The Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands will conclude its year of celebrating 150 years as a Diocese on Sunday, February 5 with a special service at Christ Church Cathedral at 3 p.m. The service will be Solemn Evensong, Sermon and Benediction. The service will mark the end of 13 months of celebration thanking God for 150 years of diocesan status and more than 360 years of Anglican presence in these islands. The Rt. Rev'd. Laish Boyd, diocesan bishop, will be the preacher.
The highlight of the Anglican celebrations was the special 150th anniversary weekend of celebrations, which included the Diocesan Ball and the thanksgiving service, procession, and the blessing of the city of Nassau. Over 900 Anglicans attended the ball and hundreds packed Christ Church Cathedral.
As part of the 150th anniversary celebration's the diocese welcomed the House of Bishops and the Standing Committee of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) for their bi-annual meetings which were chaired by The Most Rev. John Holder, archbishop of the West Indies and bishop of Barbados. The meetings were held at the Holy Cross Parish Centre, Soldier Road, Highbury Park. The visiting bishops also attended the special weekend of activities. Other events celebrating the 150th anniversary included the special postage launch, the diocesan track and field sports meet, visits of provincial bishops to various Family Islands, issuance of a special 18-month calendar, a fun run/walk, Easter egg hunt, and special parish celebrations.
The presence of the Anglican Church can be traced from the early beginnings of Bahamian History. The Eleutheran Adventurers after 1647 made the first settlement of the English after these islands had been more or less abandoned by the Spaniards who had eliminated the early Lucayan population. It is said that the Eleutheran Adventurers included two Anglican priests, Stephen Painter and Nathaniel White, who had left the church. In 1670, The Bahamas was granted to the Lord Proprietors of Carolina by the English Crown. Among the requirements of this grant was the establishment of churches in the islands. Christ Church Cathedral dates from 1670. As the town of Nassau developed in status, in 1734 the island became the Parish of Christ Church and in 1861 the town became a city. The latter was a direct result of the elevation of Christ Church to a cathedral.
In 1861, Queen Victoria issued letters patent making Christ Church a cathedral and the town of Nassau a city. Nassau's status was further legitimized in 1882 when the House of Assembly passed the law ratifying its claim to the title of city. Since its inception, the Anglican Church in The Bahamas has been integrally involved with the life of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Members of the Anglican Communion have always been in the forefront of the total life of the community through providing teachers, doctors, musicians, athletes, lawyers, politicians, nurses, carpenters and in the sharing of many different talents and skills to the ongoing development of these communities. The closing service will bring together all clergy and lay people from all over the diocese as well as representatives from all the functioning diocesan ministries.
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