Forgive, Never Forget.

St. Thomas Parish Church. An 11 x 14 acrylic painting
by Mark Phillips

St. Thomas Parish Church sits in the district of Arch Hall in St. Thomas and dates back to 1629.  That first building was destroyed by the hurricane that hit the island in 1675. The parish church was rebuilt but this structure too was demolished by the great hurricane that struck the island in 1780.  It was some six years before the church was rebuilt and by 1831 it was again destroyed by the hurricane that reduced most of the churches on the island of Barbados to ruins.

In appearance, this church is quite similar to the St. Peter's Parish Church. Their design is rather less Gothic in design than some of the other Parish Churches around the island of Barbados. The appearance of these two churches is less imposing when compared to that of St. John’s Parish Church for instance.  None-the-less, the St. Thomas Parish Church still manages to evoke a quiet, understated elegance and charm.

On a personal level, St Thomas Parish church represents a not very pleasant chapter in my life.  When I was a child, I remember my grandfather saying that he will never step foot in St. Catherine’s Church as long as he lived. I never asked him the reason why he had taken that stand but true to his word, the only time I say him in that church was on the day of his funeral. Ironically, he is buried in the graveyard of St. Catherine’s Church.  I mentioned that because I lived to hear myself making the exact same statement about St. Thomas Parish Church!

When my then betrothed and I was planning our wedding, St. Thomas Parish Church was the church of choice. My fiancé was born in Arch Hall and she was a member of the church for almost 30 years. She was a member of the church choir and almost every other women’s organisation in the church. We approached the Reverent in charge and submitted to the mandatory interviews and counselling only to be told by the goodly Reverent that he would not perform the ceremony. My fiancé was divorced twice before and he made me think that it was church policy that divorcees could not be married in the Anglican Church because the Church considered the matrimonial vows of, “till death do us part”, as a sacrament that could not be broken.

Of course, this pissed me off and after some research, I discovered that it was at the discretion of the Reverent as to if he was going to perform the ceremony and, that he had refused because, in his opinion, the marriage was, "not going to last". 

We were subsequently married at James Street Methodist Church. 

Earlier this month, my wife and I celebrated our 22^nd wedding anniversary. 

So much for not lasting!

My wife is still a member of the church choir, my daughter and later my granddaughter has been confirmed in this Church and I have not stepped foot in this Church in the last 22 years. I occasionally run into the Reverent, (now retired), that refused to marry me and as recent as 2 weeks ago I gently reminded him that, I am still married!

So bear with me for portraying this building as a little dark and not as the bright beacon in the community that it should be. If my years on this earth has taught me anything about myself, it is that I am capable of forgiving but, I never forget. In the words of JFK...

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." -  John F. Kennedy

or more succinctly,

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." - Thomas Szasz

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore