Given by Carlos Perdomo,
President of St. John's College
SJC Vigil: Fordyce Memorial Chapel
December 13, 2002
Charlie Hunter was a great Man. There is no simpler way to characterize him.
He was never an archbishop - nor a cardinal.
But he was a great teacher and a selfless donor of his God-given gifts, talents and wisdom. He could entice you to learn and wonder.
He was never a President of a university, nor a Provincial of his Jesuit order.
But he was a great scholar, a gifted theologian and a person of humorous wit. He could make God come alive for you.
He was never a Prime Minister, nor a Secretary-General.
But he was a great priest, a trusted confessor, a loyal friend. He could make you believe in yourself.
Charlie Hunter was a great Belizean, a great Catholic. There is no more apt a way to describe him.
Several generations of Sixth Form students found in Fr. Hunter a hitherto unknown model of scholarly passion. No student who took his compulsory Caribbean Literature class came away without a vocabulary enriched by new words Fr. Hunter used in the ordinary course of his lectures. Expressions like obiter dicta and circumlocuta became everyday usage in his classes! Similarly, no student of Caribbean Literature failed to understand the connectedness of the Caribbean and the Belizean with the impact of the black/brown/white dissensus. Students who grew up hearing Anancy stories saw Fr. Hunter’s image of Anancy, the Super Spiderman, spinning his web across the Caribbean, uniting us and enthralling us – giving us roots and connection.
Fr. Hunter’s solid theological insights and unique Caribbean and Belizean perspective helped generations of students to see themselves in relation to God, and specifically as Caribbean and Belizean persons in a relationship with God. Horizontal theology and vertical theology became concepts truly relevant to daily life and even more relevant to today’s Church where the call for lay leadership is a constant and urgent invitation.
SJC alumni and others who were fortunate enough to maintain contact with Fr. Hunter after graduation, knew they would receive his annual Christmas letter, which was so much more than a letter. These letters were masterpieces of erudite and polished reflection that offered profound insights into the significance of being a good Belizean, a good Catholic, and a seeker of the excitement that true knowledge brings.
Fr. Hunter was a living testimony to the ever-present fact that we are only here on our way to somewhere else. But since we are only here once, we need to do al we can, while we can, in the best way that we can. His 90 years on earth were well spent. The hope is that his shining example can inspire each of us to be the best we can, in all that we do, while we can ...... for the greater glory of God and Nation.
