Fr Tom’ at 60: a life given to priesthood and people
September 16, 2026
The responsibility to build
September 16, 2026
By Kaelanne Jordan
After 60 years of monastic profession, Brother Paschal Jordan OSB was urged to continue drawing from the “deeper source” of his faith and use his gifts to strengthen the Church and Caribbean community.
The call came from Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB of Georgetown, Guyana, former Abbot of Mount St Benedict and chief celebrant at Br Paschal’s Diamond Jubilee Mass, September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Reflecting on Br Paschal’s six decades of monastic life, Bishop Alleyne connected his vocation to the Gospel genealogy of Jesus and the idea of a people drawing life from a deeper spiritual source.
He began with the story of the Bajau people, a sea-nomadic community in Southeast Asia known for their ability to remain underwater for unusually long periods.
Bishop Alleyne said scientists discovered that members of the tribe had unusually large spleens, which helped oxygenate their blood when diving. He then drew a connection between their ability to draw breath underwater and the spiritual life of Christians.
“We think of that today with…the many distractions. I think I’m always very troubled for our young people…the social media, you know, is a very imposing environment and it’s very easy to take in to breathe in. You know what is there in the surroundings,” Bishop Alleyne said.
He said Christians must sometimes resist what surrounds them and cultivate an inner source that leads to fuller life. “Sometimes it calls upon us to kind of hold our breath and not to take in these harsh elements contrary to God’s ways, but then to cultivate that inner source that opens ways to life in a fuller expression.”
Bishop Alleyne also reflected on Joseph, who faced social and cultural pressure after discovering Mary was pregnant. He said Joseph was able to move beyond the expectations of his time after encountering God in a dream and, as a result, took Mary into his home. “He’s able, out of a deeper source, to sort of bring that situation to something much more.”
Turning to Mary and Elizabeth, Bishop Alleyne highlighted their meeting during difficult circumstances and the positive nature of their conversation.
He said the two women could have focused on their troubles, but instead their exchange was one of blessing, faith, and hope. For Bishop Alleyne, this was also connected to the monastic tradition and the importance of the conversations Christians have with one another.
He noted that Br Paschal was renewing his vows, including the vow of conversion which he linked to the idea of conversation. “This vow was… is about a conversation. It’s like the Elizabeth and Mary…they have a conversation that is uplifting, that is life-giving, that just is very affirmative and hopeful and confident. Those kinds of conversations we keep, but in our tradition, in the monastic tradition, we make a vow to it,” Bishop Alleyne said.
He referred to St Benedict’s understanding of community, saying Christianity could not simply be learned in theory but had to be lived through forgiveness, service and compassion.
He then connected this to Br Paschal’s six decades of monastic life, particularly his contribution through music and liturgy. Bishop Alleyne said Br Paschal’s gifts had helped make the Church’s teachings more accessible while affirming Caribbean identity.
“The love of Caribbean, you know your music has brought that together and made much more accessible… what we read in Scripture, what we believe and what our faith teaches and affirming it in who we are as a Caribbean people and a Caribbean people with its own rich heritage.”
He described Br Paschal as having played “a huge instrumental part” in facilitating this expression of faith and culture. Br Paschal’s renewal of his monastic vows marked the culmination of the celebration. In his renewal, he stated that on September 8, 2026, he once again vowed and promised “stability, monastic conversion and obedience” according to the Rule of St Benedict and the constitutions of the Benedictine Congregation.
The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon; Archbishop Emeritus Donald Reece of Kingston, Jamaica; Bishop John Persaud of Mandeville, Jamaica; and Bishop Emeritus Clyde Harvey of St George’s in Grenada.
