tidings
Paula Lindo
The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Port of Spain has launched a year of celebrations of its 200th anniversary, which will be held in May 2023. The theme of the celebration is the Voice of History! Theological choice! Enjoy culturally!
At the media launch at the cathedral on Tuesday, the dean and rector of the cathedral The Very Reverend Shelley-Ann Tenia said the planned events will commemorate the hope, heritage and cultural wealth embodied by the cathedral.
Planning committee chair Dr Phaedra Pierre said the celebrations, which would cost approximately $1 million, were divided into five main categories: social outreach, publications, cultural expression, memories and the grand finale.
Outreach activities will include a blood drive, which will begin in Tobago on November 9, with further drives throughout Trinidad; a conversation for young people, which took place on October 19; and Glimpses of the Cathedral – a video program hosted by various members, old and young, on the 25th of each month; and a food bank through which the diocese hoped to distribute 200 hampers, among other initiatives. Committee member Kyle Young urged people to donate blood as it was urgently needed.
“We are looking for partners to work with us to collect and distribute 20 hampers, so invite other organizations to match us and plant seeds and make home gardens so we can start by feeding people and more after teaching them to feed themselves.”
Pierre said the cathedral will publish a 200-page coffee table book centered around the theme of the celebrations as part of its publications.
“For those who don’t want to read such a long article, we will also be releasing a series of shorter booklets called Snippets, documenting the history of the cathedral from its inception to our most recent additions. We will also have essay, poetry and art competitions in our schools”.
The cultural expressions category will include a spoken word competition, an art festival and a pop-up market.
Pierre said many different types of memorabilia will be available, including bookmarks, a boxed postcard set, t-shirts, a four-port USB hub, Anglican rosaries, magnets, mugs, a bicentennial plate, with the highlight an art collection , all branded with the 200th anniversary logo.
“We have asked 12 artists to give us their interpretations of the cathedral, and these have already started to arrive. These will be offered in a limited edition box set of prints, with only 200 sets produced. We also hope to have an exhibition when Hayes Court reopens. The memorabilia will be available at a range of prices, so there will be something for everyone.”
The grand finale of the celebration will take place in two parts – with a gala dinner on June 2, 2023 and an anniversary service on June 5.
Tenia said repairs were still being made to the Cathedral itself and the diocese was waiting for the $10 million promised in the last budget.
“The total repairs were last estimated to cost $60 million and we are awaiting a new estimate. We are currently carrying out other protective works as, with the rainy season, the previous cracks have widened and more water has entered the building. I also don’t think people realize how many earthquakes we’ve had this year, and that has widened the cracks even further. In addition, the termites that lived on land have come out to escape from the water and are messing with their friends who were there before. There is also wood rot.”
Tenia said the cathedral is looking to remove the stained glass, woodwork and organ, to put them in storage for protection.
Cathedral tour guide Kathryn McConnie said Holy Trinity was established in 1801 as a small wooden church at the corner of Prince and Frederick streets until it burned down in 1808. She said the current structure was built between 1816 and 1823 and had many history and important structures such as the slave altar, the presidential entrance, the rose window, the baptismal font, the labyrinth and the garden of peace.
TT National Trust council member Mark Franco said the cathedral is a grade one listed property under the trust. He said the aim of the grade one listing is to preserve the property in its originally built state as much as possible.
“The global heritage tourism market is estimated at US$57 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow annually by 3.8 percent until 2030. To provide a healthy and interesting tourism experience, we must provide buildings of well maintained, serviced and performed. . In the 2021/2022 budget statement, the Minister of Finance proposed to provide a tax break of 150 per cent up to $1 million for corporate sponsorship of heritage properties under the supervision of the National Trust. It is envisaged that this will encourage the maintenance and restoration of heritage properties across the country.”
Pierre said that every contribution from corporate entities and individuals counts towards the restoration of the cathedral.
