St George’s Anglican - A beacon of hope in downtown Kingston - Historic church celebrates 189 years of existence

The St George’s Anglican Church, which falls under the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, celebrates 189 years since it was formally consecrated for service on August 12, 1830.

Located at 83 East Street in downtown Kingston, St George’s Anglican was originally started as a Chapel-of-Ease to the Kingston Parish Church, and was used for the overflow of church membership at the Parish Church.

As part of the Diocese, its mission is a commitment to liturgical worship, safeguarding the integrity of creation, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, service to the community, and transforming societies to facilitate the development of spiritually vibrant people.

St George’s Anglican Church is dubbed the ‘Oasis in Kingston’, providing various ministries to the people of the community, according to its current leader, Canon Densil Barnes.

“The role of the church is to be a witness to Christ’s saving power, his love, mercy and compassion to the communities around. And as a church, we want to be a beacon of light and hope in our community. It is safe to say that the St George’s Anglican Church has been such a light in the community, and we hope this to continue as we serve the people,” he said.

“There are not many organisations that can trace their history back 189 years, so we are among a select group, more so as a church which can do so,” he said.

The church has not only been talking the talk, but is walking the walk, with weekly soup kitchen, making a hot meal available to those less fortunate once per week.

St George’s Anglican has been a church which takes education seriously, disbursing scholarships to high school and tertiary-level students for more than 25 years.

Additionally, the church, each year, provides back-to-school supplies as part of its outreach ministry to assist families with books and other necessary school supplies for needy children. They also operate a homework-assistance programme, where students’ grades are assessed and the necessary intervention employed each term.

St George’s Anglican has been devastated by earthquakes and hurricanes through the years, including the massive 1907 earthquake that shook Kingston, leaving some 1,000 persons dead. The church building sustained tremendous damage because of the earthquake and was abandoned.

The present Georgian building was rebuilt and was consecrated into service on January 18, 1911. St George’s Anglican again was impacted, when it suffered significant damage as a result of the ferocity of Hurricane Charlie in 1951, when it raked across the island as a category three storm.

Yet again, the church was able to be rebuilt, a testament to the resilience of its leaders, membership and supporters.

True to being a beacon, the church’s focus on education led to the establishment of The St George’s Girls’ Primary and Infant School in 1904. Located a stone’s throw away, the primary and infant school today caters to over 700 students.

In addition, the church operates a Columbrarium – a place for public storage of cinerary urns, providing a final resting place for persons who have been significantly bound to the church in life, stated the ‘church historian’, Rupert Hartley.