The late Arnold Conrad Active has been described as a “loving, caring father to his five children.”
Active who was a former government minister and deputy speaker of the House of Assembly, died on July 26, 2019 and was laid to rest with an official funeral on August 19. He was 87 years old.
Active served as Minister for Home Affairs from July 1973 to January 1974. Before that, he served as Parliamentary Secretary from November 1970 to July 1973. During the period November, 1968 to July, 1973 and again from January 1974 to February 1975, Arnold Conrad Active was appointed First Nominated Member of the House of Assembly (what is presently referred to as Senator) and Deputy Speaker.
He was also a member of the Electoral Commission from 1978 to 1981 and well as the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy from 1979 to 1981. In his younger days, he was a member of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Union as well and the Jaycees Club.
The late Arnold Conrad Active was born on March 19, 1932 and died on July 26, 2019. He will be remembered by his wife Evelyn and his six children Ashworth, Dudley, Michael, Maureen, Beverly and Rhona (adopted).
In attendance was President of Dominica Charles Savarin and his wife, former President Eluid Williams and his wife, Speaker of the House of Assembly Alix Boyd Knights, opposition Senator Felix Thomas, Deputy Prime Minister Reginald Austrie along with Portsmouth MP Ian Douglas.
The official funeral was held at the Cathedral Chapel of Our Lady of Fair Haven with Dean of the Roseau Cathedral Fr. Nigel Karam as the main celebrant assisted by Monsignor Eustace Thomas.
“Every funeral should give us cause for thought to examine our life, our consciences, our behavior, our attitudes, we have gathered here to pray, listen and act accordingly,” Fr. Karam said in his homily, pointing out that in less than a month, this was the third official funeral that he was attending in Dominica. “Is this a sign…is it coincidence,” the Catholic priest asked.
Fr. Karam spoke about the three main virtues of Christian which are “faith, hope and love.”
“Those who cultivate faith, hope, love, prudence, courage, temperance and justice in whatever sphere of life, but most assuredly in public life as well, these people find peace; these people find true happiness and the face of God,” he said.
Fr. Karam explained that as Christians and human beings we are tempted everyday by vice, the opposite of virtue where, “sometimes pride, envy, intense anger, the lack of discipline,…greed, gluttony and loss take control of our heart. “
He warned that “those seeking consistently in vice will not see God’s face” and called on the faithful to “live in Christ, be ready and make sure that our baptismal garments are not stained in vice.”
Fr. Karam cautioned that Christian faith and devotion must not be allowed to wane in our country pointing out that our motto on the Coat of Arms says “Après Bondie C’est La Ter.”
“May that motto find a home in our hearts and become a virtue we practice daily -Après Bondie c’est La Tere- that faith, devotion to God, love, justice, peace, courage, prudence, temperance come before anything and everything else in our life,” the priest urged.
The body was laid to rest at the Roseau Roman Catholic cemetery.
May he rest in peace condolence to his family