Back in early July I mentioned that the Archdiocese of Nassau was celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Nassau being made a Diocese (not too shabby if you realize Nassau has only been an independent nation for 37 years).
At the closing liturgy there were bishops and visiting priests present from throughout the Caribbean, as well as the Nuncio here representing the Pope. The entrance procession through a totally packed Cathedral was impressive to say the least.
Archbishop Pinder gave a wonderful homily, walking through the history of the Archdiocese and bringing to mind past Bishops and Archbishops, Benedictines who initially served here, and the many other religious congregations of men and women who have helped make this Archdiocese the unique place that it has become.
For me, it was indeed humbling to hear all this and know that we are now part of that history. That Ginni and I are, in some small way, writing our own pages in the history of this Archdiocese.
One of the things the Archbishop did to celebrate this anniversary was the creation of a special medal, struck for this occasion. The Cordis et Mentis award (Heart and Mind) was created on the occasion of this anniversary to recognize people throughout the Archdiocese of Nassau who, over the years, had served the church in such a way that they deserved special recognition.
We were particularly pleased that two of the honorees we from our parishes on Andros. In this picture the Archbishop poses with all those recipients of this award throughout the Archdiocese. I like this particular picture because in the background you can see not only the old original St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on the right, but also the new St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on the left. St. Francis Xavier was the first Catholic church built in the Bahamas, later elevated to the status of Cathedral.
The following pictures are of Ms. Evelyn Minnis, from St. John Chrysostom in Fresh Creek and Mr. Harold Braynen, from Christ the King in Cargill Creek. These two individuals, during the years when there was no permanent clergy on Andros, were the driving forces behind keeping the people together and continuing to grow the faith on Andros.
The following picture shows Ginni and I with Harold and his wife Charlene after the ceremony. I am pleased to share with you that, after much prayer and discernment, Harold is also beginning his journey in the Deacon Formation Program here in the Bahamas.
If you look closely, Charlene is holding the medal that Harold recieved while he holds the certificate. I told Charlene that although Harold was recognized at this ceremony, she had a major part in him being recognized so she should be the one wearing it!
We are blessed with many good people here and Evelyn and Harold are only the tip of the iceberg. It was a wonderful celebration, affirming that the Church is growing here and if we take the time to look around and see the many gifts of the Holy Spirit that are all around us we have much to be thankful for!
