By Leiselle Maraj Sunday, February 5 2012

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Provincial Superior, Sister Juliana Alexander....

It is a little over a year since the trumpet sounded heralding the beginning of 12 months celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Sisters of St Joseph Cluny’s arrival in Port-of-Spain.

On Sunday last, the Sisters held a Thanksgiving Mass in the Convent’s Chapel to close the celebration of this anniversary, a highlight of which was the ceremonial burial of a time capsule containing memorabilia of the past year.

The ceremony took place under a tent erected over a hole in the ground at the front of St Joseph’s Convent, Port-of-Spain. The capsule was ceremoniously placed into the ground by two young Sisters and will be officially buried shortly, before being opened on January 29, 2036, when the arrival of the Sisters to this country will mark 200 years. Students of the schools operated by the Cluny Sisters, visiting nuns and other invited priests witnessed the event.

“As we close this chapter in our lives, having just celebrated the 175th anniversary of the arrival of our Sisters in the Caribbean, we have chosen to leave behind in a time capsule, an account of the wonderful successes we have accomplished with every event planned during the Year of Celebration,” the Cluny Sisters said in a statement.

In an interview with Sunday Newsday, Provincial Superior, Sister Juliana Alexander, said the capsule was the brainchild of a committee of Sisters who came up with ideas to celebrate the 175th anniversary.

“We wanted to celebrate coming this far and we wanted to create a link between us and the future, so the capsule was a good idea,” she said.

The capsule will officially be buried once a DVD is made of the Mass last Sunday and placed with the other contents of the capsule. Also to be buried is a letter Sister Juliana wrote to the future Provincial Superior for when the capsule is opened for the 200th anniversary of the Sisters’ arrival in this country.

“The letter simply speaks about our celebration after 175 years of existence in Trinidad,” Sr Juliana said.

She added that students of the schools operated by the Cluny Sisters were asked to write statements about what it means to them to attend such a school.

The Provincial Superior also wrote about the Sister’s brunch held to help victims of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

“We were able to raise $125,000, which was given to our sisters in Haiti to help in the reconstruction of an orphanage destroyed during the earthquake,” Alexander explained.

Also included in the capsule are pictures, a video presentation of the events of the past year, as well as artwork and memorabilia of their celebrations.

“This year was a unique year, a year of one celebration after another and we want to pass on our legacy so it will be maintained by those to come,” she said.

The Sisters ensured that the capsule would be virtually indestructible so it will survive the 25 years it will be buried underground. The hole dug to place the capsule has been cemented, bricks laid and then cast. Once the capsule is placed for good in the hole, the marble top will be sealed with silicon. She said two young nuns from the Order were included in this aspect of celebrations.

“We hope that those who bury it would be alive to see it handed to the Provincial Superior in the future. Among other things, we hope it would be easier for them to plan their own celebrations because we have given them an idea of what they can do,” she said.

Officiating at the Mass was Archbishop of Port-of-Spain, Reverend Joseph Harris, assisted by several priests, including Father Gregory Augustine, superior of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Principal of Fatima College.