150 Years Victoria Parish

The Immaculate Conception Church, Victoria on the East Coast is celebrating its sesquicentennial Jubilee. In 1857, regular Masses started on the East Coast of Demerara and Father Aloysius Emiliani, after an early Mass at the Cathedral in Georgetown would travel and tried to celebrate Masses, by turns at Plaisance, Buxton, Enmore, Victoria and Mahaica. 

In 1861, newly ordained Father Julius Mosca SJ replaced Father Emiliani and in that year a chapel was built at Victoria.  In 1866 the chapel was replaced with a church. It is understood that the church was the Lady Chapel of Brickdam which was dismantled and re-erected at Victoria since the congregation at Brickdam had outgrown it. Over the years, the church lost parts of its structure such as the bell tower and choir loft which were dismantled in the late 1960s. Today the main body of the structure still stands and this year the Church of the Immaculate Conception, as it is known, will be observing 150 years of serving the communities of Golden Grove – Nootenzuil. A number of priests served as Parish Priest with Fr James Purcell serving an incredible 35 years.

The parishioners are elated and will be planning a few activities to commemorate this auspicious occasion such as:-

1. In honour of the Year of Mercy – vigil with Eucharistic adoration

2. Invite all families present here in Guyana who have been baptized to a special mass

3. Health fair

4. Computerization of the register of births, confirmation and marriages.

5. If possible the preparation of a booklet on the history of the church. Towards this venture, assistance is being sought from anyone who has knowledge of anecdotal information/pictures about the church which could be forwarded to Frs Anil Tirkey or Tony De Souza, for inclusion in the booklet.

Source: Joylyn Jafferarlly from the parish