The Anglican Church in the diocese of the Windward Islands has announced with immediate effect its suspension of all services until further notice.
The announcement was made by the Bishop of the Diocese of the Windward Islands, The Rt. Reverend C Leopold Friday in a circular to all Clergy and shared with all parishioners.
The Anglican churches in the Windward islands will also adhere to the guidelines from national authorities to restrict funerals to immediate family members.
According to the circular to continue serving parishioners and the wider communities, church services for Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday will be pre-recorded at the Anglican Pastoral Centre in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and broadcast on radio, television stations and social media platforms throughout the diocese. Parishioners are encouraged to have their palm branches at their homes.
The circular notes that the Anglican church in the Diocese of the Windward Islands has also joined in the efforts to safeguard the national and regional populations against the impact of the Corona Virus disease, COVID-19. The islands of Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which make up the diocese, have all recorded cases of COVID-19.
The Rt. Reverend C Leopold Friday has called for all to heed the internationally accepted best practices to safeguard their health and to stay at home. He stated that “The present situation calls for a change of normal habits and social and cultural practices. As church, we need to send this message to the people,” he said.
“Let us see this as an opportunity to reflect on what we can learn through this experience as difficult and agonizing as it may be. We may not recognize how helpful this may be until COVID -19 is over. May we trust that the Lord who promised to be with us always is with us now,” said Bishop Friday in his letter.
The link for the Palm Sunday service from the Anglican Diocese of the Windward Islands is https://youtu.be/9I_Vj4rFzZw
” with immediate effective” ?? WOW!!