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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 65 - Monday February 07, 2005 |
Earthquake Relief Gala for Portsmouth Roman Catholic Church
 by Dr. Emanuel Finn
The devastating November 21, 2005 earthquake, which measured 6.0 on the ritcher scale and shocked the northern part of Dominica, damaged the historic Roman Catholic Church in the small northern port city of Portsmouth and other buildings.
 In response to the destruction, a gala has been planned on Long Island, New York on February 12, to raise funds for restoration of the church, which was built around the 1850s.
Dr. Montgomery (Monty) Douglas and his wife Pearl felt that one of the best ways to show gratitude to an important, sacred and cornerstone institution in the community was to raise funds to help restore the church.
Monty and Pearl reside in Queens, New York with their two children, accepted their marital vows in that church ten years ago.
Dr. Douglas said that while growing in Portsmouth, his late parents especially his dad �RBD� ensured that he and his siblings attended mass more than once a week at that church. �I was very sad when I heard that the church collapsed.
I immediately reflected on my childhood memories.
My family also paid our last respects to my parents, older brothers Mike and Rosie at that church. I can still hear the church bells ringing on a Sunday morning summoning the faithful to prayer�.
According to Mrs. Douglas, �The gala proceeds will not come close to restoring the substantial structural damage caused by the earthquake; therefore, we need more support and fundraising activities from fellow Dominicans abroad�.
This effort by the Douglas� is a perfect example of how Dominicans can continue to collectively band together to raise funds for some major activity and worthy causes in their small communities.
Of course, this is type of caring and giving back to the land of our birth and a longing to be there in times of crisis and festivity is nothing new.
It has been occurring with our expatriate communities ever since migration started in the late 1800s when Dominicans migrated to neighboring islands in search of better lives.
Today experts who study migration describe these gestures as classic examples of activities of �transnational space�.
The outpouring of love, caring, support and inter connectiveness with and for one�s original community despite national and international geographical boundaries, new socio-economic, class, political and cultural realities.
In Greek mythology, the story of Odysseus was probably one of the first cases where �transnational space� activity is chronicled in 2000 BC.
Odysseus left Troy sailing homeward bound to Ithaca only to fall in trouble in the lands of the Cyclopes before finally coming to (�sweet�) home to see his friends and sleep in his own bed again.
The (optional black tie) gala was originally scheduled for Saturday, January 22nd but was postponed to February 12th due to a snowstorm which blanketed the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.
The venue for the fabulous night of networking, dancing and fine dinning is the George Washington Manor in Roslyn, Long Island.
Please contact the Douglas� at [email protected] should you need more information or wish to make a donation.
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