In Memory of John Vincent Dean -- Fr. Bonaventure Dean, OSB
(January 8, 1936--May 16, 2011)
NO ORDINARY LIFE
Do not be sad, my old friends; look,
these wings are finally stretched and laughing.

Our souls are rising near to you - this earth a bow that shot us;

now lift me into your arms, dear God,
like something precious that
you dropped.

(“The Earth a Bow” --St. John of the Cross)

The Early Years: Nassau, Bahamas  (1936-1971)
Although his birth certificate reads --born in Nassau, Bahamas --January 15th, 1936-- John Vincent Dean came into this world on January 8th, 1936.  (Conversation with step-mother Rosalie Dean, married to John’s father, George Dean, 1980)

Educated and inspired by the Benedictine monks of Saint Augustine’s College he enrolled St. John’s University in Minnesota in January 1953 at the age of sixteen and a half. He studied philosophy and classics and eventually entered the novitiate of the Benedictine Order.  After graduating from university, he studied theology for four years and was ordained in 1963 along with Max Thompson, his lifelong friend. 

Returning to Nassau after ordination, Fr. Bonaventure taught history at Saint Augustine’s College and then became the Dean of Discipline. He earned the affectionate title “The Bon” by students who were captivated by his charisma and influence.

Fr. Bonaventure saw the priestly role as prophetic.  It was his duty to see to it that the Christian perspective was valued by the leaders of the country and he wasn’t timid about bringing controversial issues to their attention.  He found himself at the centre of the public eye as he participated in important public debates on radio--ZNS1 and ZNS2 and became a regular panelist on “Let’s Talk”. He co-coordinated public events and headed up organisations such as the Bahamas Christian Council and the Association of Secondary School Heads. 

People enjoyed listening to Fr. Bonaventure speak in public.  He could definitely “turn” a word and there was always a sense of drama when he stepped up to the podium.  His rich, deep voice and confident tone captured everyone’s immediate attention and interest; he established an intimacy with his audience and individuals in the crowd would often signal approval with a loud enthusiastic, “Yes, Father!”  He was a born speaker.  He was a born leader.

Fr. Bonaventure believed in social activism; he felt that people ought to try to improve society—to make life more just for all. The black P.L.P party had come into power in 1967. The theme of the 14th annual P.L.P Convention held at the Sheraton-British Colonial Hotel in 1969 was “Towards National Unity”.  Although members of the clergy were excluded from being affiliated with a political party, Fr. Bonaventure accepted the P.L.P.’s invitation to be the convention keynote speaker.  In his address, he urged party delegates “…to tighten up the party discipline, to curb corruption, to open more effective communication, to limit injustice, oppression and racism in the country and to extend the square deal to all true nationals through all the islands” (P.L.P Keynote, 1969). The next day the front page of a local newspaperread: “No Member but Prior Points out P.L.P. Needs—Bonaventure Tells It Like It Should Be” (The Tribune, November 1, 1969).  Some accused the priest of dabbling in politics but he saw no conflict of interest and continued to be involved in public life whenever and wherever he thought he could be of assistance.  
Fr. Bonaventure threw himself into the active and productive roles of Headmaster of Saint Augustine’s College and Prior of the Monastery.  SAC had grown from a small school of 88 students in 1963 to the largest school in the Bahamas (1500 students) in 1967.  A boarding school was established to allow students from the Out Islands to avail themselves of a top quality education.  Bahamian teachers were hired over ex-patriot teachers because Fr. Bonaventure believed students would best respond to local teachers who were culturally sensitive.  A new Common Entrance Exam was instituted throughout the Bahamas which Fr. Bonaventure administered for a year.  SAC’s “Red Machine” took the leadership in sports.  Fr. Bonaventure was in charge of the track team which he described as “The greatest team you can imagine!” (A Publication, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; October 31, 1977).

He spearheaded the development of much needed reform of secondary school curriculum such as the creation of a sophisticated Bahamian history course.  He strongly supported the fine arts.  This included sponsoring dramatic and musical productions and other creative projects at Saint Augustine’s College that reflected Bahamian identity and culture.  Students at SAC, working along with Fr. Bartholomew Sayles, Fr. Aaron Kraft, Miss Dorothy Whalen and The Fine Arts Committee learned to build sets, to sew costumes and to master their lines and lyrics as they prepared to deliver some of the best dramatic presentations ever seen in the country.  In a time when very few people had television, the almost-Broadway- quality- productions of plays such as West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Stalag 17, and Arsenic and Old Lace brought out droves of people who packed St. Mary’s Hall to capacity every night. 

Fr. Bonaventure was touted as a very successful school administrator and also a savvy fund raiser. He organized a benefit show featuring African-American comedian Bill Cosby held in the Le Cabaret Theatre on Paradise Island.  The benefit raised $100,000 in proceeds which supported the building of a Remedial Reading Centre at Saint Augustine’s College.  This was an extraordinary evening of entertainment for that time and was attended by the Honourable Lynden O. Pindling, His Excellency the Governor, Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce and Bahamian born, Academy-Award winner Sidney Poitier.

Fr. Bonaventure continued to be recognized for his influential work in education but was heavily censored for his involvement in local politics—involvement that some claimed was influencing his duties as Prior of the Monastery (The Tribune, February 24, 1971).  In his role as Prior he faced a growing controversy when several Bahamian priests and brothers in the monastery began to question the relevance of celibacy to their lives.  Some asked Fr. Bonaventure to consider how they could create an inclusive, communal, married life-style while still remaining within the Church.  Not finding an answer, many Bahamian clerics applied to Rome for release from Holy Orders when they realized that they could not go against their deepest convictions without terrible personal loss of voice, self and ethical obligation to others.  Fr. Bonaventure then resigned his post as Headmaster retaining his position as Prior so that he could concentrate his energies on developing new and viable structures of religious life with which Bahamians could identify.

The extraordinary leadership and humanitarian- ecumenical thinking of Blessed Pope John XXIII, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli provided a framework for Fr. Bonaventure’s analysis of the raison d'être of monastic life in the Bahamas.   “Good Pope John” had assumed the daunting task of leading the Roman Catholic Church into a whole new way of relating to itself and to the world at large.  Within a short time, he set the Church's course to accomplish three things: to hold a Roman Synod, to call an ecumenical council to address the pastoral needs of the modern world, and to revise the Code of Canon Law.  The documents of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) set the stage for such change.  The Pope’s expansive vision, which he communicated so well through his intuitive warmth as a person, translated into new ways of thinking about how people should go about living together in the Church. 

Although Fr. Bonaventure remained fully committed to the principle of community and public service, he continued to wrestle with doubts about the structure of religious life and he became increasingly aware of the limitations of life in the monastic community.   The Bahamian religious vocational crisis weighed heavily on his heart and he regretted that his desire for change in the Church was not welcomed or understood by the local Church hierarchy.  It was time to decide to go all the way with his ecclesiastical career or to leave it.

The local Church hierarchy had been pushing the young Prior into higher positions in the Church.  In a period of less than a month in 1970 he was asked to be the Superintendent of Catholic Schools and the Vicar General.  He was also interviewed by the Papal Nuncio to Haiti and Apostolic Delegate for the Diocese of Nassau and the Caribbean, something that happens only when someone is being considered for the office of Bishop.  Fr. Bonaventure felt it would be an extreme honour to be considered for the position of first Black Bahamian Roman Catholic Bishop.  Nothing would have pleased him more than the installation of a “Native Son” as the head of the powerful religious organisation to which he had devoted his life.  However, he knew that if the offer came it would come with the implicit expectation that he would assume an identity that would further compromise his beliefs and values.  He realized that if he were to assume the position of Bishop he would be complicit in validating the very conservative institution that he felt so desperately needed to change.  The visit of the Papal Envoy was disappointing to the Benedictine priests and sisters who had worked so tirelessly to support the Catholic mission.  Ironically, but perhaps predictably, his message was clear: “It would be a long time before the local clergy and sisters could fully meet the needs of the mission and take over” (The Tribune, December 16, 1970). 
It deeply disturbed Fr. Bonaventure that the departure of so many Bahamians from religious life looked like failure to the world.  He particularly lamented the interpretation that Black Bahamians who left religious life would send the message that they had thwarted the public trust and had failed their race. 

But leaving wasn't failure – to leave was a moral decision based on one’s values and ideals,  values and ideals that were not embraced by the Church hierarchy.  Ideals such as speaking truth to power, advocating for the little person (working people), resisting all forms of bias (such as racism, sexism,  homophobia and discrimination against Haitians),  and believing in God's all-encompassing love.  

In order to understand the turmoil of those times it is necessary to remember the context of the racial politics in the late sixties.  There was a growing ideological movement in the United Sates that some called “Black Power” and others called “Black Awareness.”    The Black PLP had just run the White UBP out of office and racial tension and racial issues were in the national forefront.  Black Bahamians didn’t know they were “black” yet. Black children played with white dolls. Black women straightened their hair and used bleaching cream on their faces to appear “light”.  Black men sought white mates so they could “marry up” and “light” the family line.  The lighter the better…

Fr. Bonaventure had a history of speaking out about “Black Awareness”.  In 1969 he gave a speech to the Guild of Graduates on the topic.  He rejected the terminology of “Black Power” as he was convinced that “Black Awareness” or “Black Consciousness” more accurately characterized the new ideology.  He felt it would be to fall prey to complete insularity to believe, as many Bahamians did, that the beautiful Bahamas could remain impervious to the “Black Awareness” movement. He advised Bahamians to face it as soon as possible with creativity and an infusion of Bahamian “soul”.  He critiqued the attachment most Bahamians felt, at the time, to the cultural values and practices of Great Britain.  How long would there be blind allegiance to a white British governor?  How long would there be solemn imitation of pompous public ceremonies where Bahamians wore heavy robes and wigs in hot weather?  How long would an education system that served the needs of the white elite exist as the only way to educate a Bahamian?

So in that context it is reasonable to understand  how excruciating it was for Fr. Bonaventure to consider leaving the priesthood.  He feared his leaving would be interpreted as “incompetence and the failure of another black man yet again” (Personal correspondence, 1969).  This inevitable racist interpretation would set back race relations and make it harder for Bahamians to change the racialised practises that continued to divide the country.

After much agonizing over the dilemma and finding no comfort in either decision, Fr. Bonaventure decided to leave the Church and his beloved Bahamas.  He moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada on June 30, 1971 becoming John Vincent Dean again. 
In an interview he reflected on that decision:

We have the tools to live in the way that [humans] can live most richly and in the way that may well become inevitable—i.e., communally, where the individual has privacy and at the same time he shares with his friends so much of life which is meant to be shared. I did not find this in religious life.  I realized in 1968 when all the Benedictine abbots met in Rome that the answer was not there. That is why I am here [in Canada].(A Publication, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 31, 1977)

-- Ann Cowper-Green