TODAY is the day when Christians in the Western Church remember the departed, writes Stanley Szecowka.
Congregations from Sacred Heart Church will hold services in the two existing Christian cemeteries in Bahrain – one in Salmabad at 1.30pm and the other in the oldest dating back to 1901 on Zubara Avenue in Manama at 3pm.
St Christopher’s Cathedral will mark the day at its 10am Friday Family Service, on Saturday at Awali Church at 9.30am and on Sunday at 6.15pm in a Candlelit Service.
Church leaders in Bahrain have been working behind the scenes to make sure that there will be a new Christian Cemetery for people of all denominations and none.
In total BD86,000 needs to be raised in the coming months to complete the project and the team pushing the initiative met yesterday at the operational cemetery in Salmabad to review the state of affairs and offer prayers to mark All Souls’ Day, including prayers for those who have tragically died in the latest Palestine and Israel crisis.
They included Roman Catholic Bishop Aldo Berardi and Fr Saji Thomas, Father Richard Fermer, dean of St Christopher’s Anglican Cathedral, the Rev’d Dr Isaac Franklin of the Tamil congregation and Mission to Seafarers, the Rev’d Dr Blaine Newhouse of the National Evangelical Church, Fr Rewas George of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church and Pastor James Travis of Saar Fellowship.
Also present were members of the Cemetery Working Group such as George Fernandes, co-founder of One Vision for Consultancy and George Middleton, head of Red House Marketing, led by John Luckie-Downe and Nathan Prince, the project’s construction adviser Heather McKinlay and P S Balasubramanyam, a Hindu businessman who has volunteered to help with fundraising.
The cemetery in Salmabad has already had to halve its central pathway, in order to create 11 new plots, with the space to squeeze in 11 more, if necessary, which will last just six months, church leaders revealed.
Bishop Aldo said: “This time of All Souls is an important time for Christian communities in Bahrain to prepare for the future.
“Not only do we pray that the departed will rest in peace and rise in glory, but also that future generations of Christians will have a resting place in this country.”
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, generously provided land for a new Christian Cemetery in Salmabad and more recently 200 tonnes of sand to level the plot – ‘a great act of charity from one of the Muslim faith, for which Christian communities are deeply grateful’, the church leaders added.
The churches will need to find funds now for the construction of the new cemetery site: the foundation for the wall, the wall, the gate, the paths, a guardhouse with facilities.
Construction adviser Mr Prince said: “We’re delighted that the work undertaken so far, such as the compaction of the sand, has involved the generous voluntary service of the members of the community of Sacred Heart and others who work in the construction industry. People can give in kind, of their skills, not just financially. We can approach this project creatively.”
The Rev’d Dr Blaine added: “Many Christians who are buried in Bahrain are those who cannot afford to be repatriated to their home countries. The construction of a new Christian cemetery is a work of charity, to which I encourage all to contribute.”
Mr Luckie-Downe, who has drawn up a development plan for the New Christian Cemetery, said: “In the next stage, we look forward to gathering ambassadors and church leaders at the British Ambassador’s residence to update them on progress made, invite further participation and to launch a fundraising campaign to raise the BD86,000 needed to complete the essential work.
“We are very grateful to the churches who have already contributed to this fund.”
Fr Richard has called for the community to back the bid. “This season of remembering is an appropriate time for Christians of all denominations to take collections and ask for donations for the work needed to construct a new cemetery,” he said. “This is a labour of Christian solidarity, as well as a service to others. We are no more evidently one than in death.”
- For more information or to offer support to the project, contact Fozia Prince by email at cathedra@batelco.com.bh
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