noted.

The parish priest expressed his thanks to members of the church for organizing the event. He was prevented from participating in the planning. “I said to the community I wanted to have a little thing and they said to me ‘they are going to organize’ and when I asked them what was going on. They told me: keep out of it.” He was denied access to details right to the very end. The night before the celebration, Father Guiseppi was ordered not to go downstairs. “They banned me from downstairs. Imagine that!” He was also warned against going to peep. The congregation heard that Father Guiseppi followed parishioners’ directions. “I don’t know how downstairs is looking, if it is even there,” the told the Sunday church gathering.

Since his ordination Father Guiseppi served various communities in south Trinidad including San Fernando, La Brea, Penal and Les Effort as well as Sangre Grande. He built the Resurrection Church and Presbytery in La Horquetta. He was Parish Priest at Arouca’s Holy Trinity and its seven surrounding churches; Holy Rosary and St. Martin de Porres Church, Port of Spain, and St. Peter’s Church, Carenage. Father Guiseppi also ministered at The Brickdam Cathedral – the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Guyana. He moved out into this career path following his beginning as an engineer with the then national airline BWIA.

Reflecting on his colleague’s1989 ordination Father Ronald Mendes recalled: “he was an aircraft engineer and he was very good at his job and could have made enough money to give us all a trip or two but something touched his heart.”  Father Ron surmised very powerful parental impressions were integral in Guiseppi’s decision to join the priesthood. “If his father was living in Toronto and if it was winter, he would have had frozen teeth. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Here was a couple who having had few children rejoiced when one of them came and said that he wanted to give his life to God. Not many parents today do that. Carlyle’s parents who had a hard life brought up their children and gave them, aside from all of the love that is present in that home even to today, gave them a very precious gift. They gave them the gift of faith.”

Father Colburn called Guiseppi a fine spiritan who came to another country and became part of the community that he broke into (a bunch of us Canadians and people who are from all over the world) and he of course he won their hearts of everyone and has truly become a powerful member the community. Father Colburn regards Father Guiseppi as faithful to the many Spiritan gatherings in spite of his ill health. More importantly Father Colburn told the congregation Father Carlyle also knows all their blessings and happiness, the joys of their life. “He is the one who has officiated at baptisms, weddings; he has been here as you sent off your loved ones to God’s arms. But he has done more than that. He has been with you when you are sick; he has been with you when you have struggled; he has been there when you have rejoiced. And today we give thanks to God for Father Carlyle and also to his family – we must not forget how important family is in the vocation of the priesthood and religious life and also to each and every one of you who makes Father Carlyle’s ministry meaningful,” the Provincial Superior concluded.