in Vieille Case, Calibishie, Toucarie, Salybia
artist LENNOX HONYCHURCH
For many years this beautiful mural was located behind the main altar in the St. Andrew church at Vieille Case. Sadly this was lost after the damage caused by the earthquake of November 21, 2004
For many years this painting by Dr. lennox Honychurch was located behind the altar in the St. Anthony of Padua chapel in Toucarie. After 2015 it was somehow removed.
More than three years after the chapel was flooded during the passage of hurricane Maria on September 18, 2017, the efforts of this catholic community paid off and the chapel will be re dedicated and put back in use.
Below are some images of the newly renovated chapel :
In a post below you can find images of the damage done by hurricane Maria in 2017
Sts Peter and Paul chapel at CALIBISHIE
St. John and St Louis church at PORTSMOUTH
St Ann church at MASSACRE
Our Lady of La Salette church In POINTE MICHEL
sanctuary and sacristy roof repaired Nov 2018
damage to the La Plaine church
damage caused by hurricane Maria on Sept 18, 2017
Hurricane Maria, a superior category 5 hurricane, devastated Dominica on September 18, 2017.
The following churches and chapels were severely affected :
I am creating a link named ” destroyed by hurricane MARIA 2017″
destruction of Sacred Heart chapel in LA Roche, by hurricane MARIA on September 18, 2017
SACRED HEART CHAPEL in LA ROCHE
LOUBIERE CHAPEL
The chapel at MAHAUT RIVER below
Upper Penville chapel
Fr. Vrignaud is the builder of Castle Bruce church anno 1953
In 1863 Bishop Rene Poirier , third Bishop of Roseau (1859-1878) made a pastoral visit along the windward coast of the island. He described the chapel at Castle Bruce as “a hovel of a chapel covered with straw.”
In February 1872 the Sons of Mary Immaculate, or Fathers of Chavagnes, arrived in Dominica. Bishop Poirier undertook, at the age of 72, the long and tiresome ride to the windward side of the island in order to install the french Fathers in their respective parishes. Having first visited La Plaine and La Roche, he rode as far north as Castle Bruce, where he was received with manifestations of unbounded joy. He asked the faithful to restore their chapel and build a presbytery if they wished to have regular Holy Mass in their hamlet; until those buildings were erected they would have to go to St. Sauveur for Holy Mass.
In June 1880, Bishop Michael Naughten , fourth Bishop of Roseau (1880-1900), paid his first pastoral visit to the windward district. The church of Rosalie was nearing completion; the one at St. Sauveur was almost finished. Castle Bruce was also visited on this occasion. “As His Lordship does not mention any chapel, in that important hamlet, it is supposed that the chapel which existed there twenty years before had fallen into decay and never been reconstructed” quote from THE ECCLESIASTICAL BULLETIN OF THE DIOCESE OF ROSEAU (EBR)
Many years passed and nothing seems to have been done : in 1927 regret is expressed that a church has not been built in Castle Bruce and that the parishioners have to cross two, sometime swollen, rivers to attend Holy Mass at San Sauveur.
Bishop James Moris, sixth Bishop of Roseau (1922- 1957) , saw the great need for a church in Castle Bruce and obtained from Mrs. Johnson, the owner of the Castle Bruce Estate, 4 acres of land for this purpose.
In 1940 he mentioned that the faithful of Castle Bruce, over 700 in number, are gathering native lumber, in order to build a large chapel .
It took however the arrival of Fr. Pascal Vrignaud FMI to make this longtime dream come true. On August 12, 1952 Bishop Antoon Demets C.Ss.R. , Coadjutor Bishop of Roseau (1946-1954), blessed the corner stone of the new church at Castle Bruce. It was a grand occasion .
By July 1954 the church was almost completed but some doors & windows and interior fixtures still had to be completed. The church “solid, all in mason work of 20″ or 18″ thickness and surmounted by a graceful tower was the pride of the people of Castle Bruce.” ( The Dominica Chronicle July 24, 1954)
The stones for the church came from the ruins of the old sugar factory of the Castle Bruce estate. Fr. Pascal got permission from the owner to remove and use them (source : Dr. Lennox Honychurch).
As Fr. Pascal’s health failed him and he left to recuperate in France it became the task of Fr. Hilaire Maupetit FMI to complete the church.
The Castle Bruce church, without the bell tower, after the damage caused by the earthquake of November 29, 2007
The Castle Bruce church from 1953 till 2007
The Parish of Our Lady, Health of the sick was canonically erected on February 2, 1954 by Bishop James Moris C.Ss.R, extending from the Pagua River to the Castle Bruce River , including, beyond the Castle Bruce River, the hamlets of Dix Pas and Tranto. This large area was before a part of the Parish of St. Saviour (which was canonically erected on February 8, 1866 by Bishop Poirier C.M.).
By July 1954 the parish church of Our Lady of Health was almost completed. The doors & windows and interior fixtures were installed at a later date by Fr. Hilaire Maupetit FMI, Fr. Pascal’s successor.
The church, surmounted by a graceful tower, became the pride of the people of Castle Bruce.
Fr. Pascal Vrignaud returned to Castle Bruce and was living there in 1978 when Dr. Lennox Honychurch painted the mural behind the altar. Father Pascal sat for his own portrait.
Another important event in the history of this parish church was the extensive damage caused at 3 p.m. on November 29, 2007 by an earthquake. The 2007 Martinique earthquake took place underneath the Martinique Passage and had a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter Scale.
Damage was located in three areas of this beautiful historical building: the tower, the sanctuary walls including the mural and the pointed arched windows.
The church was declared unsafe and the community had services in the Government Primary School for several months.
The damage to the church amounted to more than EC $ 200,000.00. As the building was under- insured the pay-out from the insurance was insufficient to do all necessary repairs and reconstruction.
For public safety reasons, the bell tower, cracked from top to bottom, was demolished in February and March 2008 to avoid danger to the public. The bell named PASCALINA MARIA was stored away for future use.
The parishioners moved back into their church on Palm Sunday the 16th of March 2008 although the windows still had to be replaced and repaired. This was done during the months of June- July 2008. The building was also completely rewired and repainted.
Today, almost 10 years after the November 2007 earthquake, the present parish priest Fr. Godfrey Tarimo is constructing a new tower, which will house the old bell.
By Bernard Lauwyck
One of our oldest and most beautiful churches in the Diocese of Roseau is the church in Soufriere. This small church is worth visiting as it is a real treasure.
Over the last 10 years a huge amount of work was done by several priests to preserve and beautify this church and I am honoured to have been part of every phase of restoration and renovation.
The Parish Church of the St. Mark’s Parish was built by Rev. Fr. Antoine Auguste VERGNE of the FMI congregation (Pères de Chavagnes, France). He became Parish Priest of Soufriere on the 21st of December 1876 and remained at Soufriere till his death, 30 years later, on 31st July 1906. His dedication and tremendous efforts in this parish were recognized in a memorial plaque in the church.
On his arrival in the parish in 1876, he met a dilapidated church building, which in his own words was “unworthy of the God of Tabernacles”. He first extended the sanctuary and constructed a new sacristy behind it. Then the existing Marian chapel , “Chapelle de la Vierge” was enlarged. To make the church cruciform, another side-chapel was erected on the opposite side. All walls of the old church building and the roof were raised to their proper height. But Fr. Vergne did not stop there : a choir loft was added and a magnificent belfry with winding staircases, all in concrete. He finally imported from France, three beautiful marble altars and a baptismal font to match them. The installation of brand new church pews and “artistically “ iron-wrought Communion Railings completed the beautiful church.
Some of his works, especially the exquisite tabernacle and baptismal font and part of the communion rails can still be admired today.
Sadly the high Altar was broken up in pieces after Vatican II to create the present altar and the tabernacle stand.
The yearly pilgrimage of Our Lady of Lourdes was initiated by Fr. Henry Lorieau on February 11, 1914, with the approval of Bishop Philip Schelfhaut C.Ss.R, fifth Bishop of Roseau (1902–1921). This pilgrimage has met astonishing success every year since, up to this day.
In 1995, hurricane Luis removed part of the roof, which was promply repaired by Fr. Clement Jolly, C.Ss.R.
In 2004 Monsignor William John Lewis, with the assistance of DJ sister Jeannette Pelletier, started the renovation of roof and ceiling of the Soufriere church. These works done by a local team were conducted by foremen Peltier and Etienne. Electrical and painting works followed, the latter done by Diocesan workers.
The next phase in the renovation works was the tiling of the floor with marble tiles, donated by Food For the Poor (USA). I prepared a beautiful lay out with the diverse tiles. Francis Daisy did the tiling in July 2008.
tile design for Soufriere church in2008
New pews were constructed in the SMA workshop as funding became available.
Since hurricane David, the once beautiful stained glass windows were in deplorable and damaged condition. Below are some of my photographs of the damaged windows.
In May 2014, Kelvin Cardinal Felix, Parish priest of St. Mark’s, installed three new Stained Glass windows, designed and produced by Vison Art Glass in Canada. It is the cardinal’s hope to continue the replacement of all the 18 windows.
Take some time off and visit this most beautiful church in Soufriere
Since hurricane David, the once beautiful stained glass windows were in deplorable and damaged condition.
In May 2014, Kelvin Cardinal Felix, Parish priest of St. Mark’s, installed three new Stained Glass windows, designed and produced by Vison Art Glass in Canada. It is the cardinal’s hope to continue the replacement of all the 18 windows.
Take some time off and visit this most beautiful church in Soufriere Continue reading
Interior of the Church at San Sauveur, Dominica
The Parish Church of the Parish of San Sauveur was destroyed many times by hurricanes in its history.
Its history speaks to the resilience of the Catholics of Pte Soufriere, San Sauveur and Good Hope and the tenacity of the FMI missionaries who worked with among them.
Its location on the edge of GRAND MARIGOT bay, close to the Atlantic Ocean, has caused it to suffer greatly from a deeply penetrating sea blast and heavy winds.
On the sixth of August 1864, Bishop Poirier took possession of a large area that he managed to purchase for a very low price on the windward side of Dominica. In memory of the church that he blessed in his hometown Redon (in French Brittany ), he called the property “Saint-Sauveur”. It was also known as Grand Marigot. It comprised a complete valley with two hills full with trees. It is watered by two rivers that empty in the Atlantic Ocean in a magnificent bay.
At Sauveur , there was neither church nor chapel; and at Petite Soufriere, about one mile to the south of St. Sauveur, Bishop Poirier offered Holy Mass in the house of Mr. St. Ville, a local patriarch.
In February 1872 the Sons of Mary Immaculate (FMI) , or Fathers of Chavagnes, arrived in Dominica. The parish of St. Sauveur, stretching from the Pagua River in the North to Delices in the South was confided to the care of Fr. Rondard, F.M.I., who was soon succeeded by Fr. Challet, F.M.I.
Father Berthomé FMI was appointed parish priest of St. Sauveur in 1877. He started the first parish church in masonry at San Sauveur, which was solemnly blessed and opened for divine service in August 1879. When Bishop Naughten paid his first pastoral visit to the district in June 1880, the church at St. Sauveur was finished, but had no doors and windows. Sadly enough, three years later, in September 1883, a hurricane badly damaged the new church. Fr. Berthomé set out to repair the damage done to the church and built a brand new presbytery.
On August 28th 1913, a terrible hurricane struck the island again. The parish church of St. Sauveur, a massive stone-building, erected by Fr. Berthomé FMI , was reduced to “a heap of shapeless ruins”.
Fr. Justin Delès FMI started a new church building in 1918, which was solemnly blessed on the 18th April 1923, dedicated to the Holy Saviour. This church lost its roof during the hurricane of September 1930.
In 1965, a new roof was constructed by Fr. Michel Baty FMI. Between 1967 and 1968 the church was completely renovated and new pews were installed.
On August 29,1979 hurricane DAVID destroyed the roof of the church once more. Materials had to be brought in by boat to repair both the church and the presbytery.
renovation in 2004
The latest renovation of the San Sauveur church was initiated by Rev. Fathers Jean Martin FMI and Michel Favalier FMI. Fr. Jean Martin renovated the windows and placed green, yellow, blue, burgundy plexiglass panes which enhanced the feeling of church. He also collected White Cedar boards in the parish and let the SMP workshop construct new pews.
in 2003, Fr. Michel Favalier started the replacement of the roof as the church was leaking badly. This and additional renovation was completed under Fr. Herman Sharplis FMI by 2006.
Financial assistance was obtained from the German Conference of Bishops through ADVENIAT and the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in Rome. The great assistance, in cash and in kind, of a twinning St. Anthony parish in the US, under the leadership of Fr Len Wenke, was extremely helpful. St. Anthony’s purchased on my advice stainless steel bolts and shipped them down. I also specified stainless steel roofing sheets, hinges, nails and hurricane ties, all of stainless steel quality. The shutters were constructed in Coubaril timber.
The local contractor was Mr. Donald Augustine, who did a commendable job. Teacher Cynthia Stevenson spearheaded the local fundraising.
The church, once parish church of the San Sauveur Parish, has been the location of many “heritage day” celebrations and is a pride to its community.
DOMINICA's BEAUTIFUL CHURCHES and CHAPELS 