Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Castries (Agenzia Fides) - This year marks the centenary of the first Bishop of Castries, Bishop Charles Gachet, F.M.I. (Sons of the Immaculate Blessed Virgin Mary of France), born in France, in Vendee, on July 17, 1911 and died on November 13, 1984. Fr. Gachet arrived in St Lucia on 27 November 1938, two years after his ordination (October 4, 1936), and was assistant priest at Castries until 1950, when he was appointed parish pastor. Fr. Charles Gachet was appointed First Bishop of Castries on January 14, 1957, and was ordained the following 5th May. He resigned on November 18, 1974. According to a report in the local Church journal, "Catholic Chronicle", Bishop Gachet was a pastor, an educator, a builder, a historian. "He was a simple man of deep faith, acutely aware of his limitations, but seized with a passionate love for the Church and the people of Saint Lucia".
During the 17 years of episcopal ministry, he laid the foundations for the construction of the local Church, facing the difficult process of the implantatio Ecclesiae. He worked hard to promote the local clergy and encouraged artists to embelish the churches with their works that reflected the indigenous art. His contribution in the field of education is extraordinary: not only did he build 32 primary and infant schools, but he was also extremely vigilant of possible deterioration in the standards of moral and academic excellence. His text "History of the Roman Catholic Church in Saint Lucia" remains a prime source for the local Church history. Bishop Gachet was such a versatile man, animated by a great pastoral impulse, basically "he was a Father to his priests and religious, and a Shepherd to his people". "The many new parishes established and church buildings erected all reflect his deep concern for his flock, for the well being of the people of God and the building up of the Body of Christ in St Lucia". Several initiatives have been planned, both in Castries and in France, to honor the great example of Bishop Gachet, including a Symposium which was held in July, dedicated to his life and his multi-faceted efforts for the birth and development of the local Church. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 06/09/2011)
