By Francis Quamina Farrier

THE format of this feature article of mine is somewhat unusual, as I have injected one of my favourite poems, which was written by an author Unknown. The poem is entitled, “UNITY”. The first stanza is as follows;
“I dreamt I stood in a studio,
And watched two sculptors there.
The clay they used was a young child’s mind,
and they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher, the tools he used
Were books, music and art.
One a parent with guiding hand
And a gentle, loving heart.”

As regards the inclusion and message of this poem, I need to let you know that the parent is Patricia Matthews-Mitchell, the mother of the recently ordained Guyanese Catholic priest. The teacher is Sita Nagamootoo, the wife of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. Take note that these two women were partners in a piece of the contemporary history of Guyana, some decades ago.
Now for the second stanza of the poem, “Unity”:
“Day after day, the teacher toiled,
With a touch that was deft and sure
While the parent laboured by his side,
And polished and smooth it o’re,”

The child in reference here is now a 36-year-old adult, Carl Philadelphia of Georgetown, Guyana, who is a fine example of being a young child fortunate to have been moulded into a productive, law-abiding and respected adult Guyanese citizen, by two important women in his younger life.
And so we move on to the third stanza of the poem;

“And when at last, their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had moulded into the child,
Could neither be sold or bought.”

Attending the priestly Ordination of that child – Carl Anthony Philadelphia – now an adult, the two women ‘Sculptors’ – Mother sat together in the awesome Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Brickdam in Georgetown, last Sunday and witnessed the inspiring ordination ceremony which was attended by Bishops, Monsignors, Priests, Nuns, Deacons and a packed cathedral of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Some of those in attendance travelled from all over Guyana, as well as from neighbouring Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Others came from even as far away as the United States of America to be present at the Ordination Service.

And now for the final stanza of that favourite poem of mine entitled “UNITY”.
“And each agreed they would have failed
If each had worked alone,
For behind the parent stood the school
And behind the teacher the home.”

At that Ordination Ceremony, lots of accolades were rightly bestowed on the Mother and the Teacher of the new priest. Fr. Carl himself spoke glowingly about what he was taught by his mother, Patricia, and his teacher, Ms Sita Nagamootoo, when he was a boy. Those two wonderful Guyanese women working together in “UNITY” as Parent and Teacher three decades ago, saw the result of their ‘sculpting’ last Sunday, as hundreds were present and welcomed another Catholic priest into the Diocese of Guyana, in this the 52nd year of Guyana’s Independence.

It is an excellent example of the many positive achievements which can happen in a country when citizens work together in “LOVE and UNITY”.