Iconic Historic Shrine Rededicated: Our Lady of Montserrat, Tortuga

Published by CN Admin2 at August 21, 2023

Tags

Photo courtesy: https://ourladyofmontserrat.com/

Our Lady of Montserrat, a revered Roman Catholic Church located in the quiet village of Tortuga, Central Trinidad, is set to mark a significant milestone with its rededication ceremony, following an extensive restoration project which began in October 2022.

Now, just over nine months later, the Church’s structure and grounds will be officially re-dedicated at a special holy Mass on Tuesday, August 22 2023, conducted by chief celebrant, Archbishop of Port of Spain, Charles Jason Gordon.

Members of the clergy, nuns, deacons, and pilgrims from across Trinidad and Tobago, will join with Our Lady of Montserrat’s parish priest, Father Shijo Abraham, and his parishioners, to witness this momentous occasion.

Holy Mass is scheduled to commence at 5:00 p.m., with a highlight of the ceremony being the formal handover of the Keys to the Church, as Nigel Aqui, the Project Manager, presents them to Archbishop Gordon.

The restoration journey of Our Lady of Montserrat Church began in 2016 with initial surveys and other technical works being conducted. Significant fundraising efforts were undertaken to finance this mammoth initiative.

In March 2022, the Shrine Committee of Our Lady of Montserrat, the group which is spearheading the Church’s restoration efforts, was able to successfully start the pre-stage works with the installation of a retaining wall to the northeastern facing side of the Church.

A few months later, in August 2022, the Shrine Committee enlisted the Florida-based artisan, Alvaro Riscanevo, who executed the meticulous, and highly delicate technical process of removing and storing the Church’s twenty stained-glass windows. He was ably assisted by local expert joiner, Terry Seyjagat, who – less than one year later – was able to re-install the stained-glass windows as the project was nearing its completion.

The restoration project was significantly bolstered through the collaborative support of a highly skilled external team including: Project Manager, Nigel Aqui; Contractor, Nazir Williams; Restoration Architect, Rudylynn De Four Roberts; Civil/Structural Engineer, Danielle Steele; Quantity Surveyor, Margaret Roper-Wiltshire; Sound System Consultant, Prof. Emeritus Brian Copeland and Clerk of Works, Errol Ramlal.

The Shrine Committee’s President, Diane Bertrand, captures the restoration project as follows, “At the start of the journey in 2016, we set our faces like flint and turned towards our goal, to restore our beautiful Shrine for the honour and glory of God and for extolling the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, Mary. Our theme, Blessed is she who believed the promises made her by the Lord would be fulfilled (Lk 1:45), reverberated in our hearts as the climb to execution and completion steepened, darkened, and grew slippery.

We told our contractor, Mr Nazir Williams, that we wanted to begin the project in October 2023, the month of the Rosary, and giving him very little wiggle room, we began on October 25. Nine months later, after a novena of building, meeting, stressing, begging for donations and imploring God to help us; we have completed the race. To God be the Glory both now and forevermore, AMEN!”

The rededication of Our Lady of Montserrat Roman Catholic Church represents a testament to the unwavering dedication, meticulous workmanship, and enduring spirit which has poured into restoring this truly sacred place of worship. This historic event will stand as a symbol of faith, resilience, and reverence for generations to come.