About Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon
Born March 17th, 1959 to Stanley and Rose Mary Gordon. He entered Fatima College 1971 as one of the 20% of students that could be selected. While in Fatima, he was the Troop Leady of the Fatima Sea Scouts, captain of the regatta team that won the Morrison Trophy in rowing and swimming in 1973 and 74. He was a member and examiner in the Royal Life Saving Society achieving the Distinction Award, he highest life-saving certification available. With his father’s death in Lower Six, he took over the family business after graduating from Fatima in 1978. He managed the business successfully for three years although dyslexic, he graduated with A Levels in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. He entered Living Water Community, a lay ecclesial community in Trinidad, in 1981he began his Seminary formation at the Seminary of St. John Vianney and the UGANDA martyrs, Trinidad graduating with a BA in Theology from the University of West Indies first class honours. He pursued graduate studies at the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium (1986-88) completing a Masters in Theology, Magna Cum Laude and a BA in philosophy. He was ordained a priest at the age of 32 in 1991 and completed his PhD at Heythrop, the Jesuit College in the University of London (1996-2000). While Parish Priest of St. Martin de Porres, Gonzales (East Port of Spain) he founded CITY (Community Intervention Transforming Youth Programme) which brought participation of all the stakeholder, the City of POS, residents and groups in the community, the police and gangs and their leaders. He is the recipient of the City Day Award 2005 & 2011, (City of Port of Spain); and the Alexander B. Chapman Award 2006 form the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee in the promotion of the Olympic ideals of using sports for promoting peace and the Motorola Community policing Award 2006 – this is a Caribbean wide award of the Region’s Police Commissioners for community projects that partner with the police and bring peace to communities.
He is a former lecturer of the University of the West Indies in the department of Theology (at the Seminary of St. John Vianney and the UGANDA martyrs). He lectured in Caribbean History, Social Ethics, Media and Caribbean Technology. He was a member of the Catholic Social Justice and the Catholic Commission for Communications in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain; and was Vicar of Administration for the Diocese of Port of Spin (2006-2011). He is the principal of the Caribbean School of Catholic Communications (CSCC) in Emmaus, Arima, Trinidad. He is also a committee member of The Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) project to speed up Justice through the courts in Barbados. He funded The Hub – People helping People, as a unit in the Barbados Diocese to assist persons achieve sustainable livelihoods. He is a member of the Jubilee 2000, an international ecumenical consortium that seeks justice through debt forgiveness on behalf of the world’s most indebted nations (D20). He continues to be a member of Living Water Community.
Archbishop Gordon was ordained Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgetown, on September 21st 2011, and installed as the Bishop of Kingstown, on September 23rd, 2011. At his ordination, he made it clear that his first take was to listen to and discern where God wants him to lead the church. He called two Synods, one in Bridgetown in 2014 and the in Kingstown in early 2015, so as to hear what the people of the church had to say. He is currently the Vice-President of the Antilles Episcopal Conference of Bishops and the Chair of their Communications Commission. He is a dynamic communicator who seeks to bring Good News to all of God’s people, especially the poor. He delivered the prestigious Carl J. Peter Lecture on preaching at the North American College in Rome, during Lent of 2017 and the homily at the official ecumenical service of Hamberg, Germany to coincide with the Meeting of the G20. He also presented a paper for the CARIFESTA X111 Symposium in August 2017 addressing the “Challenge and Opportunities of Technology to the Caribbean Culture and Identity”. He was subsequently installed as the Archbishop of Port of Spain on December 27th, 2017.
He is considered to be a Bishop who listens and leads.