Roman Catholic church reigns supreme in St. Lucia

The people of St. Lucia are deeply religious, practicing and upholding a complex system of beliefs that range from African ancestral religions such as kele, to Rastafarianism, to numerous Christian denominations.

Today more than 70 percent of the population of St. Lucia is Roman Catholic. Currently there are 22 Roman Catholic parishes on the island, all with churches and resident priests.

Although Catholicism is the predominant faith practiced in St. Lucia, a cross-section of Protestant denominations, along with other branches of Christianity, can be found. Some of the more active denominations are Seventh-Day Adventists, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and Salvation Army. Other religious groups include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Redemption Ministries,  and the Evangelical Church of the West Indies.

According to the 1990 census, two and one half percent of St. Lucians were Anglican and one half of a percent were Methodists.

The denomination that has grown the most in the past 30 years is the Seventh-Day Adventists — from one percent in 1960 to six and one half percent of the total population in 1990. In 1997 there were 35 Seventh-Day Adventist churches in communities throughout the island with five more churches under construction.

A total of 32 religious denominations and organizations were registered in St. Lucia in 1997. Some of them are the Pentecostal Assemblies of the East Indies, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is, Wesleyan Holiness, Born Again Revival Tabernacle, The Native Full Gospel, Streams of Power, The Islamic Missionaries Guild, Christian Brethren and Assemblies of Yahweh.

In the 1970s the Rastafar­ian faith spread across the island. The followers of this faith believe in the divinity of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. The Rastafarian religion also states that black people are  chosen people of Israel who were taken into captivity and scattered abroad. A controversial practice of the Rastafarians is the smoking of the marijuana plant, which they believe is a sacred herb to be used in community worship and for the healing of the nation.

Although declining in number, ancestor religious practices of African and Indian descent are still active in some communities on the island. The most controversial of the African religious ceremonies is the kele. This involves the sacrifice of an unblemished sheep in honor of the gods of Ogun and Shango, and for thanksgiving and supplication.

Catholicism has deep roots in St. Lucia. When the first French settlers arrived on the island, as far back as 1667, they brought their priests — whenever possible — to minister to their own spiritual needs as well as those of their slaves. The Catholic faith has continued to play a dominant role in St. Lucia’s religious community.

The first known Catholic church in St. Lucia was built in 1746 in the town of Soufriere. It was established by Roman Catholic priests from neighboring Martinique — a mere 20 miles away — who regularly visited St. Lucia to minister to the colonists and their slaves.

The Roman Catholic cathedral in the capital city of Castries was built in 1897 and has become a popular tourist attraction because of the local artistic impressions of God that illustrate a blend of Christianity and local culture.

Many national public holidays, including Good Friday, Easter, Harvest Thanksgiving, Christ­mas and Boxing Day are all considered “religious” holidays.

In almost every community, the church is a notable landmark, so for the people of the community it serves as a school, a meeting place and a shelter in times of disasters.