St Mary's Anglican Church

St Mary's Anglican Church at dusk.

St. Mary’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral is a historical church located in the central area of Grand Turk. A charming white church with distinctive red shutters, St. Mary’s has a breathtaking view of the beach on Front Street in Cockburn Town and an inclusive congregation, always ready to welcome new visitors and parishioners.

History

Originally built in 1900, St. Mary’s is the primary church of worship for the Anglican Church in Grand Turk. But despite being more than 100 years old, St. Mary’s isn’t the oldest Anglican church on the island. That distinction belongs to St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, built in 1823. But St. Thomas is located at the edge of Town Salina, which meant that parishioners needed to travel farther from the town center to attend services. Seeing the need for a closer church to allow parishioners to easily attend services in the evening, St. Mary’s was established. In the 1990s St. Mary’s was designated as a Pro-Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. As part of this designation, St. Mary’s can be used as a Cathedral if the Bishop of the Diocese chooses to do so.

Services

The interior of the church.

St. Mary’s holds three services every Sunday at 6:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 5:00 PM. During these times, Holy Eucharist takes place. The CPWI Hymnal and The Book of Common Prayer are used during the services, and the church has extras available for visitors. At the church, bulletins are also provided that list not only the order of services, but also the morning and evening scripture readings for each day of the coming week.

Sunday School

The church offers Sunday School for young children at 9:30 AM, where the children are able to complete activities associated with the scripture readings of that day. For kids who are 13 and older, there is a youth meeting held known as CYM (Christian Youth Ministry) in the afternoon on Fridays.

There is not a strict dress code enforced at the church, however, it is customary for attendees to dress formally, in what is known as their Sunday Best.

Located in Cockburn Town

Cockburn Town is the capital of the Turks and Caicos, and is the oldest settlement in the country. The small town is located on the central west coast of Grand Turk, and features a picturesque beach, and architecture reminiscent of British and Bermudian colonial styles.