Former SDB Parishes in Bahamas OK

Former Salesian Parishes in Bahamas 
Reported OK after Hurricane Dorian

SDBs served Bahamas parishes for 23 years

Salesians who served years ago in the Bahamas, knowing the geography of Grand Bahama Island (long, narrow, and barely above sea level), were very concerned when Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas on September 1, about the welfare of their former parishioners in the parishes where they served.

As everyone who followed the news in Dorian’s wake knows, the hurricane did catastrophic damage to the Abaco Islands and the east end of Grand Bahama Island, as well as to part of Freeport, including some damage to St. Mary Church.Finding an e-address at the webpage of the archdiocese of Nassau, I sent a query about them to Renee Knowles of the chancery office. Eventually she responded, “As far as I am aware the communities of St. Agnes and St. Vincent did not suffer any catastrophic damage.” She hinted to the current pastor of the main parish, St. Mary Star of the Sea in Freeport, that he might provide me with additional information, but so far I haven’t heard more.

Salesians on Grand Bahama and the Other Islands

For 23 years the Salesians served parishes in the western settlements on Grand Bahama (the vicinity of Freeport), specifically at St. Agnes Parish in Eight Mile Rock, St. Vincent de Paul in Hunter, and St. Michael at West End. All three churches and their property (including St. Vincent School and the rectories) are either at the ocean’s edge or just hundreds of yards from it, and thus susceptible to what hurricanes can do with surging water.

http://ontheworldmap.com/bahamas/islands/grand-bahama/detailed-map-of-grand-bahama.html

Fr. Orlando Molina (1915-1978; in photo, right, as seminarian in Barcelona, ca. 1960) was the first Salesian to take up a mission on Grand Bahama, starting in 1971 at St. Agnes in Eight Mile Rock, where he was pastor until his sudden death on Dec. 11, 1978, at age 63. He initiated youth programs, served on the staff of Grand Bahama Catholic High School, and was a popular preacher.

Interior of St. Agnes Church, Eight Mile Rock

St. Agnes, Eight Mile Rock, was designed 

to resemble a ship--the roof's not falling in.

Longtime pastors on Grand Bahama also included Fr. Attilio Klinger, who served 14 years at West End (1972-1982 and 1988-1992); Fr. Hector Poulin, 15 years at Eight Mile Rock (1978-1983 and 1988-1991), Hunter (1988-1991), West End (1985-1988), and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Freeport (1974-1978); Fr. Bob Grant, 7 years at Hunter (1979-1983) and West End (1983-1985); and Fr. Blaise Perrello at Hunter and Eight Mile Rock (1988-1993).

Fr. Poulin also had a brief stint at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Nassau (on New Providence Island) in 1978, curtailed when Fr. Molina died. Fr. Klinger was pastor of Holy Name Church on Bimini for 2 years (1982-1984) and of St. Bede Church in Nassau for 4 years (1984-1988).

St. Michael Church, West End

Other priests had shorter missions at the Grand Bahama parishes, from 6 months to 5 years. In addition, St. Agnes and St. Michael parishes ran summer programs that were staffed by young confreres in formation, like other summer camps of the province.

Brothers also made their contributions, especially Bro. Emile Dubé as youth minister at St. Agnes, 1980-1984, and then diocesan youth minister in Nassau from 1984 to 1986; also, Bro. Alfred Rinaldi, at St. Michael, 1983-1988; Bro. Jerry Cincotta at St. Agnes, 1986-1987; and Bro. Benny Natoli at St. Agnes, 1988-1989.

Choir and parishioners getting ready for Midnite Mass,

St. Vincent de Paul Church, Dec. 24, 1993.

St. Vincent de Paul Church at Hunter

Your humble blogger was the last Salesian on Grand Bahama, acting pastor of St. Agnes and St. Vincent de Paul parishes from December 1993 to June 1994, while Fr. Joe Doran served as the very last Salesian in the islands, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church and its four mission stations on Eleuthera in 1993-1994.

The province decided in 1993 that it could no longer staff the Bahamas parishes due to declining numbers of priests in the province, and once Fr. Doran and I returned to the U.S. they wouldn’t be replaced. (I was still formally attached to Don Bosco Multimedia in New Rochelle all the while.)