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ST CHRISTOPHER'S, BAHRAIN

Carnival in Bahrain

For many years, St Christopher’s Cathedral has had an annual fete as the main fund-raising function. Now a new idea has taken its place, that of a carnival.

Earlier this year the cathedral car park was turned into a carnival arena. The stage was set with 50 blocks borrowed from the schools and installed in front of the Alun Morris Hall. The portico was the perfect backdrop for metres of multicoloured drapes. Bunting and balloons were festooned around. Some 300 performers aged 5 to 15 were prepared. Would parents, punters and parishioners turn up in their hundreds to support this new venture? Yes, they did!

By 12.30pm the compound was throbbing to the sound of music and singing, money-changing hands at stalls, the skittle alley and children’s games in full swing, pop corn popping, and pleas for back-up from the overwhelmed barbecue.

Four hours of almost non-stop entertainment enthralled the crowds. Radio Bahrain’s popular DJ held it altogether. Bands, choirs and dance groups from a variety of schools and youth groups displayed their artistic skills. For St Christopher’s Cathedral, it was an unprecedented occasion of community participation to celebrate young people’s talents. It was also a tremendous fund-raising success. It was a wonderful day.

Dancers from the Philippines

Ecumenical Conference of Charity

An outreach programme of the Ecumenical Conference of Charity occurs annually when Harvest Festival food donated for the Cathedral services, and by the St Christopher’s Schools, is distributed. This year boxes of food were taken to work camps and to the poor in Bahrain villages, together with toys donated by a member of the Cathedral congregation.

In December of last year, a 100-foot tugboat, with a crew of nine Filipino sailors engaged in supplying other vessels in the Gulf, was detained in Bahrain’s waters by a court injunction. The crew were ordered to remain on board.

Since then, one crew member died following a heart attack and four others returned home. However, four crew members remain on board, anchored two kilometres off shore and living in deprived conditions.

The Revd Victor Salve, Chaplain to the Bahrain International Seafarers Society has been concerned for their repatriation and assisting with essential food and water. Following the Harvest Festival at St Christopher’s Cathedral, he visited the tugboat and handed over boxes of provisions.

Victor Salve wrote, “On behalf of the stranded seafarers I thank the ECC for the foodstuff and clothes. They were very gratefully received. Please hold the seafarers and their families in your prayers, and pray they may go home soon.”

Harvest boxes for stranded seafarers

BAHRAIN DHOW TRAGEDY The Very Revd Alan Hayday, Dean of St Christopher’s Cathedral, Bahrain, sent this report.

The Bahrain skyline has become dominated by two sets of twin towers – the Financial Harbour and the World Trade Centre. The latter, which will eventually boast three wind turbines, was recently ‘topped off’, genuine cause for celebration by all the various contracting bodies on this prestigious project.

On the night of March 30th around 130 people set off for a celebratory evening on a dhow for a short dinner cruise, from the Bahrain Marina Club. The celebrations turned to tragedy in just 45 minutes as the dhow sank, claiming the lives of 58 partygoers and stunning the local close knit expatriate community.

By their very nature expats have few if any close family to hand and the local community quickly became ‘family’ as friends, neighbours and local community groups rallied to provide care for the survivors and the bereaved, with support from the relevant embassies, and co-operation from Bahrain officials and rescue services. Offers of help poured in.

The trauma of this tragedy will remain for a long time to come. The suffering cannot be underestimated. Neither can the spontaneous outburst of support and care, which to the eyes of faith was nothing less than the presence of God working in and through the local community, identifying with people in their pain, grief and suffering.

Information on the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf