By Maud Fuller
| Posted: December 28, 2005
The University of the West Indies Commemoration / Founders Day Thanksgiving Service of October 16, 2005 demonstrated unmistakably the degree of love, respect and gratitude that “old-timers” have for their alma mater. Readers read with passion. Speakers spoke from the heart. The readiness with which people agreed to be part of the program was a very heartening experience.
The beautiful stone edifice that is St. Clements Anglican Church on Eglinton Avenue in Toronto was the venue of a genuinely inspiring service of thanksgiving and celebration. From the opening hymn: “Come thou fount of every blessing” to the sung benediction: “The Lord bless thee and keep thee” every item, every moment evoked an ethos of “there is much for which to be thankful.”
The Church Rector, Reverend Canon Cheryl Palmer, invoked God’s presence and blessing on the University of the West Indies and all who serve that noble institution. Greetings from the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor marked the occasion as very special. A doctor, a nurse and a regular alumna presented the raison d’être for a gathering of this nature.
In honoring the Founding Fathers, Ludlow Burke, a doctor belonging to the very first class of graduates led a responsive reading, adapted from Ecclesiasticus 44 (Sirac) “Let us now praise famous men and our fathers for their generation”, with additional words embracing more recent trailblazers – “for a later generation we ask insight that they may understand the deep stirrings of the human heart: we ask the gift of foresight that their vision may enhance the lives of those they touch.”
The Honorable Mary Ann Chambers, Minister in the Provincial Parliament of Ontario, was invited to bring a prepared “Words of Wisdom” and she took the opportunity to congratulate the University of the West Indies for the many “upstanding graduates it has unleashed on an unsuspecting Canada".
A Hindu priest, Dr. Benhendra Doobay, prefaced his blessing with a Vedic prayer in its original Hindi, and used the translation to express his own gratitude to UWI for the sure foundation it gave to him and the level of excellence it demanded of him. The prayer over the offering was original and moving in its simplicity. “May God accept our offering this day as a gift from the heart, a gift from the spirit, a gift for his wonderful mercies to us and to all who inhabit this earthly sphere. Thanks be to God!"
Our guest performers, the Heritage Singers and dancer Brian Beckford captured the spirit of solemnity-cum-gratitude that was explicit in the text of the sermon, Psalm 16, verse 6 – “The lines have fallen to us in pleasant places. Yea, we have a goodly heritage.” Brother Vincent Smith preached the sermon with the conviction of one who is proud of that “goodly heritage”.
We modestly believe that we have created a template of some excellence as the first Chapter to have embarked on such a form of celebration.
A Reception followed the service and people carried the good “high” with them to face a groaning board of fine viands reflecting Caribbean cuisine. Ms. Madeline Blackman, Consul General of Antigua and Barbuda, raised the toast to the University. Reverend Cannon Cheryl Palmer, Minister of Religion and Mary Ann Chambers, Minister of State, cut the Chapter Cake while the honorary graduant, the Honorable Louise Bennett-Coverley, and Dr. Ludlow Burke cut the Founding Fathers Cake.
The highlights of the reception were – first, the unveiling of a Portrait and Profile Display of sixteen Founding Fathers captioned “They All So Served”. The second highlight was the pinning of two Associate Members and two honorary members. Try as we did, we could not demolish the groaning board. And so we bade farewell to one another, with the encouraging words of sheer pleasure “Let’s do this again!”
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