St John's Parish Church - worship centre for more than 300 years

Launtia Cuff, Gleaner Writer

As part of the rich history of Black River, the St John's Parish Church has been a centre of worship for the town for more than 300 years and celebrates more than 175 years in its present building.

"The building itself is 175, but the church itself worshipped on this spot or this location for more than 300 years. In my research, it is [more than] 346," priest, the Very Reverend Father Peter D. Clarke, said.

A National Heritage Trust site, the present structure was consecrated in 1838 after the previous building was destroyed by fire in 1812. The structure, which was built with bricks laid on top of what was left of the foundation of the previous building, still boasts the original dark mahogany used to construct the columns, balcony, and intricately designed ceilings, as well as beautifully designed tiles, which were all imported from Europe.

The priest said that the church has interlaced in its history a reservoir of Jamaican history as well, not just for Anglicans, but for all Jamaicans.

Although the church tries its best to maintain the beauty of the edifice, its age has begun to show in the gaps in the original wooden floors where termites have fed, the cracks in the brick walls, and the missing floor tiles.

"We are trying to repair where the chi-chis have eaten out some of the floor and in some of the benches, we put replacements.

"They (the tiles) are special tiles. We have difficulty replacing them now because we are missing some, but where do we get them from to maintain such beauty? It offers a problem and we have to find some solution to replace the ones that are falling off," said Clarke.

He added that the 1864 pipe organ needs repairs, although it still works, offering beautiful music when played each week.

The priest went on to speak of the church's 1888 and 1889 subscription ledger, which has records of residents from all over the parish of St Elizabeth, many who had to travel long distances to attend church, some even having to "float across the sea" as the bridge had not yet been built.

subscription

He added that much different from the church today, members then had to pay a subscription to maintain their church membership.

"They had a subscription. We have what is known as a free-will offering, but here they kept a ledger that shows that you can have arrears. You [were not] really a regular Christian until you paid up your arrears," said Clarke.

He went on to say that the church then served as the seat of worship in the parish as well as a hub for important decisions. He added that the relevance of the Church today should not be discounted.

"The Church has a role in secular society to be the basis of morality, and you've seen what has happened in recent times. The Church has become more important, especially a traditional church like this. Not a lot of people come to church now because they find other ways to occupy themselves, to divert their attention to other secular things; but it is here as the centre of worship, which has not changed," the priest said.