Hundreds of Barbadians stood next to the road, peered from windows and other vantage points yesterday to witness Archbishop Granville Williams’ last earthly trek with his Spiritual Baptists flock.
As if conscious of the reverence and significance of the event, they watched quietly, as the sleek hearse carrying the mortal remains of the man who established the Sons of God Apostolic Spiritual Baptist Church here nearly six decades ago, slowly drove by.
Spiritual Baptists, who formed the procession, were equally solemn. Dressed in predominantly white and black flowing robes, they beat drums, rang bells and sang songs of praise for the life of their dearly departed spiritual father.
Initially under grey skies, the small procession left the Berinda Cox Fish Market in Oistins at 7 a.m. The crowd grew as the procession travelled from Oistins to Carter’s Gap, onto Breedy’s Land, Silver Sands, before passing the Budget Depot Hardware, Silver Sands, the location where Williams established his first church.
There, a slight drizzle, as if tears from heaven, fell briefly.
As quickly as it started, though, it stopped. The skies quickly cleared and the early morning sun began to shine in its brilliance as the patriarch neared his church’s headquarters, The Jerusalem Apostolic Cathedral in Ealing Grove – where the funeral service and interment were held.
The largest gathering of onlookers was at the entrance of the road leading to the cathedral where many came prepared with their folding chairs and umbrellas.
There, with the utmost respect, some people related their interaction with Archbishop Williams. They all agreed that a good man had passed.
Two sisters, who were at the corner of the road leading to the cathedral, said they had to be a part of the historic event.
“It is a part of history and we thought it fitting that we should be here. I just hope the legacy lives on,” one sister said, preferring not to give her name.
She added that the cultural legacy needed to be preserved because of the special brand of African religion.
“The whole institution . . . we do not want it to perish. We hope that who is left will carry on that legacy,” she said.
The other sister remembered her childhood interactions with the archbishop when her grandmother would send her with a note in a sealed envelope. She said he would put her to sit at the table while he would do what he had to do, then give her a sealed note to return to her grandmother.
“I thought it might have been some help because we were poor,” she said.
Lorna Bullen, who was waiting by Roy Smith Shop for the procession, said she came to pay respect. She said her two sisters, uncle, aunt and several other relatives were Spiritual Baptists and she had been exposed to the religion from the time she was a child.
Bullen said she had visited the church as a child, went to mother baptism, the mourning ground and knew of the cultural aspect of it. (LK)