After three years of being closed due to damage sustained during the passage of Hurricane Maria, the Loubiere Holy Spirit Chapel has officially been reopened to the community and public.
Parishioners from the Fatima parish had a chance to see the newly restored and renovated church interior and once again worship at a rededication Mass held on February 7, 2021.
The event was conducted by Bishop of Roseau, His Lordship Gabriel Malzaire, who stated that despite the skepticism by many, such an occasion has been highly anticipated by the members.
“Today is a long-awaited moment for this community and I’m sure everybody is overjoyed to see what is happening. We know the journey that we have taken from Maria to now, three years of waiting and even deciding whether coming back to this location was viable,” he said. “We had doubts. We thought that because of the proximity of this community to Fatima everybody could go to Fatima and maybe we could forget about the church. These were some of the thoughts, especially seeing that we have the river so close by we didn’t know what would happen, but we are here right now and everybody is happy.”
His Lordship expressed his gratitude to those who contributed to making the reopening of the church a reality and sid that the joy felt by many at such an occasion, should truly be embraced.
Many parishioners who participated in the restoration of the Chapel, were awarded for their invaluable contributions, among them, Parliamentary Representative for the area, Chekira Lockhart-Hypolite.
Speaking to Dominica News Online, she stated, “It’s a great occasion, it’s a joyous occasion. This is the church where I made the first communion, this is the church where I made the confirmation, this is the church where my daughter was baptized. As many would know, I am from the Loubiere community so I know how the Loubiere people love their church it has not been the same since Maria and though the Newtown church has welcomed us with open arms, something was missing and I’m very happy that we could see the rededication of this Holy Spirit Chapel.”
According to Lockhart-Hypolite, one of the main challenges which have prevented persons from attending regular mass over the years especially for the elderly has been transportation for parishioners from neighboring communities. She said she is confident that with the reopening of the community chapel, such issues will be elevated, and people will have greater access to prayer and worship.
“I believe in every community you must have some form of prayer and worship somewhere to go to praise the Lord, so this is just a great day for Loubiere and the constituency as a whole. The people here are close-knit. They are family…so I consider this a joyous occasion, words cannot express how I feel this evening and be part and parcel of this. It is a great feeling,” she stated.
She urged fellow church members to not let their guard down and continue following the protocols established by the Ministry of Health.
Okay, all of this seems to be well and good. Those in charge will gladly accept those compliments. But there is a great fact that may be unknown by this beautiful crowd.
God connects us to Himself by our faith, trust, and obedience; His home is our conscience, from where He feeds our mind, to our heart and to our soul, all is the work of His Holy Spirit.
Therefore our body is the Temple (Chapel) of the Holy Spirit, not a building. Let it be known
DNO. I posted a comment two days ago. Surely, it cannot still be awaiting approval. If I may say so myself, it was pretty harmless. Pls……..
ADMIN: We don’t see any other comments awaiting approval under this name. You can always try resubmitting your comment. Should you need assistance you can email us at [email protected].
Absolutely lovely photos. Wish I could attend church
but I’m happy to see that the chapel has reopened. DNO can you please inform if the time of service and will it be carried live?
ADMIN: The ceremony and mass was carried live on DNO’s Facebook page. You can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/DominicaNewsOnline/videos/3865247026871013
CONGRATULATIONS to all who made this re-opening possible. Above all, Praise to the Most High GOD for his strength and inspiration. A place of worship is essential for all communities, particularly for the elderly who cannot access distant chapels or churches. It is a place of grace and spiritual communion. Much needed in this time of pandemics, confusion and disorder.
At the end of this incarnation, there will be nothin that the holy spirit chapel can do or say on your behalf, and the Cross, the symbol of Slavery and Shame, have propel most to the Hell invented by Dante Algieri. The Church, have removed the Chapel from the Heart, and replace it with Greed and Hate. Is it posible for a Serpent to change it’s skin to anything else? Roman Christendom gave the Asiento to Enslave and Brutalise my African Heritage, today, their Worldly Religion continue to play havoc on the belief system. The pictogram says it all.
I am so elated to read your comment. In this day and age, we ae still kept in the dark by the church because those who enslaved our fore-parents did a tremendous job to keep our minds captive through their religion. History has made it plain that we were not a religious people but religion continues to find its way because we are scared of going to a hell that they have created.
UNAPOLOGETIC