Fr Edward Bermingham SJ died August 13 at the age of 67. The following tribute was delivered September 13 by Academic Dean, Dr Adanna James at the Opening Mass, and ceremony for the new term of the Seminary of St John Vianney & the Uganda Martyrs at the Seminary Chapel, Mt St Benedict.
One month ago, Fr Eddy Bermingham SJ, former Dean of Studies of the Seminary, passed away in Boscombe, England after ailing for some time. He was laid to rest on September 9.
He was an Irish Jesuit priest, ordained in 1985 and who came to the Caribbean, starting in Guyana in 2002. He first joined the Seminary teaching staff here in Trinidad in 2003 as a Philosophy lecturer. He then went on to take up the role of Dean of Studies in 2006 where he continued until 2011.
During his time here, he was instrumental in working through the onerous tasks of bringing the institution up to standard with the demands of the accreditation processes required for a premium institution of higher theological learning.
He also continued the tradition of the Seminary’s bridging waters with the main campus of UWI St Augustine, where he lectured Philosophy working with the Institute for Gender & Development Studies on the creation and teaching of courses.
His time in Trinidad saw him stationed at St Theresa’s, Barataria, which was also a place of formation for aspiring members of the Jesuit community. He also served in the St Therese RC community in Rio Claro.
He returned to the UK in 2016 where he continued to serve in various religious, educational, and spiritual capacities until his death one month ago.
It is hard for me to speak to the facts of Fr Eddy’s life in this way without speaking to the experience I had with him. I started as a student at the Seminary in 2005 and Eddy, as he was affectionately known, was my Philosophy lecturer.
‘Rough and ready’ was a description used of him by another Jesuit. And that was what I encountered in the classroom. A complete character who often left me confused.
I received continuous encouragement from Eddy who saw something in me that I did not yet see in myself, and I think this, more than his Philosophy knowledge, is what made him a good teacher.
Eddy would regularly meet me at the bottom of the St John’s hill and bring me up to class and would take an avid interest in my out-of-class activities as well. He became aware that I had a job which I would do in the evenings, and he would often check in on me to make sure I was surviving the workload.
As a woman in the classroom, I was always defended, especially when he judged that the mostly male student-body had stepped out of line. I don’t know how this quite came about but at some point, he became my spiritual director. Through him, I was introduced to Ignatian spirituality which has been a mainstay for me ever since.
Eddy constantly made a way for me; I was often the recipient of grants to do Ignatian retreats. I would realise over the years, that this making a way for others was a general way of being for him – he particularly made a way for women in the Church in the Caribbean.
He continued making a way for me up until about four years ago, when he arranged for me to be the recipient of a scholarship for Ignatian spiritual director training.
The way Fr Eddy made a way for others was a testament to true discipleship. More than that, this way of being is the legacy of this institution of the Seminary. Although Fr Eddy was an Irish Jesuit, he was able to fit into, be a part of, and uphold this sense of making a way for others.
This institution of the Seminary should be seen as offering you a space not just for yourself but so that you in turn might make a space for others. These are the building blocks of this institution that we who enter this space must commit to building upon.
The Seminary could never have survived this long with entitlement and selfish ambitions. What endures here is generosity and, because of it, gratitude.
One last thing to be said publicly is that Fr Eddy was very interested in the development of lay women in particular and had himself spoken publicly about starting a fund that could facilitate further studies for such persons.
Although not yet realised, I do hope that it is an idea that could take root and grow and really become.