Oldest Parishoner Marks 104th Birthday.
By The Rev. Dr. Sonia Hinds, Priest-in-Charge,Grace (Riviere Doree), St. Paul’s (Vieux Fort) and Christ the King (Soufriere)
LAST Sunday, the congregation of Grace Church gave thanks to God in celebration of the 104th year of its oldest parishioner, Ms, Iona Nelson.
Miss Iona (as she is affectionately called) was born in the community of Riviere Doreé on August 21, 1911, and later baptised in the same Grace Church in Choiseul where she worshipped last Sunday among family and friends.
However, for close to a century before she was born, the Anglican Church had been in St Lucia. According to A History of St Lucia, the first stone was laid in 1830 for the Holy Trinity Church in Castries and the church finished two years later. Fifteen years later, according to this source, the cornerstone for the church at Riviere Doree was laid by the Alexander sisters (nicknamed The Pious Ladies of Riviere Doreé) under the clerical leadership of Anglican cleric, Rev. Morne, and with further financial assistance from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and other sponsors.
Ms. Iona is probably the oldest Anglican in St Lucia and so the community is proud of this gift from God to the Anglican community, the nation and to her. Her celebration gives Anglicans an opportunity to reflect on how God has sustained the Anglican community in St Lucia despite its limited numbers especially when compared to the Roman Catholic denomination, and this is particularly so in the area of formal education. A plaque outside the Riviere Doreé Church states that the school was built soon after Emancipation, making it the oldest school in the island.
Thus last year, when the Grace Church and the Choiseul community celebrated almost two centuries of service, Miss Iona played a special role. Her reflections on the “olden days” allowed those present to learn and recall the history of the school when she was able to walk more briskly. The Riviere Doree Combined Anglican School’s contribution was not only to Choiseul community but to the St Lucian society.
On that occasion former principal, now acting District Education Officer, Mrs. Kay Clarke-Nicholas who is an active member of the Anglican parish, along with recently retired Archdeacon Randolph Evelyn and guests that included former principals, teachers and students listened attentively to the feature address by former student and church member, Mr. Ferguson John, a former politician who praised the past and present teachers and students as he remarked on the tremendous achievements of many St. Lucians who benefitted from the formal education provided by the Anglican Church school. Chief among those who benefitted is Prime Minister Kenny Anthony and the Barnard family, many of whom are proud Anglicans who have attended the school.
And indeed Miss. Iona too benefitted! She made this clear during the school’s celebrations when we paid close attention to her voice describing the pictures of the school. Also, during my monthly visits to her home for the sharing of the Blessed Sacrament, I can sense a woman who has experienced many of the challenges of being Anglican and St Lucian. Her baptism over a century at the font of Grace Church makes her a gem to the Anglican Church in St Lucia and more so for Anglicans in the south of St Lucia.
We commend Ms. Gail Charles, another active member of Grace Church and who is a member of the Choiseul/Saltibus Constituency Council for the suggestion of this celebration. The Anglican Church in St. Lucia is proud of her milestone and of its contributions to the nation of St. Lucia.