Luke 20 vs 17: "The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner" aptly refers to the bluff on which the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been built at Morne Cyril in Paramin. The Paramin Hills, well known for the annual parang festival, was also the venue for the Dedication of the new church by His Grace, Edward Joseph Gilbert C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Port of Spain, on December 12, 2001.
Father Kevin de Loughry O.P. had spent four of his eleven years as parish priest of Maraval-Paramin looking for a suitable site to build the people of Paramin a church to replace the temporary Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe, dedicated by Father Paul Duignan O.P. (deceased) in 1981, which had replaced the first place of worship in the Paramin School set up by Father Eugene Delahunt O.P. in 1951.
Says Father Kevin, as we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings of the majestic building last Wednesday morning "this site was rejected when it was first offered as it was just a hill with a large rock in the centre. Over 1,000 lbs of dynamite were used to flatten the hill in 1997 and that was the first indication that the priest (Fr Kevin) was serious, the first blast." During 1988, the foundations for what is now the "head of the corner" were carved into the rock.
With a twinkle in his eyes Father Kevin, who at 74 years of age is still comfortably negotiating the twists and turns of the hill in his four wheel drive to and from his beloved new church located at 1000 feet above sea level, says that overseeing the building of the church was not too difficult as he had the experience of having built churches at Sangre Grande, Camaca and Cedros, since coming to Trinidad from Ireland in 1954, just three years into his vocation. Father Kevin celebrates his Golden Anniversary in the priesthood later this year.
In spite of the frustrations he felt for the people who had been waiting for generations for a church, it is awesome what this very simple Man of God who shrugs and says "I had a time", has been able to achieve in minutest details inside and outside this church.
The main architect was Nigel Thomas, but Father Kevin is clear that "the hill dictated the design" for the huge steel structure designed for maximum ventilation on a wedge-shaped bluff looking out to the hills and valleys of the Northern Range. And to him "it is the perfect tropical church structure built by the people of Paramin."
The first stone was laid at the entrance on Saturday May 22nd 1999, by Phillip Forde CSSP, Roger Paschal PP, Rupert Romany OP and Kevin de Loughry OP. The plaque just inside the front door of the church which can seat 600 comfortably shows that the land was donated by the Procope family.
The church is a veritable treasure trove of remembrances to all those who throughout history brought the Roman Catholic faith to Trinidad and finally up the mountains of Paramin, and at the end of my tour of the church, I could only look at the very calm and laid back 74 year old priest responsible for it all, with admiration, wondering where did he find the time, energy, resource people and wherewithal to organise all that has gone into this one building.
Paramin stone has been used for the unusual floors, carpets have only been used in the sanctuary. The walls are mostly Santa Cruz stone with some from Camaca. Arc shaped windows on the right side of the building, with permanent, lower half openings, have been designed to try and control normal rain direction. The beautiful wooden pews were built by the organist of the Maraval church, Lester Sangster, from Guyana's locust wood.
The three stained glass windows over the sanctuary were made in Ireland by Willie J Earley, who had already done this work in Trinidad. Father Kevin furnished Earley with a lot of photos of Paramin and he came up with the Risen Christ for the centre window, Our Lady of Guadulupe and Juan Diego, the Mexican native to whom she appeared at Tepeyac in the valley of Mexico City on the left, and Blessed Martin de Porres, one of the first saints from the Americas for the right window. Most unusual is the use of natural light in the sacristy where The Altar of Sacrifice made from Tobago coral stone, Irish marble and Guyana hardwood, contains stone from the Berlin Wall, stone from Armagh Cathedral, stone from Jerusalem and relics of the Uganda Martyrs, all symbols of intense human suffering and courage. There is no organ. Guitars, drums and a steelpan accompany the Mass, which at times is interspersed with native patois, except for Carnival Sunday when the entire Mass is in patois.
The colours of the glass panes in the four windows in the Wall of Remembrance, donated by the Tardieu family, signify the four flags of the countries of the Missionaries who first came to Trinidad, the Spanish, French, Irish and Dutch. A plaque inserted in this Wall contains words spoken by Pope John Paul 11:"Forgiving and redeeming our history. We regret the mistake of the past when the Missionary Church ignored or supressed the indigenous culture of native peoples. The past is redeemed by forgiveness and love."
Frosted glass panes have been inserted over the doorways down the sides of the church with the coat of arms and crests of the various religious orders and congregations which have served in Trinidad and Tobago. This work was done by Densley Butcher, along with a 30'x6' hand painted window at the back of the church from a Stuart Hahn painting of the annunciation, nativity and baptism of Jesus, now all paited in the window in a country setting. Handcarved Stations of the Cross came from Europe. One particular frosted window pane has been dedicated to The Coat of Arms of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain in which the names of Archbishop Finbar Ryan (1940-1966) and Archbishop Anthony Pantin (1968-2000) are engraved.
No one has been forgotten in Father Kevin's plans as he pointed out "a crying room so that the babies who are brought to church and want to misbehave will hear and not be heard and will see and not be seen", a quiet Adoration Chapel, and a geriatric bathroom. The piece de resistance are the electric bells which automatically ring out the Angelus at 6 a.m, 12 noon and 6 p.m. and can be heard all the way down the hill.
Father Kevin pays tribute to all who contributed financially here in Trinidad and Tobago including Parishare, the Diocesan Fund which helps parishes, as well as friends overseas, with special mention to the German Church through Adveniat and the Irish Dominicans. He finds if difficult to assess the wholehearted efforts of the parish community of Maraval/Paramin.
And to use the words of the people of Paramin: "Mesi Bondye pou ba nou li, Thank you God for giving him to us. I fe travai-la I te ni pou fe, He did the work you sent him to do. Yon legles pou Paramin, A church for Paramin. Benni'y suple, Papa Bondye, Bless him please Papa God. Benni Monpe Kevin, Bless Father Kevin."