Carisa Lee

As the Spir­i­tu­al Bap­tist com­mu­ni­ty pre­pares to cel­e­brate their hol­i­day on Tues­day, in com­mem­o­ra­tion of 70 years of the re­peal­ing of the 1917 Shouter Pro­hi­bi­tion Or­di­nance that banned the ac­tiv­i­ties of their faith, they can now ac­knowl­edge the day know­ing that they are one step clos­er to get­ting a ma­jor place of wor­ship to call their own.

“As you know, the Gov­ern­ment has grant­ed lands to the Spir­i­tu­al Bap­tists in Cou­va for the con­struc­tion of a grand cathe­dral and those plans are well afoot,” Peo­ple’s Na­tion­al Move­ment La Hor­quet­ta/Tal­paro MP Fos­ter Cum­mings said dur­ing a Spir­i­tu­al Shouter Bap­tist Lib­er­a­tion cel­e­bra­tion out­side his of­fice at the HDC Vil­lage Plaza Carpark, Phase 2, La Hor­quet­ta, on Thurs­day.

“The first time in his­to­ry that the Bap­tists will have lands ded­i­cat­ed to the bur­ial of the dead.”

In 2019, Prime Min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley grant­ed state lands in Cou­va for the Spir­i­tu­al Bap­tist com­mu­ni­ty to build a cathe­dral and memo­r­i­al. One year lat­er, he an­nounced that Cab­i­net had ap­proved ten mil­lion dol­lars to the faith to as­sist with con­struc­tion.

On Thurs­day, Cum­mings an­nounced that a con­sul­tant has been hired by the faith’s na­tion­al con­gress and that plans have been sub­mit­ted to Town and Coun­try for ap­proval. He said a fund has al­so been es­tab­lished.

“As soon as those plans are ap­proved the con­struc­tion will com­mence,” he said.

Cum­mings said the project which Spir­i­tu­al Shouter Bap­tists have been ral­ly­ing for over the years will give them a head­quar­ters to op­er­ate and will im­prove the struc­ture of the faith.

Arch­bish­op Bar­bara Gray-Burke agreed with Cum­mings’ view about the new home for Bap­tists. The long-stand­ing UNC sup­port­er said she would put pol­i­tics aside to en­sure her broth­ers and sis­ters get what they de­serve.

“I didn’t say I not go­ing here, I went with Mr Bas­deo Pan­day be­cause I tell my­self any­body giv­ing me my hol­i­day, I am go­ing for it ...he, in turn, give us a na­tion­al hol­i­day that whether you are Jew, Syr­i­an, Greek or what we all can cel­e­brate, so any­way they tell me to come I am com­ing,” Gray-Burke said.

“To­geth­er again prais­ing the lord, we are to­geth­er again in one ac­cord,” she sang.

Gray-Burke plead­ed with fel­low Bap­tists to en­sure that they do not lose their hol­i­day or ob­struct their wor­ship. She said ini­tial­ly, she want­ed a sec­ondary school but if Bap­tists want a cathe­dral, then she sup­port­ed that.

“My heart was for ed­u­ca­tion ...So hur­ry up, build the peo­ple cathe­dral, so long I hear­ing about cathe­dral. I want to jump up in it, I want to go there be­fore I dead,” she said.

Cum­mings said it was the first time he had heard about Gray-Burke’s call for a school but said he re­mained open for dis­cus­sions.