A life worth emulating

By Simon Pantin, nephew

There are several quotes which many serious-minded Christians find both challenging as well as convicting. Some of the most often-remembered ones include:

• “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy” – Matthew 5:48
• “Make peace with all men. Let no one fall short of the grace of God” – Hebrews 12:14
• “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other” – St Teresa of Kolkata

The Church describes a saint as someone who has lived a life worthy of imitation and who has displayed an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness or closeness to God.

Among other things then, taking the above quotes into consideration, a saint should be someone who was holy and continuously strove for holiness. Someone who worked tirelessly to ensure that all could experience and enjoy the grace of God and someone who bridged gaps and brought people together.

During his life, Archbishop Anthony Pantin was very well-known for his devotion to prayer and for his prayer life. He often remarked that he got no greater joy than when he was celebrating Mass and spending time in prayer.

He prayed often and fervently for the people of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain as well as for several other family and friends with whom he shared a special relationship.

Additionally, more than praying only for those that he was close to, Anthony Pantin prayed for those in prison, the homeless and those on the fringes of society. He also made it a point to pray with them and made himself available to them so that they never felt shut out (at least not by him nor by the Church).

His openness to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal was one of many very clear signs that he welcomed any and every opportunity to experience God in new ways and hence to grow in holiness.

Archbishop Anthony Pantin was also well-known for extending the hospitality and love of God to all people, even when they might not have shared his religious beliefs.

Early in his tenure as Archbishop, he was invited to, and attended, a Hindu temple, where he removed his shoes before entering and prayed once he was there. Later, he remarked that he had no hesitancy because he knew that “where two or more are gathered in God’s name, He is present”. He later became a founding member of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), which brings together religious groups that share core beliefs about God and want to work together for the good of the nation.

He turned nobody away and many people speak about his openness and the way that he made them feel cherished and valued. One of the many quoted stories of the days immediately after his death is the fact that as his body lay in state at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain, there were several ‘ladies of the night’ who came to pay their respects.

He had been known to stop and speak to anyone as he walked through the streets, so we can only assume that he might have had conversations (and shared a prayer or two) with several of them over the years.

Archbishop Pantin was a peaceful man and one who tried to seek (and find) the best in everyone. He was also fond of embracing others. So many have experienced his genuine hug and touch, regardless of your station in life, the clothes you were wearing or the body odour that you might have given out. He touched you, hugged you, and made you feel welcomed. He made you know that you belonged.

In all these ways, and in so many more ways, Anthony Pantin demonstrated holiness; a true and genuine love for Jesus; and a true and deep love for the Church, both as an institution and also as a body of believers and ordinary people trying to grow in their faith and devotion to God.

If ever there was a life worth emulating and imitating, the life of Archbishop Anthony Pantin would be such a life. One can only hope (and pray) that if we could focus on Jesus as Anthony Pantin did, we might get to the level of holiness that will be acceptable to Almighty God and that we would be able to enjoy everlasting life with the Holy Trinity at the end of our days here on Earth.