The road to Ecclesville, for the two of us, was longer than any road that we have ever travelled.  We were looking forward to being in Rio Claro for the day with Sr. Annette, but what in fact happened, was that we not only got lost twice, but  the car landed in a monstrous pothole, was punctured, and that was the end of our so far peaceful journey.

We did reach however and was present at a  ceremony worthy of any Basilica on Saturday  June 2.                                         

The new Ecclesville Chapel finds itself in a humble setting some miles from Rio Claro, off the Mayaro Road. To reach it, one must travel some metres on a rough and rocky road.

The Ecclesville community is led by Sr. Annette Chow. This Chapel
dedicated to the Divine Mercy has been reconstructed and been blessed by His Grace the Archbishop.

There it stood in the midst of a large cleared area, surrounded by recently planted trees, shrubs and flowers, looking shy and smiling and welcoming, but beautiful. As you stepped inside, that is exactly what it was, beautiful and radiant, a spanking new chapel, a delight for the eyes.

His Grace the Archbishop had come to bless it and by the time that he was ready to start the ceremony, the chapel was filled to overflowing. People from all over Rio Claro had come, it was their day, their chapel, their Church. Ecclesville itself is a very small community but today it was supported by all its sister centres.

The new Ecclesville Chapel

His Grace mentioned his surprise to see a stone altar in place and not a wooden one and because of that, decided to dedicate the altar instead of blessing it.

The ceremony began with the blessing of the cornerstone, followed by the blessing of water, then the chapel its walls and finally its people. As he went along, the Archbishop explained what he was doing and what it all meant.

Referring to the blessing of the walls, he said that the community was the living stones of the chapel, that we were the Church, that we were to give witness with our lives in the way we lived it. He reminded us that we lived in a secularized world and it was important that the local community live in solidarity with each other,  that we should be conscious of the impression we make, of the way we speak to each other.

He said that worship was a privilege, that words like “I have to go to church” gave evidence that we have the freedom to gather and to worship.

He said that he was about to bless two tables, the altar and the lectern, one where we are fed God’s word and from the other we get our sacramental food that the altar represented  Jesus Christ and because of that we must respect it. His Grace then proceeded to dedicate the altar.

He poured chrism on the four corners and spread it with his hand over the whole top. After this he placed the smoking thurible on the altar, a symbol of our prayer rising to God   He then allowed to sit in silence for a few minutes to allow the symbolism to speak to us.

This chapel he said was where our children would be baptized, where they would be confirmed, married and buried. After this the long but beautiful prayer of dedication was said.

 The singing throughout this ceremony with the assistance of the instrumentalists was vibrant and full as everyone felt part of this memorable occasion.

Several members of other churches were present and it was a great sign of solidarity when these were acknowledged. At the end of the evening the many contributors and planners of the event were thanked and of course in true Trini style, no one went home empty-handed.

We left in the darkness and the dampness with a deep happiness. Our Church was alive and well in spite of all the prophets of doom and gloom, that in spite of all our weaknesses, we were his beloved children, that the roads may be bad, that we may lose our way, that we may lose a tire but when all’s said and done, there’s a God above who loves us and is with his Church. Thanks to Sr. Annette and all the marvelous people of Rio Claro, God bless them all.