ST. DOMINIC'S - Notices
Bulletins - St. Dominic's
JOIN US AT OUR EVENTS - St. Dominic's
First Holy Communion 2016
Adult Confirmation 2016
Stations of the Cross 2014
Palm Sunday 2016
First Holy Communion 2014
Confirmation 2016<
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HISTORY
PRIESTS
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- Created: Monday, 14 March 2016 05:29
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The Maxwell Community
St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church is located in the parish of Christ Church in Barbados along the Maxwell Main Road on the southern coast of the island. There were ten founding members of the Church among whom were Mr. Paul Foster and Mrs. Joan Ross who still reside in Barbados. Father Theodore Taylor arrived in Barbados in March 1965. As he came to know the St. Patrick’s parishioners and where they lived, he saw the need for a church in the Maxwell area.
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The land was bought
The first meeting of a group of St. Patrick’s parishioners from the Maxwell area took place in the mid-1960s, nearly 50 years ago, on a vacant lot of grass land in Dover next door to the home of Mrs. Phyllis Knight, one of the founding members, who has since passed on. The area was developing rapidly into housing and more hotels were being constructed along the coast. One of the founders, a Mrs. Maitland, who operated an hotel along the Dover playing field told the group that the land on which St. Dominic’s now stands was for sale. Later in 1966 the land was bought – one and a half acres – for $18,000.
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Construction Delayed
The construction of the church was to have started in 1968, but was delayed due to the wait for Town Planning approval and negotiations with the first resident Roman Catholic Bishop in Barbados, Bishop Anthony Dickson, who arrived in Barbados in January 1971. The Bishop did not approve of the building of another church. He felt that there were enough Catholic churches in Barbados at that time. In due course, however, another half an acre of adjoining land was purchased to widen the front of the property bordering on the highway, from 98 to 146 feet, following the diligence of Mrs. Joan Ross. She later spearheaded a number of fundraising initiatives, including Bingos and Car Raffles, to secure the funds for the construction of the Church. Permission given by the police for the specific purpose of these fundraising initiatives was largely responsible for the securing of approval for the start of construction of the new church. Attempts to purchase a third piece of land – another half an acre, with a house on it – were not approved by the Bishop and his committee.
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Construction Began
Construction began in 1972 following the laying of the Cornerstone on May 10th of that year. A plaque in the front porch attests to this.
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Mass Celebrated
Bishop Dickson blessed the building at a concelebrated Mass on the evening of April 26th, 1973 and the first Mass was said at St. Dominic’s on March 4th, 1973. While the church was being built, Father Taylor started worship at St. Dominic’s parish with Sunday morning Mass at the Hawthorne Methodist Church in Worthing, with the kind permission of the Methodist community. Herculean efforts at fundraising for the payment of the church’s construction costs by Mr. Paul Foster and Mrs. Joan Ross saw the completion of payment within five years, though forecasted at seven.
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The Pallottines Joined Us
The St. Dominic’s Church stands today as a testimony of the strong will and hard work of the founding members and of the efforts by a small group of fervent Catholics to secure a parish church for parishioners in the Maxwell, Christ Church area within the Diocese of Bridgetown. Besides its regular parishioners, the church also serves many Catholic tourists who vacation at several of the hotels in the area, some of whom, as repeat visitors, look forward eagerly to attending Sunday Mass when they visit. The parish currently has a diverse congregation of many national, cultural and ethnic origins. The parish has been served from its inception by Priests of the Dominican Order but at present is served since 2008 by Pallottine Priests of the Order of St. Vincent Pallotti.
- Created: Thursday, 02 June 2016 07:20
ST DOMINICS
Maxwell Christ Church
Barbados
246-426-7677
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office hours
Tue, Thur, Fri 7:00-10:00
Wed 11:00
Tue, Wed, Thur, 3:00-5:00
Priest availble by appointment
Priests' Day off
Monday Fr. Andy Thursday Fr Gregory
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