St. Mary's Church Maryfest

 

St. Mary's Church Maryfest

Virginia St.

 

Saturday, May 23, 2026

12pm - 9pm 

 

Visit St. Mary's on Facebook 

 

 

"Prayer for Peace" - Bahamas AI Art
 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

A National Prayer for Peace: The Bahamas General Election 2026

Date of Election: Tuesday, May 12th, 2026

Theme: "Forward, Upward, Onward Together in Peace"

The Invocation

Most Gracious and Eternal God, Creator of the sun, the sea, and the seven hundred islands and cays that make up our beautiful Commonwealth. We come before You today with humble hearts as we approach this sacred season of our democracy. We acknowledge that You are the ultimate Governor of all nations, and that without Your guidance, we labor in vain.

Does Religion Create Division? If So How?

 "Religious Symbols" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

Does Religion Create Division? If So How?

Yes—religion can create division, but it doesn’t always. It depends less on religion itself and more on how people interpret and use it.

At its core, religion is meant to provide meaning, moral guidance, and community. But several dynamics can turn it into a source of division:

 

Christ Church Cathedral - ©A. Derek Catalano

 

The Mother Church: An In-Depth Study of Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Nassau

Standing as a stalwart sentinel of faith and history at the corner of George and King Streets in downtown Nassau, Christ Church Anglican Cathedral is more than a place of worship; it is the spiritual and historical epicenter of The Bahamas. Known as the "Mother Church" of all Anglican churches in The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, its story is inextricably linked with the development of the Bahamian nation itself.

Happy Easter

 

Related article: The Origin, History, and Current Meaning of Easter

The Easter Story: From The Last Supper to The Resurrection

 

 

 

On this Good Friday Native Stew presents

 The Easter Story: From The Last Supper to The Resurrection

 

"The Bolom" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

The Shadow of the Silk Cotton Tree

 

Part I: The Arrival of the Red Dust

The island of Andros does not welcome visitors; it merely tolerates them. It is a land of "blue holes"—bottomless limestone pits that breathe with the tides—and "coppice" forests so thick that a man can vanish ten feet from the road. To the locals, it is a place where the veil between the living and the spirit world is worn thin by the salt spray and the constant whispering of the casuarina trees.

Father Elias Cox arrived on the mail boat from Nassau during the hottest July in fifty years. He was a man of the cloth, but also a man of the soil, born in the Family Islands and educated in the cold cathedrals of England. He had returned to find his childhood home gripped by a sickness that the doctors in the capital couldn't name.

"It isn't a fever, Father," whispered Old Ma’ Tilda, the village midwife, as Elias sat in her small wooden shack in Staniard Creek. "It’s a draining. They wake up pale as the sand on the sandbanks, with a thirst that water can't quench, and eyes that see things in the corners of the room."

Elias looked at the girl lying on the cot—Tilda’s granddaughter, Seraphina. Her skin was a translucent grey. On her neck, hidden just beneath the jawline, were two small, puckered marks. They weren't clean punctures. They looked like they had been made by something with teeth designed for tearing, yet they were sealed with a strange, dark resin.

"Obeah," Elias muttered, the word tasting like copper in his mouth.

"Worse," Tilda replied, clutching her wooden cross. "They call them the Bolom. But these aren't just spirits. They walk. They have shadows. And they serve the man in the Silk Cotton Grove."

Religious Songs and Drums in the Bahamas - Various Artists

 

In this collection of Religious Songs and Drums in the Bahamas, Marshall Stearns demonstrates the strong external influences on Bahamian music and culture. The religious music by the Baptist-Methodist Group and the Congregation of the Church of God suggest a certain influence of American gospel music, while the drumming of the “Ring Game,” “Heel and Toe Polka,” and “Jumping Dance” indicate a continuance of African drumming traditions with the scraping element of a saw, unique to Bahamian “rake ‘n’ scrape” music.

 

 

 

 

 

Religious Songs and Drums in the Bahamas

Release Date: 1953
Label: Folkways Records

Tracklisting:
Alfred Henderson - Ring Play 00:00
Alfred Henderson, Gabriel Adderly - Fire Dance 01:14
Baptist-Methodist Group - In the Upper Room 03:46
Baptist-Methodist Group - Please Hear Me When I Call 07:26
Baptist-Methodist Group - Walk and Talk to Glory 10:44
Church of God Congregation (Nassau, Bahamas) - Church of God Congregation, Nassau-1 13:08
Church of God Congregation (Nassau, Bahamas) - Church of God Congregation, Nassau-2 16:42
Church of God Congregation (Nassau, Bahamas) - Church of God Congregation, Nassau 23:08
Harcourt Symonette, Gabriel Adderly, Alfred Henderson - Jumping Dance 26:30
Howard Johnson, Alfred Henderson - Heel and Toe Polka 30:58
Howard Johnson, Alfred Henderson, Gabriel Adderly - Jook Dance 32:20

 

Related music: I Don't Like Rum 

Related music: Conga Scrape

Could the war in Iran lead to Armageddon?

"Armageddon" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

Could the war in Iran lead to Armageddon?

The question of whether a conflict with Iran could lead to "Armageddon" is one that bridges the gap between modern geopolitics and ancient religious prophecy. With the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran on February 28, 2026, this discussion has moved from the theoretical to the forefront of global headlines.

The Region Bells - Send Down Fire

 

 

 

The Region Bells - Send Down Fire

 

Visit my Vintage Gold Bahamian Music 

The Hermitage on Mount Alvernia: An In-Depth Exploration

 "The Hermitage on Mount Alvernia, Cat Is." Bahamas AI Image

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

The Hermitage on Mount Alvernia: An In-Depth Exploration

Tucked into the lush, gentle hills of Cat Island in the central Bahamas is a place that at first glance seems out of time and place: a tiny stone monastery perched atop the highest point in the entire nation. This quiet, evocative site is known simply as The Hermitage, and it crowns Mount Alvernia — formerly known locally as Como Hill — rising to 206 feet (63 meters) above sea level. Though modest in stature by global standards, it holds outsized significance as a cultural, architectural, and spiritual landmark for the Bahamas. The Islands of The Bahamas

The Architect of the Sacred State: An Analysis of Fascist Theocracy

 "The Church of Fascism" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

The Architect of the Sacred State: An Analysis of Fascist Theocracy

The fusion of fascism—a far-right, ultranationalist political ideology—and theocracy—a system of government in which deity-guided laws and clerical authority prevail—creates a singular and devastatingly potent form of governance. While classical fascism often treats religion as a tool for state utility (or an "ersatz" competitor), a Fascist Theocracy elevates religious dogma to the status of state law, viewing the nation not just as a political unit, but as a divine instrument.

This essay explores the ideological pillars, historical manifestations, and the chilling mechanisms of control inherent in the hybrid of the cross and the fasces.

My Father’s Obituaries by Bahamianology.Com

 

Collected obituaries by the Late Rt. Honourable Bradley B. Roberts.

 

 

My father collected obituaries.

In retirement, after twenty-five years in politics and sixty years of working life, the Late Rt. Honourable Bradley B. Roberts turned his attention to a project both humble and monumental: collecting obituaries. Not dozens, but thousands—each one a thread in the vast tapestry of Bahamian ancestry, each one a doorway into the interconnected lives that built a nation. Read more>>

New Year’s Eve Watch Night Service

 

"Watch Night Service" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

 New Year’s Eve Watch Night Service

The New Year’s Eve Watch Night Service is more than a simple religious tradition; it is a profound intersection of faith, history, and cultural identity. For millions across the globe, particularly in the African Diaspora and the Methodist tradition, the service serves as a spiritual bridge between the "old man" of the previous year and the "new creation" of the next.

Religious Wars: Causes, Examples, and the Possibility of Peace

 

"Religious War" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

Religious Wars: Causes, Examples, and the Possibility of Peace

Throughout human history, religion has been one of the most powerful forces shaping societies. It has inspired art, law, charity, moral systems, and community. At the same time, religion has also been linked to some of the bloodiest conflicts the world has ever known. Religious wars are often remembered for their violence, intolerance, and lasting damage. Understanding what religious wars are, why they happen, and whether they can ever truly end is essential if humanity hopes to build a more peaceful future.

EABIC Bahamas - Black Christ Mass Celebration

 

Black Christ Mass Celebration

 

7 Golden Candestick(Priests) on Melchesidec Alter

 Entertainment by Daniel #1 Band

 Free Admission, food & refreshments

 January 7, 2026 | 8pm - until

 Bobo Camp, Fire Trail Rd, Bahamas Branch

The Nativity

 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 

 "The Nativity" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

Unto Us

 Emmanuel, our God has come

UNTO US

 

A DRAMATIC MUSICAL 

 

Sunday, December 14th, 2025 at 6:30PM

Calvary Bible Church

62 Collins Ave.

Nassau, Bahamas

 

Celebrate the joy of Christmas with us! 

The Bible and AI

 

 "The Bible and AI" - Bahamas AI Art

©A. Derek Catalano

 

 The Bible and AI

What does the Bible have to say about artificial intelligence?

The Bible does not mention "artificial intelligence" directly, as it is a modern concept. However, biblical scholars and theologians apply timeless scriptural principles to understand and evaluate this new technology, primarily drawing on themes related to creation, human nature, stewardship, wisdom, and idolatry.

Here are the key principles and relevant biblical themes often discussed in relation to AI:

Holy Anointing Oil

 

 "Holy Anointing Oil" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

Holy Anointing Oil

 

Was cannabis a possible ingredient in the Holy Anointing Oil mentioned in the Old Testament book of Exodus 30:22-25? 

The idea that cannabis might have been an ingredient in the Holy Anointing Oil is a subject of scholarly debate and discussion.

The recipe for the Holy Anointing Oil in Exodus 30:22-25 includes four main spices mixed with olive oil:

Liquid myrrh

Fragrant cinnamon

Aromatic cane (or sweet cane/calamus) - The ingredient in question

Cassia

The key ingredient at the center of this debate is the third spice, which is translated from the original Hebrew as "קְנֵה־בֹשֶׂם" (qaneh-bosem or kaneh bosm).