We Gatherin’ ‘more than just a celebration’

While We Gatherin’ 2020 is intended to be a time for celebration, an Anglican cleric has suggested the year-long initiative will also be a time for Barbadians to come together and rekindle the values that once made the nation great as it moves towards a brighter future.

Rector of the St Lucy Parish Church, Canon Curtis Goodridge, made this point as he delivered the sermon at the We Gatherin’ church service held at the church over the weekend.

The Anglican priest also made the point that there were certain traditions and values we should maintain and other behaviours that had crept into our society that we would do better to discard.

Canon Goodridge said: “As we go forward, there are certain things we must never leave behind, such as, good morals and values, discipline, decency, respect for law and order, respect for the sanctity and dignity of human life, and respect for property.

“These are all important and necessary for all of us to go forward as a country, and they are never old fashioned or outdated, but relevant for all time. Indiscipline, crime and violence, selfishness and disrespect must not be seen as part of Barbadian culture.

“We must contribute to building a Barbados of peace, love, unity and goodwill to all.

“We must combat all the negativity that a minority seems to want to flourish in this country.

“We must ‘big up Barbados’ – when we think of Barbados, we should see it as a country where its people are loving, especially to visitors to our land.

“We should see a stable government, a place where there is peace and tranquility, a place where people from all over the world can visit and have a good time. That is the kind of Barbados we all want to see.”

He cited examples of celebrations in the Bible, and called on all Barbadians to come together in this time of rejoicing.

He said: “This celebration should be used to build relationships.

“It should be seen as a time when all Barbadians pledge to do their part, no matter how small, to make this country a better country and bring this country back to what it once was.

“A country in which we will be our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper and look out for each other.

“We will love our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves and do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

“We need to go forward together as a nation regardless of colour, status and background, supporting each other because no one is an island.”

Earlier in his sermon, he outlined why he thought it was fitting for St. Lucy to kick off the events, and urged everyone in the congregation, which included Prime Minister Mia Mottley, MP for St Lucy Peter Phillips, and other Government officials, to enjoy the northernmost parish on the island during the month of January.

Canon Goodridge declared: “We believe strongly it was not by design but divine inspiration that such celebrations had to begin in the parish of St Lucy.

“Lucy is a lady that always gets things done – and done the right way.

“And so it is only fitting that a lady, the only parish bearing the name of a lady should kick off the We Gatherin’ celebrations; as TC once said: ‘Put a woman in front,’ and this is what is happening today.”