Jamaica
Spirituality
The spiritual heart and soul of Jerusalem, Mustard Seed Community’s home for children and adults with disabilities in Spanish Town, Jamaica, lies in Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel.
Twice each day, the residents call their friends from the playroom, meal pavilion, school, and cottages to join the procession to the wooden pews of the chapel – some push their companion’s wheelchair, some challenge the others to a race to the front row, many hold hands to make their way together. Once everyone is gathered, the sound of joyful singing pours from the front doors, announcing the start of a service of prayer and song.
For the first months of this year, the chapel has been closed for renovations, relocating Jerusalem’s prayer services. On June 13, 2024, we celebrated Our Lady of Lourdes’ long-anticipated reopening with Mass and a rededication ceremony.
Fr. Garvin Augustine, executive director of MSC International, celebrated Mass with Msgr. Gregory Ramkissoon, MSC’s founder, alongside Fr. Ernest Chikwata, Fr. Arokiadas Arumainathan, Fr. Maria Lucas Gunalan, and Fr. Joseph Lucas. These priests, hailing from Jamaica, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago, represented the international collaboration that defines Jerusalem’s chapel as a spiritual home. Attendees included Jerusalem’s residents, staff, caregivers, and volunteers from California and Georgia.
Mass opened with a joyful song, led by the residents. Shanice, a resident of Jerusalem Village, read aloud from Isaiah 61.
The Rite of Dedication of the chapel commenced with the anointing of its altar and walls, followed by the lighting of its candles. This ritual symbolized the transformation of invisible love, rooted in God’s message, into a tangible space for prayer and Mass. The ceremony emphasized the community’s resolve to consecrate the altar and chapel to God alone.
Dedicating the chapel by first anointing its altar and walls then lighting its candles makes the invisible love that we show in the tradition of God’s message into a visible place to pray and celebrate Mass. The ceremony declared that the will of the community is to dedicate the altar and chapel to God alone.
Mrs. Terry Newton, a mission volunteer and supporter of the chapel’s construction, concluded the rededication ceremony with a heartfelt message. “I have been involved with Mustard Seed Communities since 2003, when my husband Bill and I went on a mission trip to Nicaragua. Since then, MSC has remained an integral part of our entire family,” Terry said. She was thrilled to share this moment with the Dare to Care mission team, a group of volunteers with a long legacy of tending to the needs of our community.
“The chapel in Jerusalem represents everything that we are about – love, the power of community, family, the joy God brings to our lives – and the fact that it is of significant historical value to Jamaica makes it even more special. We are thrilled to have witnessed the restoration of this beautiful chapel so that it can continue to be enjoyed by residents, staff, and visitors to Jerusalem.”
Terry Newton
The chapel at Jerusalem is an indelible part of MSC’s story for many individuals. For Betsy Fountain, executive director of MSC USA, the chapel is a representation of profound friendship and connection.
“Seeing residents, staff, and volunteers, who are from all around the world, connect in prayer and song reminds me of how powerful relationships are in finding common ground even if our lives seem completely different. It struck me as I saw a volunteer singing with a resident that the chapel brings us closer to God and it also brings us closer to one another,” Betsy said.
With spirituality at the heart of MSC’s mission, inspired by the healing and caring ministry of Jesus Christ, the chapel signifies our ongoing commitment to foster a love for God and love for one another in all of our communities. For years to come, children and adults with disabilities, staff, and volunteers from all around the globe will be able to call Our Lady of Lourdes at Jerusalem a spiritual home.