Parish of San Miguel Archangel of Bequia
On the island of Bequia, the largest of the Grenadines, the Catholic faith is preserved in the parish of St. Michael Archangel, belonging to the diocese of Kingstown. Its roots go back to the end of the 18th century, when the small community, formed mainly by French settlers, was attended by itinerant missionaries from Granada.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- In 1909, the lay Narcisse Claudius Ramirez bought two acres of land for nine shillings, just above his own house, and bequeathed them to the Catholic Church in a will: on that donated land the temple rises.
- The first chapel, a humble construction of bahareque, was completely destroyed by a hurricane in 1921; the community did not surrender and reconstructed in the same place.
- The first stone of the present temple was placed on September 29, 1927, the feast of San Miguel Archangel, the date that named the parish.
- The temple was designed and built under the direction of Dom Carlos Verbeke, a Belgian Benedictine monk who also supervised the construction of the cathedral on the island of San Vicente; it was expanded in 1996 and today celebrates Sunday Mass at 8: 00 in the morning.
San Miguel Archangel
The parish of San Miguel Archangel has held the Catholic faith in Bequia since the times of the itinerant missionaries of the 18th century. Born of the generosity of a layman who bequeathed his land to the Church, and rebuilt after the hurricane of 1921, he continues to bring the island community together every Sunday.
Por San Miguel Archangel, defends the community of Bequia; Santa Maria, Queen of the Angels, pray for her children from the sea.
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