Glorious mas

GARY CARDINEZ

ONCE again, there is a rumbling and undercurrent about the role of the church and Carnival. This time it comes because two young, gifted designers chose to use the All Saints Anglican Church to launch their 2019 Carnival presentation, Through Stained Glass Windows.

Twin sisters Kathy and Karen Norman continue to shatter the glass ceiling when it comes to TT Carnival. They chose All Saints on Marli Street in Port of Spain, because it suited the theme of their presentation and maybe it’s the only church with authentic stained glass. They also want to help restore the 172-year-old building.

But the Anglican Church has a history when it comes to mas and Carnival. In 1966, Rev Father Clifford Hendey played mas with Angostura Starlift Steel Orchestra. This prompted the Mighty Cypher to document the event with a song called If the Priest Could Play.

Cypher won the Calypso Monarch in 1967 when he sang Last Elections and If the Priest Could Play. The song also became the unofficial Road March giving Lord Kitchener a run for his money but Kitchener won with Sixty Seven.

More recently, Cannon Winston Joseph and Fr Brian Jemmott also played mas during the Carnival celebrations.

There is an air of excitement about the event and Rector of All Saints Canon Richard Jacob says, “We believe that God is the source of all that is creative and good. We celebrate what is good and uplifting and give folks an opportunity to rethink how we express that God-given creativity at Carnival.”

Jacob also quoted 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

Through Stained Glass Windows produced by K2K Alliance and Partners will be portrayed by five sections: Amare (to Love), Fidem (Faith), Spero (Hope), Lux (Light) and Gaudium (Joy). Kathy and Karen have been in Trinidad over the last week preparing for the launch which begins at 9 pm tomorrow.

Tickets are available at the church.

For more info: Facebook, k2k-carnival.com