BY JULIE CARRINGTON | SEP 28, 2022
Archbishop Granville Williams blessing the last cane. (Photo: Barbados Today)
The heavily trafficked Fairchild Street Terminal will soon bear the name of the patriarch and founder of the Spiritual Baptist Faith in Barbados – Archbishop the late Granville Williams.
A ceremony to rename the terminal will be held on Saturday, October 1, at Golden Square, the City, starting at 3:00 p.m.
The honour is in recognition of the religious figure’s commitment to and love of Barbados’ African heritage and the empowerment of Barbadians through his assurance that black divinity was central to their practice of the Christian faith.
Known for his charismatic and unique approach to worship that incorporated African rhythms, he conducted weekend night-time services for his followers in public spaces in the City, near the Fairchild Street Terminal.
The event comes on the heels of a promise made by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, to rename the bus terminal after the former leader of the Sons of God Apostolic Church, while addressing the crowd at a ceremony to remove the statue of Lord Horatio Nelson in Heroes Square, in 2020.
Barbadians are encouraged to line the route, around the Fairchild Street Terminal, and witness the procession that begins outside the St. Mary’s Anglican Church. It will travel along Milk Market Road, in front of City Centre Mall, and continue along Lower Broad Street, Upper Broad Street, Charles Duncan O’Neal Bridge and into Golden Square.
The travelling public is asked to note that there will be traffic delays along the route as a result of the procession between the hours of 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Likewise, pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be disrupted in the area surrounding the terminal between the hours of 4.00 and 4.30 p.m.
There will be an address by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, Santia Bradshaw, and cultural presentations by the Israel Lovell Foundation and the Pinelands Creative Workshop followed by the unveiling of a new sign and plaque on the terminal building.
Archbishop Williams died on April 6, 2014, at the age of 90.
