Introduction and Background of Program

 In 1996, Archbishop Anthony Pantin instructed the Archdiocese of Port Spain to establish an organization within the Archdiocese for the purpose of:

a) standardizing and integrating all existing educational and developmental programs and activities approved by the Archdiocese, b) developing new educational and developmental programs and activities for all levels of Catholic faithful as well as for members of the general public who might be interested in the Archdiocese educational initiatives.

As a result of this vision and directive, CREDI (Catholic Religious Educational Development Institute) was officially formed. In 1997 CREDI was legally established through an Act of Parliament (Act # 41 of 1997).

At the Archdiocese Synod of 2005, recommendations were again articulated highlighting the need for this type of institution and the present Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, the Most Reverend Edward Gilbert, requested that CREDI be reactivated and made fully operational according to its original mandates. CREDI would also have new and updated perspectives based on the ideas emerging from the Synod 2005 and comprise ‘working groups’ created throughout the Archdiocese to analyze and review the recommendations of the Synod 2005.

In October 2007 therefore, under the guidance of the Vicar of Administration for the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, CREDI established its offices at Vianney House at #13 Robinsonville, Belmont; appointed Members to its Board of Directors; established a core staff of experienced professionals; and developed its new strategic agenda. This new strategic agenda is aimed at delivering on CREDI’s main objectives as outlined in the Act of Parliament:

1. To foster the human, spiritual and apostolic development of its students to provide a body of skilled professionals to manage and staff the various departments of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain;

2. To provide tertiary education principally to members of the Catholic Church to enable them to contribute professionally to the ministries of the Catholic Church;

3. To enable members of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain and eventually to other dioceses of the Caribbean Catholic Church to respond to the call of the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference for lifelong learning;

4. To enable its students to make involvement in Church service their first or second careers.

The Vision of CREDI is “Servant Leaders Transforming the New Millennium – Integrating Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit”. The Mission of CREDI is “Developing Catholic Servant Leaders by providing spiritual, moral, technical and intellectual formation and support”.

Based on its new strategic agenda, CREDI immediately embarked on implementing the following:

1. Creating a Seamless Learning and accredited academic flow for all programs approved by the Archdiocese

2. Initiating a three-year program of Leadership Development for Principals and Administrators of schools owned and managed by the Archdiocese.

3. Developing, and training teachers to implement, a special Values and Virtues Formation program for post-SEA students in Catholic schools.

4. Creating an academic partnership with University of Dayton of Ohio for the purpose of starting in January 2008 a distance-learning Masters Degree program in Educational Leadership and a Masters Degree in Theology in September 2008.

5. Developing and offering to Catholic faithful and the wider national community, Continuous Professional Development programs in Leadership (with a foundational consciousness on Catholic Ethos, Servant Leadership and a Spirituality of Work).

6. Supporting the activities of the Catholic Educational Board of Management in the conduct of its work amongst catholic schools.

7. Providing internal consultancy services in change management, strategic planning, organizational development, Human Resources Development and Leadership, for groups and institutions within the Archdiocese.

In the context of the above strategic agenda - Point IV, CREDI has been registered by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad & Tobago as a provider of tertiary education as of 11 July 2008 for two years, as it does not deliver any indigenous programmes of its own. CREDI has also has had its Certificate in Further Education recognized by ACTT for two years, and received GATE approval for this programme for two years.The other programmes are currently in the process of getting recognition and funding approval.