St George, March 2016. A delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George, led by the British and Irish and Caribbean Delegate, Anthony Bailey visited Grenada between 17-19 March 2016.
Accompanied by the Governor General of Grenada, HE Dame Cecile La Grenade, a Dame Grand Cross of the Constantinian Order, the Delegate visited St Joseph’s Convent in St George’s and formally presented to the Principal, Sr Lucy Gabriel, the cheque of over $600,000 from the Constantinian Order to fund the construction of a new block of the school. This school was severely damaged in the wake of the devastation caused by two hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 and then demolished in 2012 when the building was declared inhabitable. The new construction will host an Audio-visual room, a Language lab, an IT lab, Meeting rooms and administrative offices.
In her remarks the Principal said: “We recognise and applaud the positive contribution made by the Constantinian Order to St Joseph’s Convent towards the education and integral development of the young women of our nation. We hold firmly to the fact that those contributions deserve to be recognised, appreciated and highlighted”.
The delegation visited some of the other charitable projects supported by the Order in Grenada, including The New Life Organisation (NEWLO), the Grand Anse Home for the Aged, the Social Action Centre, and the St Patrick’s Roman Catholic School.
NEWLO is a skills training center dedicated to providing quality life and vocational skills training for disadvantaged youth, facilitating growth and development of the individual in relation to the family, the community, and the nation.
Two new vehicles were donated by the Order to the Diocese of St George’s and NEWLO on 18 March 2016 during a ceremony held at the Residence of the Governor General and in the presence of HE Dame Cecile La Grenade and the Prior of the Delegation of the Caribbean, His Grace the Most Reverend Robert Rivas, Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries.
The ceremony was followed by a farewell lunch hosted by the Governor General, which was attended among others by the Hon Dr Clarice Modeste-Curwen, MP Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Hon Alexandra Otway-Noel MP Minister for Implementation of Grenada.
During his speech Delegate HE Anthony Bailey said, “The benefits of our charitable projects go well beyond the Catholic communities to impact society as a whole. The projects that the Order has identified in Grenada and across the region in partnership with national and local institutions aim to encompass a full spectrum of needs, to develop understanding and trust within the communities and to deliver relief to the poor”.
A cheque and equipment were also presented by Anthony Bailey at ceremonies held in the presence of the Governor General to the Social Development Centre for Girls in Grand Anse, contributing $20,000 to the Grand Anse Home for the Aged and $3,000 to Cedars Shelter for Abused Women and Children.
On 18 March 2016, meetings were held with the Rt Hon Dr Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada who spoke warmly of the positive and prominent role of the Constantinian Order had in the region and of the impact that the charitable projects funded by the Order are having in Grenada.
Further meetings were held with the Hon Anthony Boatswain, Minister for Education, the Hon Gregory Bowen, Minister for Works, Physical Development, Public Utilities and Communication, the Hon Alvin DaBreo Minister with responsibility for Information, Communication & Technology and the Hon Alexandra Otway-Noel Minister for Implementation of Grenada.
The charitable programme followed the highly successful Official Visit of the Grand Prior His Eminence Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino and delegation to Grenada in June 2015. The visit also follows HE Dame Cecile La Grenade’s official visit to Rome in November 2015.
To visit the website of the Government of Grenada click here
To visit St Joseph’s Convent: https://www.facebook.com/stjosephsconventalumniassociation/
To visit the website of NEWLO click here