THE Anglican Diocese of Guyana observed its 175th anniversary since its establishment as a diocese in the Provence of the West Indies on Saturday with a youth festival.

The festival garnered much positive response from youths and agencies involved and was the first event held among the many activities planned in observation of the Anglican Church’s anniversary.
The Youth Festival was held on the lawns of Austin House, High and Barrack Street, Kingston.

Chairperson of the Planning Committee, Monsel Alves, expressed his gratitude towards the agencies and persons whose sponsorship made the event possible.
“August 27 will be our Anniversary Mass which will be starting at 15:00 hrs at Christ Church and everyone is invited … while on October 20 will be our black tie affair, dinner and ball where we are really looking forward to that time of fellowship where we get the chance to dance and encourage each other.”
Alves added that the church also planned to hold a family fun and sports day which is slated for November11, 2017.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) and a member of the planning committee, Schemel Patrick explained that the church decided to commemorate its anniversary on this date since its International Youth Day 2017, which is dedicated to celebrating young people’s contributions to conflict prevention and transformation as well as inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace.

The Diocese Youth Festival is being celebrated under the International Youth Day theme “Youth Building Peace. International Youth Day was endorsed in 1999 by the General Assembly through a recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth.

“This event is designed just for the youths to come out, have a good time and hopefully participate in the activities, to learn from the different organisations. We will also have a cooking competition where the dish being done is meta-gee, since we are still in the month when Emancipation Day is celebrated,” Patrick said.
Activities start from 11:00 hours to 16:00 hours for booth participation and exhibition and 16:00 hours to 18:00 hours for the cultural extravaganza which includes music and a fashion show.
Javed Khan, representative of Republic Bank, one of the sponsors of the event, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the corporation’s involvement in the Diocese Youth Festival is in keeping with its agenda to support youth development.
“We (Republic Bank) not only believe in supporting the festival financially, but we are hoping to come on board and to interact with those present (youths) and help them, whether to open their own account, of course with the authority of their parents but those who are hoping to further their education through us,” Khan explained.
The Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), Adolescent Health Unit attached to Ministry of Public Health, Republic bank, Qualfon Incorporated, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry and Austin Bookstore, among other agencies, were part of the festival.
The Anglican Diocese of Guyana was founded on August 24, 1842 with the ordination and consecration of the Right Reverend William Austin as Bishop of Guyana and St. George’s Cathedral as the seat of the Bishop.

The St. George’s Cathedral is located in Georgetown and is one of Guyana’s national monuments. With a height of 43.5 meters (143 feet), it is the tallest wooden church in the world.
The Anglican Church has played an important role in the development of Guyana, especially the development of youths and education which led to the establishment of Queens College, Bishops’ High School, Christ Church Secondary and St Ambrose, among other primary and secondary schools throughout Guyana. (GINA/DPI)