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- 20th Century Philatelic Gallery Ends with BVI Churches
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- By Giorgio Migliavacca
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- The British Virgin Islands has issued its last set of stamps of the
Twentieth Century. To celebrate the last Christmas of the old millennium
the BVI Postal Administration has released on 16 December 1999 a set of
four stamps featuring four places of worship on the island of Tortola.
This very attractive set has been designed by renowned British artist Jennifer
Toombs. Ms. Toombs has designed other exceedingly popular BVI stamps in
the past, including: Treasure Island/Stevenson (1969); Coronationís
25th Anniversary (1978); Island Profiles (1980); and Botanic Gardens Inauguration
(1987). One of the oldest Methodist Churches in the BVI - Zion Hill Methodist
Church - is depicted on the 20c. denomination which is going to see heavy
local postal use since the 20c. rate reflects the basic postage for inland
mail.
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- The Seventh Day Adventist Church in Fat Hogs Bay is featured on the
35c stamp. The design reflects the building as it was in 1982. The ruins
of a church of great historical relevance, not only for the BVI but also
for the entire hemisphere, is depicted on the 50c. stamp. St. Phillipís
Anglican Church at Kingston, Tortola, has
- finally earned its place in BVI philately; now itís time to
restore what is, historically speaking, the most important religious building
in the entire Caribbean. St. Phillipís - the first church ever
built for freed blacks in the Americas - was consecrated in the 1830s for
liberated Africans taken from ships after the Abolition of the Slave Trade.
After years of neglect the church was damaged by the 1916 hurricane.
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- The top denomination - $1.00 - depicts St. Williamís Catholic
Church. On the 1st of April, 1957, Bishop James P. Davis of Puerto Rico
blessed the new Catholic Church on Main Street, Road Town. This small chapel,
the first Catholic Church in the Territory, was the beginning of the Church's
presence in the British Virgin Islands. Visiting priests, usually from
St. Thomas, would visit on a regular basis to attend to the spiritual needs
of the
- small Catholic community. The hope of the Catholic residents of the
BVI for a resident parish priest was not to be fulfilled until the arrival
of Fr. John Valentine in 1972. On his arrival, Fr. Valentine discovered
a small Catholic Church and a even smaller Catholic population. Over
the next 27 years, first under Fr. Valentine, then under Fr. Jack Whyte,
Fr. Joe Bates and Fr. Peter Brannelly, the original St. William's was extended
several times and renovated to meet the needs of the growing Catholic community.
However, the original Church was never designed to cope with such an expanding
congregation. The cramped conditions each Sunday compelled the parishioners
to take the decision to start rising the necessary funds to build a larger
church. The task of rebuilding St. William's was completed in November
1999 when the church was re-dedicated. Printed in litho by Cartor Security
Printers, the new stamps are perforated 13 and present a ìCA Spiralî
watermark. The
- new set is on sale at the General Post Office on Main Street and various
branch post offices until stocks are exhausted. The BVI Philatelic Bureau
(Main Street, Road Town, Tortola) has first day covers and sets and can
service mail orders.
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