The Tribune

The Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Island will celebrate a banner moment in its history on Sunday, 12 August, 2012 when the newly restored, renovated and refurbished Church of St Mary the Virgin, Old Bight, in St. Saviour’s Parish, Cat Island, will be rededicated and consecrated.

The Chief Celebrant and Consecrator will be the Rt. Rev’d. Laish Boyd, Diocesan Bishop.

Also present will be Archbishop Drexel Gomez, who was diocesan bishop when the refurbishing began, Archdeacon Kingsley Knowles, Archdeacon for the East Central Archdeaconry. Fr. Ernest Pratt is the Priest-in-Charge of Cat Island. Fr. Edward ‘Rex’ Seymour is the Associate Priest and a former Rector of the parish.

Residents from all over Cat Island, clergy, and lay persons from all over the diocese, especially descendants of Cat Island, are expected to gather for the occasion.

The St Mary’s Church worshipping community was established in 1884, the cornerstone for the building laid in 1887, and the building was consecrated in 1889. It is the only actual monument to emancipation that exists in this country. At that time Old Bight was the most populated settlement on Cat Island. The building was erected in memory of the Governor Balfour, Governor of the colony at the time of the passing of the Emancipation Act in 1834. The original plaque, which was laid in 1889, had been secured once the building fell into disuse. It has been refurbished and will be reinstated before the service.

Over the years the population of Old Bight dwindled and the church building deteriorated considerably to the point where services were no longer held there. This prompted the late Archdeacon Murillo Bonaby to plant a seed in the mind of Kemuel Hepburn, native of Dumfries, Cat Island and a former Assistant Commissioner of Police, that the building should be refurbished. About six years ago a concerned group of Cat Islanders consulted with the then diocesan, Archbishop Drexel Gomez and formed a committee for the restoration of St Mary’s Church. Archdeacon Ranfurly Brown, archdeacon for the area, was instrumental in this process and Dr Davidson Hepburn is the chair of that committee. Needless to say it has been a formidable task, especially due to the lack of funds. Nevertheless the committee persevered, organised fund raisers, sought donations and the rest is history.

The restoration, renovation and refurbishing involves a new roof, resurfaced interior walls, new flooring, and new windows, doors, altar, altar rails, lectern, pulpit, candlesticks, lights, fans, stations of the cross, and pews.