Bahama Catholic - 50th Anniversary Issue - Part 1

From Vicariate ApostolicThe Catholic Church in the Bahamas last evening reached maturity amid impressive centuries-old ritual witnessed by a dazzling array of purple andblack-clad prelates, priests, superiors and members ofreligious order together with Bahamian officials and ahuge congregation which packed St. Francis XavierCathedral and over flowed into the church yard.His Excellency the Most Rev. Egido Vagnozzie, Ph. D,STD, JCD, Titular Archbishop of Myra and theApostolic Delegate to the United States, presided overthe erection of the Catholic Vicariate to the status of aDiocese and installed the Most Rev. Bishop PaulLeonard Hagarty, OSB, DD as its first Bishop.Archbishop Vagnozzi was also celebrant at the Pontifical The Reverend Brendan Forsyth. OSB, (1940-1988) Chancellor of DioceseSolemn High Mass following the installation ceremony. read the Papal Bull from the Vatican declaring the erection of CatholicAssistant priest was the Very Rev. Cornelius Osendorf, Church in the Bahamas to the status of a Diocese.OSB; Deacons of Honour; the very Rev. Frederic U. Fry,OSB, and the Rev. Charles Coakley; Deacon and sub- -Tribune Photodeacon of the Mass; the Rev. Gerard McKernan, SFMand the Reverend Celsus Flynn, OCR.The Bishop’s procession, including the visiting prelates,entered the Cathedral at 6:00 p.m. and proceeded to thesanctuary where he awaited the smaller procession of theApostolic Delegate.Repri nt fro m The Nas s au Dai l y Tri bune (Mo nday, December 1 2 , 1 9 6 0 )

to Diocese Administrative Steps of the Catholic Church in the Bahamas 1837 - 2010

4 Celebrating 50 years as a DioceseDioceseEstablished as aNassau was established as a dio- Archdiocese has a population of 49,015. cese on July 5, 1960. A new Ecclesiastical Province consist- The Archdiocese of Nassau is served by 22 ing of the Diocese of Nassau, the priest, 14 deacons and 12 religious sisters.Diocese of Hamilton-in Bermuda and the There are 4 high schools and 11 elementaryMission of the Turks and Caicos Islands, schools in our Archdiocese.was established on July 5th, 1999. Nassauwas named the Metropolitan See and thus The Archdiocese of Nassau is a member ofelevated to the dignity of Archdiocese. the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) ARchDiocese of NAssAu Coat of ArmsThese arms are composed of blue field, for the Atlantic Ocean, on which is displayed a represen-tation of one of the ships of Columbus. “The Pinta,” resting on two ocean waves, all in silver(white). The top of the ship’s mast bears a gold cross to signify that Columbus brought Christianityto the islands that he thought was Asia, even to the naming of the island San Salvador for ourSavior. The upper portion of the Archdiocesan arms, known as a “chief,” is gold (yellow) andblack checks (checky) which is taken from the arms of Saint Francis Xavier, titular of theCathedral.LINEAR HISTORY OF BISHOPS The Most Reverend John Bernard Kevenhoerster, O.S.B., D.D., LL.D. Appointed Prefect Apostolic of Bahamas – May 22, 1931 Vicar Apostolic of the Bahamas – January 15, 1941 Died - December 9, 1949 The Most Reverend Paul Leonard Hagarty, O.S.B., D.D., LL.D. Appointed Vicar Apostolic – June 25, 1950 Appointed First Bishop of Diocese of Nassau – July 6, 1960 Resigned – July 17, 1981 Died - September 22, 1984 The Most Reverend Lawrence Aloysius Burke, S.J., D.D. Appointed second Bishop of the Diocese of Nassau – July 17, 1981 Episcopal Ordination - - October 11, 1981 Appointed first Archbishop of the newly erected Archdiocese of Nassau and Metropolitan of the Province of Nassau – June 22, 1999 Installation as Archbishop and Establishment of Archdiocese of Nassau - October 28, 1999 Appointed fourth Archbishop of Kingston, Jamaica – February 17, 2004 The Most Reverend Patrick Christopher Pinder, S.T.D., C.M.G Appointed first Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Nassau – June 27, 2003 Episcopal Ordination - August 15, 2003 Appointed second Archbishop of Nassau – February 17, 2004 Installation as second Archbishop of Nassau – May 4, 2004

Messages Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese 5 Archbishop of nassauApostolic Beloved in Christ,nuncio It is with gratitude and deep appreciation that we Yo ur Grace, Mo s t Rev erend come to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the erec- an d De ar Arc h b i s h o p tion of Nassau as a diocese. Pi nder, Certainly, the Catholic presence here in The It is my particular joy to Bahamas was already established on a permanent extend greetings and best basis with the arrival of the Sisters of Charity in wishes to you and the 1889. Prior to that, the care of souls and the pas- Archdiocese of Nassau in toral needs of Catholics had been met for periods of The Bahamas as you cele- months throughout the year by priests from Charleston, South Carolina and later thebrate the golden anniversary of the erection of the dio- Archdiocese of New York.cese on 5 July 1960. Pastoral ministry was established on a permanent basis with the arrival of theMay this Jubilee Year be filled with memories and Benedictine monks from St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota in 1891. Thesongs of thanksgiving for all the blessing received over growth of the Catholic communitythese past fifty years! That is one of the great things from 1891 to 1960 was such that, the Holy See recognized the size of the indigenousabout “50”: it is in the best sense of the term memorable Catholic population and erected a diocese in 1960. Since that time the Diocese ofand this occasion to get the chroniclers and historians to Nassau has been raised to the dignity of an Archdiocese.work on recording the memories of the eye withnessesto those foundational events and to the priests, religious A quick survey of the history of the Archdiocese of Nassau will show these interest-and lay people who gave this historical landmark a ing developments. The Roman Catholic community was organized into thehuman face. Prefecture Apostolic of the Bahamas on the 21st March 1929. It became the Vicariate Apostolic of the Bahama Islands on the 15th January 1941. The Diocese of NassauExpressing gratitude to Almightly God for all He has was erected on the 5th July 1960 and raised to dignity of an Archdiocese on the 22nddone in your midst, I gladly invoke the Lord’s blessing June 1999.upon this year of celebration and entrust theArchdiocese to the loving care of Our Lady, Star of the We give thanks to God for all the many good gifts bestowed upon us over these yearsSea. which represents the history and the development of the Roman Catholic community here in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.Yours in christ,Archbishop Thomas e. Gullickson We express our deepest appreciation for all those whose faith and toil and generosityApostolic Nuncio of spirit, have made them the giants on whose shoulders we now stand. An Apostolic Nuncio (Papal Nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic repre- On this happy occasion, may God grant us the grace and blessings we need to enable sentative (head of mission) of the Holy See to a state, having amas- the faith to continue to deepen its roots, to grow, to flower and to bear fruit for the sadorial rank. (He represents the Pope in countries where there is a glory of God and for the good us all. diplomatic relationship between the church and government.) He often also serves as the Vatican’s eye on the national church, offi- Happy 50th Anniversary! ciously supervising the episcopate. He is usually a (titular) bishop or archbishop. Devotedl y yours i n chri st, Most Reverend Patri ck c. Pi nder, s . T. D. , c. M. G. Archbi shop of Nassauthe catholic Mission Our first PioneersSiSterS of ChArity -firSt PermAnent CAtholiC miSSionArieS 1889 Both groups of 121 priests and 212 sisters, most of whom spent their entire adult lives in The Bahamas, have worked tirelessly, generously and lovingly to develop our local church. Their graves, beginning with Fr. Chrysostom Schreiner’s on San Salvador Island and others at Sacred Heart Church yard on Shirley Street, the Catholic Cemetery on Infant View Road and St. Augustine’s Cemetery in Fox Hill are also testimonies of them having given their “all.” Sisters of Charity - started the Catholic education system in The Bahamas. They served the poor and needy as teachers, BEnEdictinEsocial workers and nurses with patient love. MOnk 1891The rich history of the Catholic when black and white poor children were not Fr. Chrysostom Schreiner, OSB, was the Fr. ChrySoSTom SChreiner, oSB Church in The Bahamas was built by given the opportunity to obtain an educa- first permanent Catholic priest in The Founder of the Catholic mission in the missionary zeal and dedication of tion. Within days of their arrival, they Bahamas. He arrived in Nassau on Februarytwo Religious Orders: The Sisters of Charity opened the first free school (St. Francis 2, 1891, beginning the permanent priestly The Bahamas (1891-1925)of Mount St. Vincent-on-the-Hudson, New Xavier) for poor children of all denomina- ministry here. As head of the Bahama 1st Vicar Forane of The BahamasYork and The Benedictine Monks of St. tions. This was the birth of the Catholic Mission, he also began the first Out IslandJohn’s Abbey, Minnesota, USA. Education system in The Bahamas. mission on Andros on February 25, 1892.The work of these early Catholic missionar- The Sisters of Charity were responsible also The first Benedictine missionaries, mostlyies in establishing schools, church build- for establishing medical and prenatal clinics, German-Americans, were ready to work andings, clinics, community programmes and nurseries and day care centers, including the serve the Bahama mission. They served notcaring for the poor is noted as one of the Madonna Day Nursery, Infant of Prague only as priests and educators, but took onmost significant contributions in the devel- Clinic, Marian Clinic and the Agnes roles as architects, builders, carpenters,opment of Catholicism in The Bahamas Hardecker Children’s Clinic – each clinic masons, engineers and even at times doctorstoday. was in a different area of New Providence. and dentists. The Sisters’ tremendous impact on our com-The first to arrive in Nassau were The Sisters munities spanned several generations. On Fr. Schreiner and other Benedictines, whoof Charity, led by Sr. Delores Van January 4th, 2007, the only remaining Sister followed, together with many local layper-Rensselaer, SC, and four other nuns, on of Charity, Sr. Joan Anderson, SC returned sons, built the Catholic community in TheOctober 28th, 1889. home ending an era of 118 years of service to Bahamas as well as many of its structures. In the people of The Bahamas by her Religious 2005 their 114-year mission came to a close.The Sisters came to The Bahamas at a time Community.

6 Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese t Historic timeline1837 The church was officially recognized, when Pope 1956 Father Arthur Chapman ordained, first diocesan priestGregory XVi created three Vicariates Apostolic in the British for The BahamasWest indies, including The Bahamas in the Vicariate Jamaica 1957 Son-of-the-soil, Charles L. Coakley ordained the first1885 The Bahamas was formally transferred to the juris- Bahamian diocesan priest on the feast of Corpus Christi, Junediction of the Archdiocese of new york. Archbishop michael A. 20.Corrigan was appointed to the mission and appointed FatherCharles George o’Keefe to serve nassau. • The Dominican Sisters of Adrian, michigan arrived. They assisted in training Bahamian Sisters and lay leaders in dioce- • Louis maria y. Black was the first recorded baptism of san schools. Aquinas College as it today, grew out of this pro-the young Catholic community. gram, which began, a few weeks after the Dominicans arrived in nassau on January 4, 1957.1887 Dedication of St. Francis Xavier Church, by 1958 Fr. Brendan Forsyth, oSB appointed firstArchbishop michael Corrigan of new york - confirmation was Superintendent of Catholic Schools of the Vicariate.also administered that day. • The Gray Sisters of the immaculate Conception of1889 Five Sisters of Charity from mt. St. Vincent on the Pembroke, ontario arrived in The Bahamas. The last five of these Sisters left The Bahamas in 2003.hudson, new york arrived in The Bahamas. They opened a freeschool (St. Francis Xavier Academy) for poor children. • increase of Bahamian religious and Priests. many Bahamian vocations were received into the Benedictine community at St. Augustine’s monastery.1891 The Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey, 1960 The Church in The Bahamas elevated to a diocese.Collegeville, minnesota begin to serve the Bahama mission. St. Francis Xavier’s Church formally established as itsFr. Chrysostom Schreiner, oSB (the first to arrive) was Cathedral. Bishop Paul Leonard hagarty, o.S.B. is nowappointed Vicar Forane of the Bahamas. he died at San Bishop of nassau.Salvador island in 1928. his remains are there today. 1973 Fathers Preston A. moss John Finger made domestic1892 The first Solemn high mass celebrated in nassau. prelates with the title of monsignor by Pope Paul Vi. • First Catholic out island mission started on Androsisland by Fr. Chrysostom. Fr. Gabriel roerig, oSB build the • Peter rahming and Lawrence Bethel ordained the first twofirst Catholic church in Behring Point. permanent deacons of the Diocese.1897 First Annual Catholic Bazaar. 1974 investiture Service of monsignors Preston A. moss and John Finger by Bishop Paul Leonard hagarty, o.S.B1908 Fr. Chrysostom established a mission at San 1975 monsignor Preston A. moss appointed the first VicarSalvador. General of the diocese.1931 The Bahama mission, now a Prefecture was 1979 Pope John Paul ii paid a pastoral visit to Thedetached from the Archdiocese of new york and placed Bahamas and was received at the Queen elizabeth Sportsunder the Congregation for the Propagation of the faith in Centre (now Thomas A. robinson Stadium). This was therome. first english speaking country that the holy Father visited.1934 Bishop Bernard Kevenhoerster, oSB installed as 1981 Father Lawrence Burke, SJ of Jamaica, W.i. conse-the first Vicar Apostolic Bishop of nassau. crated Bishop of nassau1937 Blessed martin de Porres Convent, first local religious 1995 The church had an estimated 45,237 Catholicscommunity, established on Polhemus estate, nassau Street across The Bahamas with parishes and missions on ten(current location) with the blessings of Bishop J. Bernard Family islands and Turks & Caicos island, 37 priests, 38Kevenhoerster, o.S.B. by Fr. Bonaventure hansen, o.S.B. sisters, 9 deacons and 5,091 students in Catholic schools.The first three candidates were Winifred (Sr. elizabeth)Claridge, Lezretta (Sr. maria) rahming and Avis (Sr. Theresa) 1999 Diocese of Nassau elevated to an Archdiocese.Symonette. The most rev. Lawrence Burke installed as 1st Archbishop of1945 Fr. Frederic Frey founded St. Augustine’s College in nassau, The metropolitan See.the “niche” (on the Priory Grounds) with 35 boys. it was 2004 The most reverand Patrick Pinder consecratedestablished to give Catholic youths, especially a greateropportunity for secondary education and to promote priestly Archbishop of nassau • The new St. Francis Xavier Cathedralvocations. dedicated.1947 St. Augustine monastery was formed as a dependent 2006 Fr. George Wolf, oSB returned to St. John’s Abbey,priory of St. John Abbey. Fr. Frederic Frey. oSB was its first Collegeville minnesota after 6o years in The Bahamas, end-prior. ing an era of the presence of the Benedictine monks in The Bahamas.1949 Sir Cyrus Davis the first Bahamian lay man to receive 2007 The last Sister of Charity of mount St. Vincent bidhighest Papal honour of the Knights of the order of St.Gregory along with englishman Sir ronald Langton-Jones. Farwell to the people of the Bahamas after 42 years.1950 Fr. Paul Leonard hagarty, oSB was consecrated 2008 The new Aquinas College buildings groundbreakingTitular Bishop of Arba and installed as the second Vicar at Gladstone road. • Catholic education in The Bahamas cele-Apostolic of The Bahamas. brates 120 years. 2009 The Archdiocese of Nassau begins its Diocesan Golden Anniversary Celebrations.

Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese 7Significant Events in the diocese (1960-2004) Some early Benedictine monks its official - on the evening of December 11, 1960, the vicariate of the Bahamas wasraised officially to the rank of diocese. The most reverend Paul Leonard hagarty,o.S.B., was installed as the first ordinary. The holy Father’s representative inWashington, D.C., the most reverend egidio Vagnozzi, Titular Archbishop of myraand Apostolic Delegate to the United States, officiated at the history- making eventand was celebrant of the Pontifical mass. Photos shows from left to right: Very rev.Cornelious osendorf, rev. Charles Coakley, Archbishop Vagnozzi and Very rev.Frederic Frey. Bishop Bernard Kevenhoerster, oSB, with First Communion children in 1935. he was installed as the first Prefect Apostolic of The Bahamas on February 1932.¥ The late Bishop Paul Leonard hagarty oSB (pictured at centre) carried the The episcopal ordination of the late, Bishop Paul Leonard hagarty, oSBBook of Gospels at one of the sessions of The Second Vatican in St. Peter's took place at our Lady’s Church on october 19, 1950. he was the firstBasilica, Vatican City (1964). The Second Vatican Council was the 21st ecu- appointed Bishop of the Diocese of nassau.menical council recognized by the roman Catholic Church, which became thesymbol of the church's openness to the modern world. The council wasannounced by Pope John XXiii on January 25, 1959. The first gathering wason october 11, 1962, and the last on December 8, 1965. on December 24, 1973 monsignor Preston A. moss and monsignor John B. Bishop Lawrence Burke. SJ,Finger, were the first priests of the diocese to be made domestic prelates with ordained second Bishop of thethe title of monsignor by Pope Paul Vi. An investiture service was held on Diocese of nassau on octoberFebruary 1, 1974. Photo shows the late most rev. Paul Leonard hagarty, 11th, 1981. Picture showsBishop of nassau, assisted by Deacons Peter rahming (right) and Lawrence Bishop Paul Leonard hagarty,Bethel reading the declaration of their appointment. oSB (deceased) laying his hand in blessing on Bishop Burke, his successor. Pope John Paul ii paid a pastoral visit to The Bahamas on January 31, 1979,and The most rev. Patrick C. Pinder STD, CmG installed as second Archbishop ofwas received at the Queen elizabeth Sports Centre (now Thomas A. robinson nassau, on may 4, 2004.Stadium). This was the first english speaking country that the holy Father visited.Photo shows, msgr. moss, Paul Adderley (former minister of external Affairs) andThe late most rev. Paul Leonard hagarty with Pope John ii.

8 Celebrating 50 years as a DioceseOpening Mass celebrating 50 years as a DioceseHomily by Monsignor Alfred culmer .... “As we look back on our growth as a Diocese we thank God for the countlessMonsignor Alfred Culmer, Chancellor for the men and women who have made sacri- Archdiocese of Nassau delivered the homily at the fices to bring us to this point in our his- opening Mass for the Jubilee Year 50th anniver- tory.”sary of Nassau as a Diocese on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 atSt. Francis Xavier Cathedral. ues the theme he began in his Gospel. In Acts chapter 1 Jesus reminds his disciples to wait for the fulfillment of theText follows: Father’s promise. John baptized with water but in a few days the disciples will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. JesusToday we celebrate the ending of a year of jubilee and the monsignor Alfred Culmer said to them: “You will receive power when the Holy Spiritbeginning of another year of jubilee. The first jubilee year homilist comes down on you, then you are to be my witnesses inbegan a year ago when Pope Benedict XV1’s announced a Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes, even to thespecial jubilee year from June 28th, 2008 - June 29th, 2009 ends of the earth.”to celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of the birth ofPaul the Apostle. Following in the footsteps of Jesus his disciples are also spirit filled and spirit led. These men, the foundation of theBeginning today, Archbishop Pinder announces a year of cel- Church, are empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue theebration leading to the fiftieth anniversary of Nassau as a mission of Jesus Christ.Diocese. It was on July 5, 1960 that the Roman CatholicVicariate Apostolic of the Bahama Islands was elevated and The missionaries who came to these Islands understood thisnamed the Diocese of Nassau. In just over a year we will well. They did not set out to score points for their hard workobserve our fiftieth anniversary as a Diocese. and sacrifice but rather they set out to sow the seed of faith rooted in the Gospel and in the tradition of the one, holy,This is an historic event and the theme chosen for this year catholic and apostolic church. They took seriously the wordslong celebration is “A Year of Favor from the Lord” (Isaiah of the great missionary Paul; it is no longer I who live but61:2 and Luke 4:19). Christ who lives in me.In his letter to the faithful, Archbishop Pinder stressed thatduring our year of celebration and thanksgiving, we hope tohighlight the work of the various ministries in theArchdiocese that help to carry out our mission to proclaimthe Gospel in word and deed. Our purpose is not to boast butto renew and rededicate ourselves to this mission.Saint Paul was a great missionary. He is renowned as theApostle to the Gentiles. He was tireless in his efforts as aservant of the Gospel and his ultimate witness to the faithwas a martyr’s death.The rich history of the Diocese of Nassau shows that overthese almost fifty years the missionaries who came to theseIslands followed in the footsteps of Paul and worked tireless-ly to build a foundation of faith upon these rocks wheremany priests, religious men and women and laity laboredlong and hard under very adverse conditions, a labor of lovefor the building up of the body of Christ in these Islands.Today we stand at the crossroads. We look back with grati- members of Knights of Columbus participated in thetude as we remember what God has accomplished in our rich opening mass on June 28th, 2009, to commence theCatholic heritage over these years and we look forward with beginning the year long celebrations of thegreat hope knowing that what God has began will be seen Archdiocese fiftieth anniversary as a Diocese.through to the day of completion.Perhaps I should point out that this jubilee year, this year of Seminarians, richard Cartwright and Missionaries who came to these Islands were willing to diefavor from the Lord, is not a celebration of Catholic pres- oswald Ferguson. to selfish pride and self-aggrandizement in order that theence in the Bahamas. The Catholic presence in the Bahamas message of the Gospel can be heard and lived. They did notspans over a much longer period, in fact, this year we are missionaries were empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach put themselves in a position to detract from the word of Godcelebrating 120 years of Catholic education in the Bahamas. the good news of salvation, to win souls for Christ and to and the Blessed Eucharist but rather used these expressions tell of the wonderful story of the paschal mystery, the pas- of faith to celebrate the work that the Holy Spirit willAn Apostolic Vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of sion, death and resurrection of the Lord. accomplish in them.the Catholic Church established in missionary regions andcountries which do not have a diocese. It is for the most part When Jesus began his public ministry, Luke tells us that he The readings today focus our attention on the topic of death.provisional. The ultimate hope is that the region will gen- was spirit filled and spirit led. In fact in the 4th chapter of In the Christian context to speak about death is also to pro-erate sufficient numbers of Catholics and become stable the Gospel of Luke verse 1 we read, “Jesus, full of the Holy claim life. Death gives way to life. These missionaries hadenough for the Church as to warrant it to be established as Spirit, then returned form the Jordan and was led by the to die to self, to selfish desires, to self-seeking, to personala diocese. An Apostolic Vicariate is led by a Vicar Apostolic. Spirit into the desert.” And in verse 14: “Jesus returned in ambitions in order to become life givers and to plant theWhile such a territory can be classed as particular church, the power of the Spirit to Galilee and his reputation spread seeds of faith in the minds and hearts of families in the localaccording to canon 371.1 of the 1983 Latin Code of Canon through the region. He was teaching in their synagogues and community.Law, a vicar apostolic jurisdiction is an exercise of the juris- all were loud in his praise. He came to Nazareth where hediction of the Pope; the territory comes directly under the had been reared, and entering the synagogue on the Sabbath Change comes about through death. In the gospel todaypope as universal bishop and the Pope exercises this author- as he was in the habit of doing, he stood up to do the read- from Mark the beautiful story is told of the woman who hadity through a vicar or delegate. This is unlike the jurisdic- ing. When the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to suffered from hemorrhages for many years. She had sufferedtion of a diocesan bishop whose jurisdiction derives directly him, he unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it physically both from her ailment and from doctors who didfrom his office as bishop. was written: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, therefore he not know how to heal her. She is said to be suffering finan- has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tiding to the cially as she had exhausted her saving trying to be healed.According to the 1983 Code of Canon Law – Canon 369 the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight todefinition of a diocese is as follows, “a diocese is a portion the blind and release to prisoners; to announce a year of Despite suffering physically and economically, there wasof the people of God which is entrusted to a bishop for him favor from the Lord.” something worse; she was suffering socially and spiritually.to shepherd with the cooperation of the presbyterate, so that, Because of the bleeding she was thought to be rituallyadhering to its proper pastor and gathered by him in the This was a defining moment in the public life and ministry impure, thus she could not engage in any public worship,Holy Spirit through the gospel and the Eucharist, it consti- of Jesus. It was his inaugural address; the manifesto of his and she certainly would have been banned from the Temple.tutes a particular church in which the one, holy, catholic and pastoral plan and the course of action his life would take. Anyone who had physical contact with her would have alsoapostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative.” Having been identified at his baptism as the beloved son of been rendered ritually impure thus few would have anything God, the one upon whom the Father’s favor rests, Jesus now to do with her. This was a living death. She had a life withFrom this we can see that prior to July 5, 1960 we had no moves on to show how the message of the Prophets would no meaning.diocesan bishop as we had not as yet been established as a be fulfilled in him and how the Father will accomplish thesediocese. Bishop John Bernard Kevenhoerster was made a prophesies in his life, in his mission, in his ministry and Knowing that something had to change, she violated allVicar Apostolic of the Bahama Islands from 1941 to 1949. most of all in his passion, death and resurrection. sorts of cultural rules to get to the healer, Jesus. In her deci-He was succeeded by Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty who was sion to humble herself, in this decision to go to Christ, shemade Vicar Apostolic of the Bahama Islands from 1950 until Luke in his second volume the Acts of the Apostles contin- found her healing. The greatest benefit was not the ending ofhe was appointed the bishop of newly elevated diocese of her malady, it was restoring her to the community; it wasNassau in 1960. making it possible for her to have a purpose once again.Thus on July 5, 1960, the Roman Catholic Vicariate Paul in his vision received the call from Jesus to ministerApostolic of the Bahama Islands was elevated and named the to the Gentiles, to expand the mission and ministry in theDiocese of Nassau. This was a clear indication that the early Church, to become an apostle to non-Jews. Paul under-Catholic population had grown and that the Catholic faith goes a dramatic conversion and becomes the Apostle to thehad been established and rooted. It also spoke of the kind of Gentiles. After his encounter with the risen Christ on themissionary zeal and faith formation that was rapidly taking road to Damascus, Paul is filled with zeal and enthusiasm,place throughout these Islands. his whole life is now dedicated to telling the story of Jesus and to proclaiming with joy the message of salvation; thisThe history of the Catholic Church in the Bahamas is passion and zeal for Christ brought many to a new life ingrounded in the faith and commitment of the men and Christ.women who came to these Islands to spread the good newsand the response of individuals and families who embracedtheir teaching of the Catholic faith. Like Saint Paul these

The early missionaries were not exactly greeted with open arms upon their Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese 9arrival in these Bahama Islands but they believed in their purpose for beinghere, a defining moment of faith. They set out almost immediately in the Archbishop Pinder presiding at the opening liturgy. he was assisted by Fr. Glenwork of education, church building, social welfare, feeding, clothing, and nixon, Deacon Jeffrey Lloyd pictured at left) and monsignor Alfred Culmer.most of all home visitations. Altar serversThese missionaries set out to put into effect the message found in theGospel Matthew Chapter 25 “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I wasthirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; nakedand you clothe me. I was ill and you comforted me; in prison and you cameto visit me.”The early missionaries put their faith in action. They set out to build com-munities, to establish leaders, to affirmed local gifts and talents and toallow the Spirit to bring about the growth of the emerging local communi-ty of faith. Over these almost fifty years we have come a long way. We build on theshoulders of those who came before us, of local community leaders, whosefaith grew and who passed on this faith and this rich Catholic heritage we soproudly celebrate today.The greatest sign of our growth as a local Catholic community is expressedin our very first local bishop/Archbishop. His appointment is the expres-sion of how the local Church has grown over these years and the confidenceand trust placed in our local Catholic community and the extent to which wehave matured as a local Church over these almost fifty years as a Diocese.There is much more to be done. Paul never allowed the communities heestablished to become complacent. In his letters he constantly challengesthese faith communities to grow, to continue to work together, to build upthe body of Christ and to be that presence of the risen Christ to others.During the course of this year, Archbishop Pinder in his letter invites us allto rededicate ourselves to the message and mission of the Church by becom-ing more active and involved. We are encouraged to participate fully in theevents planned for this jubilee year and to volunteer to assist in the furtherplanning and execution of events by contacting our various parishes.This is a clarion call to spend more time in prayer and out of this prayer tofind ways in the parish community to become more involved in the life andministry of the Church. Ayear of favor from the Lord begins with the renew-al of our faith, a faith which calls us to action and to a deeper and richersense of mission. As we look back on our growth as a Diocese we thank God for the count-less men and women who have made sacrifices to bring us to this point inour history. While we give thanks to God for all the missionaries who cameto these Islands to help us establish the local Catholic Church we also givethanks to God for all our local men and women upon whose shoulder westand and in whose footprints of faith we continue to walk.Remember as we make plans to celebrate fifty years of our establishment asa diocese we also note that on July 5 this year we celebrate 10 years as theecclesiastical Province of Nassau. This Diocese of Nassau was name theMetropolitan See and thus elevated to the dignity of Archdiocese of Nassauon July 5, 1999 and today is under the leadership of our very own, homegrown, Archbishop Patrick C. Pinder.God has truly brought us from a mighty long way. Our attitude today andalways is the attitude of gratitude. For all that has been we say, thank God,for what is now we say, yes Lord, and for what will be in the future we say,please God.As we celebrate locally a year of favor from the Lord, the Holy Father PopeBenedict XV1 has proclaimed a year for priests. The proclamation is doneon the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth Saint John Vianney,the Cure of Ars that great patron saint of parish priests.Let us with grateful hearts put all our efforts together to make of this jubileeyear a year of praise and thanksgiving, a year to pray more earnestly andardently for an increase of vocations to serve the Church as priests and reli-gious, for the strengthening and renewal of family life in our land and forthe building up of the body of Christ, the Church.To Him who is able to accomplish in us more than realize or imagine behonor, praise, power and glory both now and forever. Amen! musicians - Francis richardson and Andrew Curry.The Sisters of martin monastery - Srs. ena Albury, oSB and mary members of the Archdiocesan Women’s Auxiliary.Benedict Pratt, oSB, Prioress.Fathers mel Taylor, noel Clarke and Alain Laverne distributing St. Francis Xavier men’s Association the eucharist at the opening mass.

10 Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese hundreds gathered at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on June 28th, 2009 to mark the opening mass beginning the year long celebration of the Archdiocese fiftieth anniversary as a Diocese, including this group of Catholics pictured from left: Sir Jospeh Lleida, Bessie Serrette, Brendan Foulkes, Sir Burton hall and henry Lightbourn.All smiles - Philip Laramore, Sister Cecilia Albury, oSB and Archbishop Pinder greets, The hon. Alfred Sears, mP (left) and TheLeslie major. hon. Fred mitchell, mP. after the opening mass.

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12 Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese NR36 ON T HE OCCASION OF T HE D I O C ESA N GO L D E N A NNI V E RSA RY, 1960-2010 we the family of the late GRANVILLE & ALBERTH A COA KLEY A RC H BISH OP PAT RIC K PIND ER & A LL OT HER BUILDERS OF T H E A RC H D I O C ESE O F N ASSAU W ith deep gratitude we fondly remember many of our deceased church builders especially our brother T HE FIRST BA H A MI A N-BORN PRIEST (1957-1969) F O R T H E D I O C ESE O F N ASSAU, who was a deacon at the Mass for the erection of this diocese (He resigned from the priesthood in 1969) T EL Z EN A G. COA K LE Y & SIBLINGS (PA M, D OROT H Y & V IRGIL)

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14 Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese

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16 Celebrating 50 years as a Diocese