The Tribune

THE Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands will conclude its year of celebrating 150 years as a Diocese on Sunday, 5 February with a special service at Christ Church Cathedral. The service will be a solemn evensong, sermon and benediction. The president and preacher will be the Rt. Rev'd. Laish Boyd, Diocesan Bishop, with special music provided by St Agnes Senior Choir. The service marks the end of 13 months of celebration thanking God for 150 years of diocesan status and more than 360 years of Anglican presence in the islands. The highlight has been the special November weekend of celebrations, which included the Diocesan Ball and the Thanksgiving Service, Procession, and the Blessing of the City of Nassau. Over 900 Anglicans attended the ball on Friday, November 4 and hundreds packed Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday, November 6 for the Thanksgiving Service. Attending the Thanksgiving Service were Sir Arthur and Lady Foulkes and other government officials, such as Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Opposition Leader Perry Christie. Various church and community leaders and senior civil servants were also in attendance. The Diocese also welcomed the House of Bishops and the Standing Committee of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) for their bi-annual meetings in November. The meetings were chaired by The Most Rev. Dr. the Honourable John Holder, Archbishop of the West Indies and Bishop of Barbados and held at the Holy Cross Parish Centre. The visiting bishops also attended the special weekend of activities. Other events celebrating the 150th anniversary included the special postage launch, the Diocesan Track and Field Sports Meet, visits of provincial bishops to various Family Islands, issuance of a special 18-month calendar, a fun run/walk, easter egg hunt, and special parish celebrations. The presence of the Anglican Church can be traced from the early beginnings of Bahamian history. The Eleutherian Adventurers after 1647 made the first settlement of the English. This came after the islands had been more or less abandoned after the Spaniards eliminated the early Lucayan population. It is said that the Eleutherian Adventurers included two Anglican priests, Stephen Painter and Nathaniel White, who had left the church. In 1670 the Bahamas was granted to the Lord Proprietors of Carolina by the English Crown. Among the requirements of this Grant was the establishment of churches in the islands. Christ Church Cathedral dates from 1670. As the town of Nassau developed in status, in 1734 the island became the Parish of Christ Church and in 1861 the town became a city. The latter was a direct result of the elevation of Christ Church to a Cathedral. In 1861, Queen Victoria issued Letters Patent making Christ Church a Cathedral and the town of Nassau a city. Nassau's status was further legitimised in 1882 when the House of Assembly passed the law ratifying its claim to the title of city. Since its inception the Anglican Church in the Bahamas has been integrally involved with the life of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Members of the Anglican communion have always been in the forefront of the total life of the community through providing teachers, doctors, musicians, athletes, lawyers, politicians, nurses, carpenters, and in the sharing of many different talents and skills to the ongoing development of these communities. The closing service will bring together all clergy and lay people from all over the diocese as well as representatives from all the functioning diocesan ministries.