A Message from the Reverend Winston Joseph
A Message from The Reverend Canon Winston B. Joseph
(Rector of All Saints Anglican Church - March 1, 1982 - October 3, 2000)
History is alive and well in your midst. It is impressing itself in your minds, in your hearts and in your work.
One hundred and sixty years of ministry and mission to the honour and glory of God is about to overtake
the faithful at All Saints.
You are being surrounded by time; by your ancestors; by your place in history and by your call.
What a time to be alive, active and productive in the life of All Saints! What a time to be of joyful
countenance with an expanding heart. What a time to be thankful, gracious, loving and giving.
One hundred and sixty years of witness to the Newtown Community and to the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago is a significant milestone and a dividing line
between the past and the future. If we are wise when we reach such a vantage point, we will look back and note the events of the past and learn from them.
My tenure was dominated by a goal to restore All Saints to a place of beauty, with consuming fund-raising efforts. The Senior Citizens Home, Parish Hall
and the church building were the burdens of stewarding during my earlier years. The joy of this effort was the commitment of so many people to see the
projects to the end. All Saints was a parish that longed for a greater sense of unity and community, but at the same time, rejoiced in its differences.
The faithful welcomed and experimented with varying approaches to worship at the four services each Sunday, as they learnt to converse with God in other
ways and with other voices. The Chapel of Ease at Maraval stood out as a wonderful example of embracing a different style of worship. While the 6:00
a.m., 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. services at All Saints followed the traditional approach, we had set out to add new "flavours" at The Chapel of East, Maraval,
as we sought for imaginative ways to connect in liturgy and music.
All Saints was a community rich in passionate seekers, whose hunger for spiritual growth, scriptural depth and a vital prayer life had found sustenance in
the many offerings of Christian formation. I took pleasure in empowering the laity to understand what it meant to be on a journey of "never-ending"
conversion, searching for new words and ways to communicate with God. The All Saints Bible Study group and the Tuesday evening sessions at "Maraval"
were some of the avenues through which we understood that God was always seeking us out and that prayer and the study of scripture enabled us to hear
God's voice.
In responding to the brief from Mrs. Caryl Hinkson to make this "light", I shall recount Ms. Carmel Mason, who one Saturday morning (when I was the
Deacon in the Parish in 1973) scolded me in front of an entire Confirmation class. The "sin" that I had committed was to ride the wrong way from Picton
Street to All Saints Church. I was reminded that Marli Street ran from East to West and that I should have proceeded to Warner Street, through Cipriani
Boulevard to arrive at All Saints. She continued to admonish me by stating that I should set the right example to the young people as a Deacon in the
church.
Early in my ministry I was to receive several "words of advice", such as those from dear Mrs. Semoy Arthur-Wong (now deceased), who instructed me that
my hair was too long (it was then almost at shoulder-length).
The long hair was "dirtying" the expensive church chasubles, I was told. My attempt to rectify this problem was to order personal chasubles, a couple of
which were tie-dyed and in batik. The young people rejoiced at the sight, while the more conservative group were in shock.
I can go on and on with stories of Sybil Gray (former Parish Assistant), from whose loving arms our baby son accidentally fell to the ground. How many of
the All Saints parishioners can remember Victor Henry being persuaded by Mrs. Hosang to wear a black cassock and black shoes. On the first day that he
obliged, someone thought that he was a visiting priest! How can we ever forget Inez, with "Give granny something!"
It was at All Saints that my pastoral training began, from the days of my curacy, visiting the sick and shut-ins. It was there that I learned the virtues of care
and commitment, compassion, patience and sympathy. I also learned a great deal by simply holding someone's hand and listening - listening to their
fears of poverty, loneliness and of being placed in a Home for the Aged.
I deem it a great privilege to have been able to minister to All Saints for over a quarter of a century. I wish to place on record my grateful thanks and
appreciation to all for the many kindnesses bestowed on me as well as my family during my tenure of office.
I recall the words penned by Mrs. Norma Nicholls, "The World's Greatest Secretary" upon my departure:
"Everywhere, in every race, in every place,
in every individual, the Spirit of God is at
work. If we open our beings to the Spirit
of God, He will conduct us into the hard
and happy School of Development. He
will lead us through the Halls of Spiritual
Learning. Without change and growth, the
pulse of life beats feebly."
I urge you to remember that there can be no crown of stars without a cross to bear and there is no salvation without faith, love and prayer. So with faith, love
and prayer as your companions, press on to newer and higher achievement in God's vineyard.
Thank you for allowing me to share some of my All Saints' experiences with you and may God's richest blessings be always with you.
Sincerely,
Rev. Canon Winston B. Joseph
(Rector of All Saints Anglican Church - March 1, 1982 - October 3, 2000)
History is alive and well in your midst. It is impressing itself in your minds, in your hearts and in your work.
One hundred and sixty years of ministry and mission to the honour and glory of God is about to overtake
the faithful at All Saints.
You are being surrounded by time; by your ancestors; by your place in history and by your call.
What a time to be alive, active and productive in the life of All Saints! What a time to be of joyful
countenance with an expanding heart. What a time to be thankful, gracious, loving and giving.
One hundred and sixty years of witness to the Newtown Community and to the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago is a significant milestone and a dividing line
between the past and the future. If we are wise when we reach such a vantage point, we will look back and note the events of the past and learn from them.
My tenure was dominated by a goal to restore All Saints to a place of beauty, with consuming fund-raising efforts. The Senior Citizens Home, Parish Hall
and the church building were the burdens of stewarding during my earlier years. The joy of this effort was the commitment of so many people to see the
projects to the end. All Saints was a parish that longed for a greater sense of unity and community, but at the same time, rejoiced in its differences.
The faithful welcomed and experimented with varying approaches to worship at the four services each Sunday, as they learnt to converse with God in other
ways and with other voices. The Chapel of Ease at Maraval stood out as a wonderful example of embracing a different style of worship. While the 6:00
a.m., 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. services at All Saints followed the traditional approach, we had set out to add new "flavours" at The Chapel of East, Maraval,
as we sought for imaginative ways to connect in liturgy and music.
All Saints was a community rich in passionate seekers, whose hunger for spiritual growth, scriptural depth and a vital prayer life had found sustenance in
the many offerings of Christian formation. I took pleasure in empowering the laity to understand what it meant to be on a journey of "never-ending"
conversion, searching for new words and ways to communicate with God. The All Saints Bible Study group and the Tuesday evening sessions at "Maraval"
were some of the avenues through which we understood that God was always seeking us out and that prayer and the study of scripture enabled us to hear
God's voice.
In responding to the brief from Mrs. Caryl Hinkson to make this "light", I shall recount Ms. Carmel Mason, who one Saturday morning (when I was the
Deacon in the Parish in 1973) scolded me in front of an entire Confirmation class. The "sin" that I had committed was to ride the wrong way from Picton
Street to All Saints Church. I was reminded that Marli Street ran from East to West and that I should have proceeded to Warner Street, through Cipriani
Boulevard to arrive at All Saints. She continued to admonish me by stating that I should set the right example to the young people as a Deacon in the
church.
Early in my ministry I was to receive several "words of advice", such as those from dear Mrs. Semoy Arthur-Wong (now deceased), who instructed me that
my hair was too long (it was then almost at shoulder-length).
The long hair was "dirtying" the expensive church chasubles, I was told. My attempt to rectify this problem was to order personal chasubles, a couple of
which were tie-dyed and in batik. The young people rejoiced at the sight, while the more conservative group were in shock.
I can go on and on with stories of Sybil Gray (former Parish Assistant), from whose loving arms our baby son accidentally fell to the ground. How many of
the All Saints parishioners can remember Victor Henry being persuaded by Mrs. Hosang to wear a black cassock and black shoes. On the first day that he
obliged, someone thought that he was a visiting priest! How can we ever forget Inez, with "Give granny something!"
It was at All Saints that my pastoral training began, from the days of my curacy, visiting the sick and shut-ins. It was there that I learned the virtues of care
and commitment, compassion, patience and sympathy. I also learned a great deal by simply holding someone's hand and listening - listening to their
fears of poverty, loneliness and of being placed in a Home for the Aged.
I deem it a great privilege to have been able to minister to All Saints for over a quarter of a century. I wish to place on record my grateful thanks and
appreciation to all for the many kindnesses bestowed on me as well as my family during my tenure of office.
I recall the words penned by Mrs. Norma Nicholls, "The World's Greatest Secretary" upon my departure:
"Everywhere, in every race, in every place,
in every individual, the Spirit of God is at
work. If we open our beings to the Spirit
of God, He will conduct us into the hard
and happy School of Development. He
will lead us through the Halls of Spiritual
Learning. Without change and growth, the
pulse of life beats feebly."
I urge you to remember that there can be no crown of stars without a cross to bear and there is no salvation without faith, love and prayer. So with faith, love
and prayer as your companions, press on to newer and higher achievement in God's vineyard.
Thank you for allowing me to share some of my All Saints' experiences with you and may God's richest blessings be always with you.
Sincerely,
Rev. Canon Winston B. Joseph
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| The Parish of All Saints |
| The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago |
