Many Bahamians have never heard about Royston Vincent Burton, but this giant of a man - although not too great in physical stature - was laid to rest in the confines of St. Anselm's Church on Bernard Road in Fox Hill.
It seemed as if the entire historic slave village of Fox Hill was shut down for the funeral and home going celebration of Royston Vincent Burton. In Royston's quiet demeanor he moved mountains and left an indelible mark on the tapestry of his family, church and the wider community. This elder statesman was born in Jamaica around the time of that nation's independence.
Burton came to The Bahamas seeking a better and more prosperous way of life. He garnered employment on Hog Island (Paradise Island) when it was basically a ghost town. He was fortunate to have been an eyewitness to the complete transformation of that island with the construction of Atlantis resort.
Catholic priests along with Anglicans from a wide cross-section of the Catholic Archdiocese came to celebrate the legacy of Burton in a Requiem Eucharistic Mass. In attendance was Fr. Noel Clarke, newly-installed rector of St. Anselm's, who superseded Monsignor Preston Moss who recently retired; Fr. Simeon Roberts, rector of St. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Coconut Grove, and Fr. Jean Calixte, rector of St. Thomas Moore Church.
The spiritual navel string of "Roy", as his close associates called him, would have been buried in Jamaica many years ago before his arrival on Bahamian soil. Burton became a devout and consummate Catholic. He is one of the founding fathers of the Knights of Columbus branch established at St. Anselm's Church. The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. It was founded by Father Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882.
At the start of the home going celebration the chief celebrant was Fr. Noel Clarke. The brothers of the Knights of Columbus, fully regaled in their symbolic colored attire, stood guard at the casket and escorted it up to the front of the church. The first order of the service was to drape the casket with the liturgical pall which reminds the congregation of the deceased putting on Christ at his baptism. Fr. Chester Burton, son of the deceased, assisted in this capacity.
Before a packed church of mourners, Fr. Clarke in his eulogy said he wanted the family to be assured of their church's prayers. He told the congregation that death is a difficult equation in the schematic problems of life. "Papa Roy", as he is affectionately called by his grandchildren, died on a tour of Vienna, Austria. On this trip he was accompanied by his wife Rose and his daughter Joneka Wright.
Death is unavoidable, so it behooves every individual to be ready when God calls or knocks. Clarke admonished the family that although Burton's death was sudden and unexpected, it is indeed valuable to see the hand of God and bow in humble submission to the master call of Burton to eternity. Fr. Clarke relished that Burton was quiet and humble, but an apt listener and scrupulous observer. He had an innate ability of mentoring those new members of the Knights of Columbus. He saw Burton as a man whose life and legacy was one in which he lived in the shadow of the cross.
During the service, the president of the St. Anselm's Knights of Columbus organization presented Burton's widow Rose with a resolution in which they honored his memory and legacy and bestowed upon him the coveted distinguished title of "Sir Knight". The home going service was indeed a rare occasion in which a normal, everyday citizen and expatriate was hailed as an honorary true full bred Bahamian. His memories are etched in the hearts of his children and grandchildren.
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