On the shoulders of great women
May 4, 2018
MOP establishing roots in T&T
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The Christian Historical Society (CHS), under the chairmanship of Apostle Terrence Honore, invited representatives of the Christian community in San Fernando to a special thanksgiving service April 29 at St Paul’s Anglican Church in recognition of the 172nd anniversary of the granting of lands to the Christian churches by the British Governor Lord Harris. That ceremony took place on April 28, 1846.
Attending the service were leaders/representatives from the Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches, The Salvation Army and pastors from a number of Pentecostal/Evangelical Churches. His Worship the Mayor of San Fernando, Alderman Junia Regrello was also present.
The CHS was founded in April 2015 and has as its mission working towards “the preservation and sharing of the Christian influence in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region”.
In her presentation on behalf of the Catholic Church, Delia Chatoor provided a brief overview of the historical presence of the Church in San Fernando with mention of the initial attempt to set up a mission in 1689 and subsequent successful actions in 1786.
The robust roles of various Religious Orders (the Benedictines, Dominicans, Presentation Brothers and Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny) in the establishment of churches and schools in and around San Fernando were highlighted.
At the conclusion of the service, the Church leaders were invited to affix their signatures to a proclamation which, inter alia, recalled “the work begun many years ago in this town, in the ministry and service” by our ancestors. There was also a call for the faithful “to advocate for the rights of the disadvantaged, the poor, the widows and needy” in the community.
The thanksgiving service was fortuitous as it provided a useful introduction to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity scheduled for May 14 to Friday 18. The theme will be Justice.
The main Christian churches in San Fernando (Anglican, Ethiopian Orthodox, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic and The Salvation Army) along with representatives from other Christian traditions are actively planning the programme with services being held at noon and on evenings from 6.30 p.m.
There will be an open-air service at the Skiffle Bunch Pan Yard on May 17, organised by the youth of the participating churches. – A parishioner
