His church connections were clearly obvious when Bishop of Roseau His Lordship Gabriel Malzaire described the late Charles A. Maynard as “A true Caribbean Ambassador to Christ and state.”
The bishop made that observation as he delivered the homily at the official funeral mass of the late Ambassador who died on May 8, 2012 after a prolonged illness.
Bishop Malzaire was the main celebrant at the mass concelebrated with over ten priests and deacons.
He told the congregation that as humans “we extend ourselves in all ways since it’s our mission to so do through human transcendence.”
The bishop told the congregation made up of locals and several overseas dignitaries that God was inviting the deceased Charles Maynard to an eternal banquet of rich food, fine wines and lots of other goodies in his eternal kingdom.
“Charles sought to do his divine mandate while on earth, he was also a true ambassador to Christ and to his country. He touched many lives and that is clearly evident in the amount of people who are gathered to pay their last respects to him,” Bishop Malzaire stated.
“He (Charles Maynard) had a largesse that made people feel happy and comfortable with him as they always went to him for help and advice. He always had a new idea. He had a quest for knowledge; indeed he was a true ambassador. No wonder his friends called him Pope,” the Bishop remarked.
Like others have observed, Bishop Malzaire said the deceased died with “his boots on” – he was still Dominica’s ambassador to CARICOM and the OECS.
“He had that true passion and thirst for books, all evident in his library at his home……he was a well integrated person and a good point of contact for the church and state. He is happily with his maker, gone to eternal rest, to a safe place where there are no pains, no anger, a place of comfort and rest,” Bishop Malzaire said.
Ambassador Maynard’s work at a regional level clearly made an impact, as evidenced by the large group of Caribbean dignitaries on hand for the official funeral.
They included CARICOM Secretary General – Dominican-born Irwin LaRocque and Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Sir Dwight Venner.
The Antigua/Barbuda contingent included Prime Minister Balwin Spencer and Ambassador Colin Murdock.
Also on hand was the former prime minister in Castries, Stephenson King – now St Lucia’s opposition leader.
Other dignitaries included Washington-based Dominican Ambassador Vince Henderson and Chief Magistrate of Anguilla – Dominican-born Ivenia Benjamin.
Local dignitaries included Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and members of his cabinet, as well as former acting chief justice of the OECS Supreme Court Sir Brian Alleyne.
The many locals and dignitaries at the service seemed to agree that his was “a life well lived”.
“I want Dominicans to remember him as an exceptional individual, very religious, very charismatic, very giving,” Ambassador Maynard’s grieving son Carl Maynard told DNO.
Among officials paying tribute to Ambassador Maynard is Edward Lambert, the principal adviser in the Prime Minister’s office.
“He was a devoted husband and father, distinguished public servant, a fervent nationalist, a resolute developmentalist, a diehard regionalist, a discerning reformist and an unapologetic Christian,” Lambert says of Ambassador Maynard.
“He was able to laugh at himself, and had a tremendous sense of humour. In his book PATHWAY TO SERVICE he is witty, philosophical, somber, and brilliantly weaves the secular with the spiritual,” Lambert says in his tribute.
Former financial secretary Alick Lazare too has had much to say about Charles Maynard, but sums it up in one sentence:
“Wherever he walked, he left behind a trail of success,” Lazare says of Maynard, whom he also describes as a renowned orator of the first order.
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Ambassador Charles deserved all the tributes he received. His was a life well lived fruitfully in the Lord and for country. HHe was a well-respected gentleman.
A Holy Tribute to Charles Maynard
The Secret of a Glorious Life
To walk hand in hand with the Savior
To talk with Him often each day
To give Him your life because He gave you His
And simply to trust and obey.
THANK YOU FOR SERVING HIM
Thank You for serving Him, through caring ways and love, giving honor to God above.
Thank You for serving Him, unseen by us, but not unknown, because He watches from His Throne.
Thank You for serving Him, not just by words, but action done, being a reflection of God’s only Son.
Thank You for serving The Lord and through others.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to Me.
If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor…John 12:26)
Isaiah 42:2:1 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Fear Not, for I have redeemed you…you are Mine.
St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are made for Thee O Lord and they are restless until they rest in Thee.”
Ambassador Charles Maynard is a step ahead of us. His salvation is assured because of his faithful, patient and untiring works on earth, his devotion to his lovely wife Joan, family and other fellow Dominicans and wherever he worked in the Caribbean. There is no doubt that he will be missed. Rest in peace faithful one.
Dominica’s government has the habit of giving people flowers to rest on their grave or casket! I wanna smell my flowers, they don’t know they’re ambassadors after they’ve died…that’s why you should never hold back on telling people what you think of them, you never know when life is gonna end.
Mr. Irwin Larocque was born in the United States was brought to Dominica at 6months old.
PLEASE USE ANOTHER NAME OR ADD SOMETHING ELSE TO THE NAME PATRIOT, LIKE COUNTERFEIT PATRIOT.
I AM HERE TO READ WHAT IS NEXT ….QUITE CONFUSED …
You can take that rubbish statement and dump it in labass.
What do you mean by that? Explain yourself.
Maynard was our “Boy”. Church Ambassador. Country Ambassador. Political Adviser to DLP. Holder of diplomatic passport together with non-Dominican Ambassadors Corallo, Rudolph king, Leroy Parris et al and those other Ambassadors Dominicans do not know about.
The Kalinago people, who discovered Dominica, were the first to be given missals, scriptures, bibles and exposed by the missionaries to Christ’s good teachings, hundreds of years ago. While on one hand they were taught about Christ’s good life, their land was being taken from them. They were being savaged, killed. None of the missionaries came to the defense of Kalinago or later the Negre Marrons. They instead sided with the colonisers and missionaries against Kalinago and the Blacks.
In some circles, history writers claimed those missionaries were, at that time, Ambassadors of the Church and for the colonizers. History is replete with such accounts of events. As time goes on, people tend to see the light and know the real truth.
What is the bishop trying to say? The only ambassador to Christ in his church would be the Pope. Since that was also the late Mr. Maynard’s nickname I hope it was not a half-hearted attempt at being funny! Ambassador Maynard’s yeoman work on this earth is recognized without the need for him to be referred to in this manner.
Ambassador to Christ? I am not suggesting that Maynard was a bad person, but to claim that he was an ambassador to Christ is a bit of a stretch. Nobody knows what was in the man’s heart. How often have we seen all those preachers on pulpits on Sundays, all the time thinking they too are ambassadors to Christ and then the scandal breaks?
I will not judge the man for good or bad. He was a man like every other man – better than some, but no ambassador. Every man is his own ambassador.
Ambassador Charles Maynard was a remarkable man of great character. He always demonstrated a genuine love for Dominica and Dominicans. Let us remember him for his many achievements and his dedication to his church and his country.
He will certainly be missed, may his soul rest in peace.
Couldn’t agree more. Such a pontificated pronouncement cheapens this good man’s image. R.I.P. Charles.
@ Cerberus
Not at all. On the contrary it elevated him and his achievements. You missed the godly point.
OK WE LOVE MAYNARD AND WE WILL MISS HIM BUT PLEASE THAT IS ENOUGH.
AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST AND STATE ?
MR MAYNARD WAS A SIMPLE MAN PLEASE DON’T MAKE HIM INTO SOMETHING HE WOULD NOT LIKE IF HE WAS ALIVE.
@ patroit
Ambassador Maynard was more patriotic and sincerely so than you are. The problem with some of you is that you speak for others when you should refrain from doing so. You cannot speak for him. You do not have his mind. If he were alive he would have seconded what was stated about him. Let him rest in peace.