Meet the Founders & Teachers

OUR FOUNDERS

The Lord inspired Community Moderator, Br. Winston Garcia, to establish a School of Accompaniment and Spiritual Direction in Trinidad and Tobago. In discussion with Dan Almeter from the Alleluia Community about his search for a good programme to adopt, brother Dan informed brother Winston about the programme at Alleluia in Augusta, Georgia and recommended a conversation with Michael Firmin, co-founder of the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction. 

Br. Mike, as Michael Firmin is fondly called, insisted that POP first experience the school before making any decisions to adopt the model.  Members enrolled in the Summer and Winter programmes of 2022 and 2023 respectively to experience the programme in person at the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction and the rest is history.

After 3 academic years, POP founder and leader Br. Winston Garcia, along with one of the Council of Elders – Debbie Garcia, as well as POP member and clinical psychologist, Luscia Kanneh and Deacon Tony Romero (a Trinidadian and associate of the Community, incardinated for the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia), received their certification in spiritual direction in July 2024. 

Additionally, three other POP members, one from the Council of Elders – Ann Marie Liverpool and Service Team members Marcia Ashe-Gouveia and Lisa Perez (deceased June 24th 2025) — were certified in January 2025, all from the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction in Augusta, Georgia. 

In alignment with the vision to establish the People of Praise School of Accompaniment and Spiritual Direction, new students from POP – Service Team Leader Kevin Downes and Music Ministry member Sharon Adams – enrolled as year one students, in the Summer of 2024 at the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction and graduated in the summer of 2026.

MEET OUR TEACHERS FOR THE 2026 SEMESTER ON HEALING

Dr. Patricia Drechsler

Dr. Patricia Drechsler lives in northern Arizona (Cornville) and is an active member of St. John Vianney (SJV) Catholic Parish in Sedona. AZ. Pat has been married to Rob for 15 years and is the step-mother to four children and step-grandmother to 9. Pat received her doctorate in Instructional Technology from Arizona State University (ASU) and spent her career developing and delivering training programs for adults in various industries.

In 1983, three years after coming into a relationship with the Lord on an Holy Spirit Retreat, Pat became a member of City of the Lord Catholic Covenant Community (COTL) in Tempe, AZ. She spent 11 years as a consecrated celibate in the COTL Sisterhood before the Lord called her to a more active life and to marriage.

A long-time member of the COTL and SJV Healing Prayer Ministries, Pat is also involved in developing and delivering spiritual growth programs (teaching, retreats, days of reflection, etc.)  Pat serves on the Board of Directors of International Christians in Communion (ICIC), a charity serving in Uganda that is focused primarily on improving marriage & family life. Pat and her husband Rob are both graduates of the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction, receiving their certification in 2021.

Bishop Robert Llanos

Bishop Robert A. Llanos was born in Trinidad on February 3, 1958, the sixth of eight children. Raised in a devout Catholic home, he was guided early in faith by his maternal grandmother, who prepared him and his brother for the sacraments. His years at Fatima College deepened his Catholic formation.

He discerned his vocation during a youth gathering in Cumana, Toco, and entered the Regional Seminary in 1984. He was ordained priest on June 23, 1991, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Port of Spain. His first assignment was at Santa Rosa Parish, Arima, which he credits as foundational for his ministry.

Between 2000 and 2002 whilst studying in Maryland, USA for his Master’s Degree, he worked as a Priest-in-Residence at the Church of the Resurrection, Laurel, Maryland, USA. After completing his Master’s Degree in Pastoral Counselling Psychology specializing in Family Therapy, he joined the permanent staff at the Regional Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs as Vice-Rector, Formator and Lecturer where he remained until the closing of the Regional Seminary in 2010.

He was appointed Episcopal Vicar and Chair of the Family Life Commission in 2005, and named Monsignor in 2009. In 2012, he became Vicar General of Port of Spain, and in 2013 was ordained Auxiliary Bishop.

In 2016, Bishop Robert was appointed Apostolic Administrator of St. John’s-Basseterre, and in December 2018, Bishop of the Diocese. He currently serves as Chair of the Family and Life Commission of the A.E.C. Bishops’ Conference, a member of the Finance Committee, and Spiritual Director of the People of Praise Community in Arima, Trinidad. 

Bishop Robert will teach at the People of Praise School of Accompaniment and Spiritual Direction in 2026 on subject of Inner Healing and its role in Spiritual Direction.

Rev. Fr. David Khan

Rev. Fr. David Khan is a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. He was ordained to the priesthood in December 2004.

Fr. David holds a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from the University of Dayton, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from the University of the West Indies. He is also a graduate of the Pope Leo XIII Institute in the Ministry of Healing and Deliverance, as well as the Regional Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs in Trinidad.

For more than twenty one years, Fr. David has faithfully served in a variety of parishes and ministries throughout the Archdiocese. He currently serves as Episcopal Vicar for Education and Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Education Board of Management. In addition, he is the Chair of St. Peter’s Home for the Aged and has held several other leadership positions within the Archdiocese.

Alongside his pastoral responsibilities, Fr. David serves as a part time lecturer at the Archdiocesan Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs and at the University of the West Indies, where he teaches Comparative Religion and Marian Theology.

Fr. David is actively engaged in preaching, delivering lectures, and leading conferences and retreats, both locally and internationally. We are honoured and privileged to have him with us at the People of Praise School of Accompaniment and Spiritual Direction for the 2026 Semester where we focus on Healing and Spiritual Warfare.

Rev. Fr. Jason Boatswain

Rev. Fr. Jason Boatswain is a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain who hails
from the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Sangre Grande. He is also a member of the lay Catholic Charismatic Community – Franciscan House of Prayer – since the year 2000. Born in 1976, Fr. Jason was ordained a priest on 30th May 2009.

Immediately after his ordination, Fr. Jason was sent to Rome to pursue further studies, where in 2011 he completed his Licentiate of Sacred Theology and in 2016 his Doctorate in Sacred Theology in the field of Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Father Jason currently serves as the Rector at the Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs in Trinidad where he teaches Systematic Theology, Trinity and  Creation Theology. Passionate about praising and worshiping God, Fr. Jason is an avid learner, patient teacher, very prayerful soul who is full of joy and enjoys a good game of volleyball.

Above all, Fr. Jason is a servant of the Lord who is very generous with his time and very supportive of the People of Praise Community.

TESTIMONIES

We have witnessed countless transformative journeys as students journey deeper in their faith and experience profound encounters with Christ through participating in spiritual direction training. Through comprehensive teachings on prayer, healing and personal growth, many have found renewed purpose, healing, and a closer relationship with God and have grown in compassion for others. The following testimonies are heartfelt accounts from students, sharing their life-changing experiences and the incredible impact that spiritual direction training has had on their spiritual journey.

  • My life has been and is being transformed by the Holy Spirit through my ongoing Spiritual Direction training at the school of SD at the Alleluia Community.  It took me just over a year from when I was first introduced to Spiritual Direction before I decided to see what it was all about..  In just two weeks, I had so many deep personal encounters with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ... I have no doubt that the Father loves me abundantly more than I can ever know, and experience at this time, and that He loves each and every one of us just the same... Just as He gave Alleluia community the grace to guide His people into a deeper relationship with Him, so too I believe He is opening the People of Praise Community to do the same for us in Trinidad and Tobago and beyond. 
    I have only done one semester so far, Prayer, and this is exactly what I know the Lord wanted me to begin this journey on.  My prayer life and relationship with my Lord has changed significantly for the better and with continued support of my spiritual director, the Holy spirit continues to draw me closer to Him through all situations.  I am excited to continue the program and share the Love of God with others, Amen.
    Kevin Downes
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  • I came to the School of Spiritual Direction expecting to be taught skills and methodology.  What I experienced however was an immersive encounter with Christ and a deepening of my relationship with God that has further transformed my life.  I was thirsty for more of God in my life and I experienced an overwhelming infilling and outpouring of God’s great grace and yes I learnt skills …. skills that I am able to use in pastoral ministry as well as in everyday life with my family, friends, co-workers and even strangers!  The programme brought me into tremendous healing, wholeness and the grace of those weeks at school, even post graduation, continue to grow in me.
    Debbie Garcia
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  • If we love the Lord, we will try to foster an intimate relationship with Him. If we desire this spiritual intimacy, then training in Spiritual Direction will open the doorway to Our Lord’s heart and mind to us. This access will bring a deeper understanding of His mercy, love, and compassion for us and His people.
    Further, it will bring healing and deliverance to our spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see His marvellous work in us and those He will lead to us for ministry.
    Friends, I have always sought ways to deepen my relationship with my Lord and frustratingly encountered dead-ends due to spiritual ignorance and a lack of understanding of how God operates in my life. 
    Becoming a Spiritual Director under the auspices of the Alleluia Community has brought wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and clarity of how God operates in my life and others to bring about spiritual intimacy with me and others for His glory and honour.
    Indeed, if you allow yourself to surrender to the Lord’s calling, your relationship with the Lord will bring tremendous growth and advancement to your faith journey. Be prepared for “Ah Hah” moments and constant baths in God’s love and mercy.
    Deacon -Tony Romero
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  • My experience in the program has taught me to rely on God’s transforming power for healing and freedom. This transformation took place through praying scriptures and sharing my experiences, insights, and blessings. The combination of the Ignatian prayer model and the contemplative evocative model played a significant role in my inner healing. Through prayer, teachings, supervision, and spiritual direction, I became more compassionate, empathetic, and a better listener. During my time in the program, I was transformed into a useful instrument of God’s grace for the benefit of those I guided.
    Ann Marie Liverpool
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