A HECTIC TIME AT ST PIUS
a Zimbabwe scholastic is working in Guyana -
if you want to know how busy he is then read on...
In 1973 Fr Joe Boyle, newly ordained, wrote about St Pius in the Jesuit Mission Journal vol. XIX. No 153. He wrote about the ‘poor housing conditions’ and the ‘...poverty leading inevitably to low moral standards and violent robbery in the streets.’ Crime is rife and ‘anything movable and not locked is taken.’ He describes how our own youth were swept by the crime wave and they were stealing from the church. They had to set traps to catch them. He doesn’t forget to mention the ‘84 year old saintly lady walking to Mass every morning.’ Joachim, and I are in St Pius 30 years after Fr Boyle wrote his article and we find the same situation; poor housing conditions, low moral standards, violent crimes and saintly ladies coming to Mass every morning. We are setting traps and catching our own youth. It is as if the article was written a week ago.
Given this picture one may ask, can anything good come from Pius? (that’s how we call the parish of St Pius X in La Penitence). The same question was asked about Nazareth, but that’s where the Messiah came from. St Pius has its fair share of problems, however it is full of life. It is blessed with neither a very long history nor unique architecture, but in the 43 years of its existence it has produced great men and women who have been pillars of the church, both at home and abroad. Once Fr Jervis, a parish priest in New York, mentioned how he and Monsignor Montrose are products of this little known place. Now and again we have great people who hail from this place coming back to their roots to relive the inspiring moments that Pius gave them. It is a privilege to be part of this life-giving community.
Some activities of last summer can give a glimpse of life in Pius. Our youth participated in the diocesan activities, Youth Explosion and Youth Camp, and they proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. They mounted the best exhibition of parish activities and displayed outstanding acting abilities. If there had been any awards then they would have scooped them all.
Many children from around La Penitence thronged Pius’ holy ground for the annual summer school. Thanks to Mrs Portia Swain and many volunteers, the week was a great success and ended in a tremendous show as the finale.
On 22nd August all roads led to Pius as we celebrated the feast of our patron saint. It was also the day when Bishop Singh came to give 14 of our children their first holy communion. The regional superior, Fr Joe Chira also came along and joined in the great fun day after the Mass.
We were still recovering from the first communion celebrations when the time came for our annual fair. The vast grounds of Pius seemed small when so many people turned up for such a successful day. But there was still no rest, as barely a week had gone by when the bishop returned to administer confirmation to 14 young men and women. They had been preparing for three years and the occasion was marked with appropriate celebrations.
In conclusion to his article in 1973
Fr Boyle wrote:
‘That’s one thing Guyanese are good at doing - having a party. They really enjoy themselves. There is rhythm in their blood, and to set a crowd dancing is a joy. We are hoping to develop the parish steel band to play at the folk Mass. They recently played at the Mass which was broadcast from the parish. It was a great success and we have received many letters of appreciation.’
It is interesting that we hope to revive the steel band. I have it on the highest authority that St Pius was the first parish in the whole of the Caribbean that had a steel band accompany the Mass. However, over the years things have changed and our music ministry has declined. We are exploring ways of reviving the tradition. This is a costly business, but God will provide.
In conclusion I must mention our sister parish of St Pius in the UK. Their support, along with readers of Jesuits and Friends has made a great difference to the life of many people. Let us pray for each other.