THE ANCHOR NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2016
ST BARTHOLOMEW’S ANGLICAN CHURCH ST BARTS, FWI
A Warm Welcome
Parish Letter
This is the March 2016 edition of The Anchor – the monthly bulletin that we hope will help keep you firmly anchored to St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church.
We are now in the period of Lent, the precursor to the events of Holy Week that commences with Palm Sunday on 20th March and ends with the great celebration of Easter Sunday on 27th March.
This edition contains the interesting history of the large anchor which sits across from the Church and which gives this magazine its name. This month there are also details of a potentially life-saving medical device that we will now have in the Church. As with all technical medical equipment, you will no doubt have questions, which we have tried to answer in a series of FAQs on page 3. On page 2 we also list all our services for Holy Week, and we hope you will be able to join us. We are also holding our Annual General Meeting in March, details of which are on page 3. Additionally, we have our last three high season Bestseller Book Club meetings listed on page 3 with the books and dates. If our readers have any suggestions of what they would like to do, see or hear at their church – please drop us a line! Do contact us if you would like to receive The Anchor each month by email: info.stbartholomews@gmail.com BE LIKE AN ANCHOR!
Anchors are known for their steadfastness, and are relied upon by many in the face of all conditions and adversities … A metaphor for each of us perhaps!
Weekly Groups & Services Sunday Eucharist 9 – 10am Sundays A contemporary service, filled with music and prayer
Taizé Service 7 – 7.30pm Tuesdays
During Holy Week we will offer daily services. This will enable us to really appreciate the meaning of Easter and why we will be celebrating on the Sunday.
Contemplative music and candles in the Church
Spirituality Group 10 – 11am Wednesdays
We will have readings from the Holy Week story on Monday and Wednesday, a special Taizé Service on the Tuesday, and then the Last Supper Eucharist on Holy Thursday. We will offer ‘A Hour in Front of the Cross’ on Good Friday, with the ‘Passion Gospel’ and appropriate music & hymns. We then welcome the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday with a Celebration Mass, La Chorale singing and drinks and canapés in the garden afterwards. All are very welcome … and there will be an Easter Egg hunt for the children as well. As we think of the story that we will hear during those seven days prior to Easter, we may wish to listen to what we are feeling deep in our hearts – and we can use Holy Week to help us to make sure that what we find there is both peace and joy.
A topical discussion group – all newcomers welcome
Meditation Group 7 – 8pm Thursdays A bilingual group, with a focus on tranquil reflection
Morning Prayer 9 – 9.30am Fridays An informal prayer service, held in the Church Centre Editor & Parish Administrator: Philip Trangmar Phone: 0690 54 17 99 Email: info.stbartholomews@gmail.com Website: www.stbartholomewsanglicanchurch.com
Inside this issue: Page 2 – The Mystery of the Anchor – the ‘real’ one! Page 2 – Events for Holy Week Page 3 – To the Heart of the Matter – an AED for the Church Page 3 – Our Annual General Meeting & the Bestseller Book Club Page 4 – Back Page Spirituality: Painful Blessings – a poem
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Holy Week Sunday, 20 March, 9am Palm Sunday Service Our Sunday Service will recall Jesus entering Jerusalem with people waving palms. Don’t leave without taking your own blessed palm.
Monday 21 March, 6pm Readings for Holy Week We will follow the story of Holy Week with scripture readings, taking time to contemplate their meaning in our own lives.
Tuesday, 22 March, 7pm Holy Week Taizé Service We will hold a special Taizé service for Holy Week in the candle-lit church, giving you space to pray and contemplate aided by simple chants and silence.
The Mystery of the Anchor – the ‘real’ one! In 1980 the following event was reported: ‘Recently, when maneuvering a container barge that runs between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Saint Barth, Mr. Romon Beal, a retired captain, realised that his boat was dragging a heavy unidentified object, which he hauled as far as the entrance to the port of Gustavia.’ And so begins the story of why there is an enormous old anchor sitting on the quayside opposite the Church. The Virgin Islands It is interesting to note that our Anchor hasn’t always been in St Barth. It arrived in 1980 as a result of being snagged on a hawser (a steel tow-rope) between a tug boat and a barge coming from the Virgin Islands – a regular supply route at that time.
The anchor comes ashore, where a large crowd greeted it
Even once it had been located, it was no mean feat to bring it ashore. In fact the first attempt failed to move it even an inch!
Wed, 23 March, 6pm Readings for Holy Week Our biblical readings will continue, with a focus on what will be occurring in the events over the following three days.
Thursday, 24 March, 6pm Last Supper Eucharist We will hold a simple yet meaningful service of holy communion, just as Jesus did for his disciples on this day over 2,000 years ago. It will be followed by a voluntary hour of silent meditation.
Friday, 25 March,12noon Hour before the Cross The events of Good Friday will be told in readings, interspersed with silence and hymns, to allow us time to contemplate and reflect on this holiest of days.
A memorable find It was only when a diver went down off Gustavia to see what it might be that they found the giant anchor and chain, which we know so well. This means that our anchor was ‘lost’ by its original ‘mother’ ship off the Virgin Islands rather than here.
Raising up the Anchor
The tug boat captain, the famous Romon Beal, knew something was caught on the line between his boat and the ‘trailer’, but he wasn’t able to stop until he arrived at his destination, St Barth. The Scarring The results of this can be seen on the shank of the anchor where the gouges are as a result of being rubbed by the steel hawser as it crossed the Anegada Passage on its unintended journey to St Barth. The fact that the Anegada Passage is the deepest channel between the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea can make it a particularly rough crossing.
A bigger vessel and bigger crane was required, and finally, with a herculean team effort, it made it to shore! In numbers Given it was hauled ashore over 30 years ago, before modern lifting gear arrived on the island, the dimensions of the anchor are impressive: •
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the anchor is over 15ft long, and it weighs approximately eleven tons the length of the wooden stock, supporting the main part of the anchor, measures 17ft across the chain, which was also found with it, measures nearly 90ft in length and weighs almost 2 tons
Taking into account the size of the anchor and chain, one can only imagine the size of the ship that is was built for! (cont’d overleaf)
Sunday, 27 March, 9am Easter Mass Our traditional Easter Service for the Risen Christ, with La Chorale singing. Afterwards, we invite you to join us for drinks and canapés in the Garden, and an Easter Egg hunt for children.
The markings showing the legacy of its final voyage
Even the statistics of the chain are impressive!
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To the Heart of the Matter – an AED for the Church With the help of the Friends, the Vestry has recently purchased an Automatic External Defibrillator (‘AED’) to keep in the Church. The AED is a piece of medical equipment, now commonly found in public places (e.g. on the main beaches around St Barth, as well as the airport), which is used when someone suffers a ‘sudden cardiac arrest’ (the medial term for a heart attack). It is designed to be used by bystanders and requires no prior medical training. Below are some answers to questions which our readers and our congregation may have.
Will the AED save lives of all patients who suffer a heart attack? Unfortunately not. Some heart attacks are caused by the heart being in a state of ‘fibrillation’ that stops it pumping blood – this heart can then be de-fibrillated with an AED. The AED cannot re-start a heart that has stopped completely. Hence it is always necessary to perform CPR until the emergency response team arrives to determine the next steps. What if I don’t know the steps for using an AED? The steps for shocking a patient are simple and straightforward. The AED provides audio prompts (in English) to guide you through the entire resuscitation process. Should I perform CPR first or apply the electrode pads from the AED? The AED is usually only used where the patient is un-responsive. Start CPR immediately. Once the AED is present, apply the electrode pads to the patient’s bare chest and follow the AED’s voice prompts and messages.
FAQs What exactly is an AED? An AED is a device that analyses heart beats and looks for ‘shockable’ heart rhythms in a patient with a heart problem. It then advises the ‘rescuer’ if a shock should be administered and delivers the shock. What is the first thing to do? The first response is to call the emergency services (Pompiers 18) and let them know there is a person with a suspected heart attack. Then start Cardio-Pulmonary resuscitation (‘CPR’) i.e. mouth-to-mouth breathing and chest compressions whilst the AED is brought to the patient.
And one anchor that was of particular interest was that belonging to an English ship named ‘Wood’ – a seventy-gun ‘filibuster’*, based out of Liverpool and that sailed in the waters of the ‘New World’. *Editors Note: A filibuster was a ship that engaged in war-like practices against foreign vessels, but was not part of the official English Navy. You may think this was just legitimised piracy … I couldn’t possibly comment!
Monday, 14th March My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult The novel explores the background when a family decides to use IVF to have a sibling with a genetic match to save their other daughter with cancer. It explores the legal and medical ramifications, as well as the relationships within the family unit. Monday, 28th March The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco A historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the 1300s. A book combining fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory – a precursor to The Da Vinci Code … only so much better! (Also a wonderful film starring Sean Connery).
Can I be sued for using an AED? To date there has never been a case where someone was held liable for using an AED. There are ‘Good Samaritan’ laws protecting the untrained rescuer from lawsuits. Will it hurt the patient? When used on people who are unresponsive and not breathing, the AED is extremely safe. The AED makes the shock delivery decisions based upon the patient’s heart rhythm, and will only shock a patient if it thinks it will help that patient. Philip Trangmar, MD will give a short talk on the use of AEDs after the Sunday Service on 13th March, followed by a question and answer session.
The Mystery of the Anchor solved! Sailing Vessel ‘Wood’ The anchor has the inscription ‘Liverpool – Wood – London’ on its crown. After the anchor surfaced, enquiries were made to various maritime museums around the world, based on the details found on the anchor. A reply was received from the National Maritime Museum in London saying that this type of anchor was manufactured between 1750 and 1820.
Bestseller Book Club
(cont’d)
Monday, 4th April The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes This novel is about Shostakovich's tense relationship with Stalin and the Soviet state. It is poetic, evocative and also deeply moving. The dates and books for the Bestseller Book Club over the summer months will be chosen in April. Do email Philip if you would like to join our group via Skype! Any book suggestions welcome!
Annual General Meeting The Anglican Church on St Barth is run as a local French Association.
The Inscription on the crown of the Anchor
It is thought that the ship might have ‘cut-loose’ its anchor off the Virgin Islands to leave its anchorage quickly, perhaps as a result of an imminent gun-battle or storm; and it was unable to return before it was reported as being sunk off Central America. New Home Once found and transported serendipitously to St Barth, it now takes pride of place on the Gustavia Quay – and is as key a feature on the St Barth tourist’s list as the Anglican Church itself, across from whose entrance it now permanently resides.
The Association’s voting membership is open to all permanent residents on the island who are regular churchgoers. Non-resident churchgoers are also welcome to join as supporting members. We are holding this year’s Annual General Meeting on Sunday 20th March at 10.30am (after the Sunday Service). The Agenda includes the yearly report from the President and the Treasurer, as well as the consideration and approval of the 2015 Accounts and the 2016 Budget and the (re-)election of Vestry members. All regular worshippers are invited to attend.
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The Anchor
March 2016
Back Page Spirituality: Painful Blessings – a poem At the end of Dean Alan Jones’ sermon delivered on 28th February, he read an extract from a Rob Brezny poem: Painful Blessings.
and a totally-serious-yet-alwayslaughing justice that schemes and dreams about how to diminish the suffering and increase the joy of every sentient being. ...
Here is the extract from which he quoted, which many of you requested. Please do take the time to read it and reflect on the heartfelt words ... This is a perfect moment. It's a perfect moment for many reasons, but especially because you and I are waking up from our sleepwalking thumbsucking dumbclucking collusion with the masters of illusion and destruction.
their endless rehearsals for the end of the world. Their painful blessings are cracking open holes in the sour and puckered mass hallucination mistakenly called reality.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow, We are waking up.
News of the soul's true home is pouring in, infiltrating our increasingly lucid waking dreams.
Thanks to them, from whom the awful teachings ooze, We are waking up.
Wild ripe juicy eternity is flooding in. ...
Their wars and tortures, their devils and borders, extinctions of species and brand new diseases, their spying and lying in the name of the father, sterilizing seeds and trademarking water, stealing our dreams and changing our names, their brilliant commercials,
We need truths in their wild state, insurrectionary beauty that excites our curiosity, outrageous goodness that drives us to perform heroic acts of lusty compassion, ingenious love that endlessly transforms us, tricky freedom that is never permanent but must be reinvented and reclaimed every day,
Donations: We are an entirely self-funded church and dependent on your generosity and regular giving. Do please talk to one of the Church’s leadership about how to most effectively support the Church or make a donation to the 1885 Appeal. Donations to our US Non-profit are tax deductible for US tax payers.
Images and thanks: From the Collection of the late Roman Beal and Philip Trangmar. Thank you for the use of the photographs. All are copyrighted.
Published by: L’Association d’Eglise Anglicane, Gustavia, St Barth 97133, FWI
US Non-profit 501(c)(3): The Friends of St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church Chairman: Bill Barrett Secretary: Ann Green Address: P.O. Box 6199, Fair Haven, New Jersey 07704, United States Tel: (from the US) 1-732-741-1500 Email: anncwgreen@aol.com
What truths in their wild state are we planning to plant at the heart of our creation? What stories will be our reminders? What questions will be our fuel? Here's one for you: In the New World you will know through and through that life is crazily in love with you -life is wildly and innocently in love with you. In the New World, you will know beyond a doubt that thousands of secret helpers are angling to turn you into the gorgeous curiosity you were born to be. But then here's the loaded question. The love that life eternally floods you with has not exactly been unrequited, but there's room for you to be more demonstrative. If life is wildly and innocently in love with you, are you prepared to start loving life back the way it loves you?
SBH Prayer Chain St Bartholomew’s has a prayer chain to offer the support of prayer for those in need. If you think this may be helpful for you or someone you know; or if you wish to join our prayer chain and include such people in your own prayers, please send an email to this address: prayer.stbartholomews@gmail.com
AA Group Meetings Open Meetings in English are held every Tuesday and Friday at 6pm in the Church Centre. Meetings at other times can also be arranged. Please telephone ahead to make sure a meeting will be taking place. For more information call: 0690 65 61 22 or 0690 54 17 99.
Bishop: The Rt Revd Errol Brooks, Bishop of the N.E. Caribbean & Aruba Vicar: The Revd Charlie Vere Nicoll Parish Administrator: Philip Trangmar Tel: 0690 54 17 99 Email: info.stbartholomews@gmail.com Parish Office: Mondays, Wednesday & Fridays 9am to 12noon Church Wardens: Marjorie Romney, Trinette Wellesley-Wesley and Rachel Barrett-Trangmar Vestry: The Wardens, Clarion Romney, Dawn Drouant, Lloyd Younger, Nancy Swann, Dr Richard Lester and Philip Trangmar Treasurer: Alex Harbord Music Director: Ombeline Collin