St. Teresa’s parish has a history that is unique and
worth remembering. We do not have a great deal of history written but a small
extract from Fr. Britt’s memoirs will shed light on the early beginnings of the
Parish. I am amazed at the humble beginning of the parish community. I am also
grateful to God for giving me this mission to serve in this long-standing
parish. I am humbled to join the line of holy and dedicated parish priests of
the past.
History of the parish really begins from 1955 when Fr.
Alfred Ellis SJ was appointed assistant parish priest at Holy Rosary parish in
Kitty. Fr. Britt Compton SJ was the parish priest at Holy Rosary Church from
1954 to 1958. Fr. Ellis had been stationed in Mahaica but had been suffering
blackouts so it was thought better not to leave him on his own. Fr. Britt
adapted the presbytery at Kitty to accommodate a second priest and was glad to
hand over to him the work of establishing a new parish in Campbellville.
During the time of Fr. Pearson, parish priest before
Fr. Britt, between 1953-1954, a land had been acquired behind the site of a
proposed new school. A ‘ready-made’ Church building had also been acquired from
the American Air force who had donated their chapel from their base at Atkinson
field. This had been dismantled and reconstructed on the new site and this
stands sturdy to date.
While living in the presbytery at Kitty, Fr. Alfred
Ellis spent most of his time in Campbellville, going off after breakfast on his
motorcycle, returning for lunch and then going back in the afternoon after a
short nap. Eventually he set up a partition behind the altar of the Church to
create a room, which he could use for the siesta, and eventually take-up
residence there. In this way the Church at Campbellville comes to existence under
the leadership of Fr. Alfred Ellis making him the first parish priest from 1955
to 1960. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the parish. As we
remember this milestone, let us thank God for His blessings on the parish
community at St. Teresa’s.
Compiled by Fr. Jerri Dias from the extracts of Fr.
Britt Compton SJ diaries.
No comments:
Post a Comment