St. Anselm’s Church emerged on the scene of the Catholic Diocese in the summer of 1933 – Monday, August 29th to be exact. This was the day that two members of the Sisters of Charity from Mount Saint Vincent, New York, Sister Marita Anne Fox and Sister Veronica Mary McAghan came the village and opened St. Anselm’s All Age School in a tiny lodge hall that was to become the headquarters of the Catholic Church in Fox Hill for the next two years. Whether it was an intentional action or an act of faith, the building in which the American nuns started the school was named Love and Charity Lodge Hall. It was at this location the first mass was celebrated by Father Bonaventure Hansen, OSB.

The corner stone for the first church built on the existing property was laid in 1933. Some two years later the church building was consecrated in 1935. From its humble beginnings over eight (8) decades ago, the community today not only serves the residents for Fox Hill, but the entire Eastern End of New Providence. Membership includes some 550 families from various cultural backgrounds, races and nationalities. The community continues to grow with active and vibrant participation in many ministries particularly the St. Vincent De Paul providing  assistance to the needly in the area. In 2001 through the auspices of the family of the late Holly and Littie Cartwright a youth center was constructed. The facility is used for many worthwhile community causes including our daily children’s breakfast programme and after school activities for children in the area.

St. Anselm’s Worship space

The Shape of the Church  is representative of Eternity, as it has eight sides. The number eight in the Bible is known as the eternal number.

Hence, our new octagonal (eight sided) worship is a symbol of eternity; the new creation; and of Christ leading His people to eternal life. This space facilitates the marriage of the old church with a new worship space, which is indicative of the fact that we revere our heritage while we embrace the future with hope and faith built on tradition. The merging of these old and news spaces is carefully modelled by the external finishing of the new worship space, which mirrors that of the old.

The new worship space has a capacity to hold 500 persons, with an overflow capacity for an additional 200 persons.

The sacred spaces within the new worship space were symbolically placed and indigenous to both the local Fox Hill community and Bahamian culture at large.

The Altar –  is placed not only at the centre of the worship space but the centre of the entire Church Property,. This is indicative of the fact that as parish community, it is Christ  who must always be at the Center of our worship and our lives.
The altar and four walls of the edifice were erected at the dedication on March , 2003 Hanging at the center of our altar is the Christ figure. Once again, it is a visible and poignant reminder that as a community of faith, whenever we gather around the altar we are to be cognizant of the fact  that  Jesus Christ, whose saving mission is recalled in the Eucharistic celebration must be at the centre of our lives.

The Ambo - is the place where the Word of God is proclaimed

The placement of the ambo and its simple dignity reflects our understanding of the proclamation of the Word of God. This Word of God is proclaimed to a people, for the people, in the midst of the people. Embedded in the ambo are the indigenous shells of whelks and conch.

The Cupola allows the natural light to shine forth through the worship space and is symbolic of shedding the light of the Faithful

The Cupola  the dome above the altar – funnels light into the church and highlights the altar’s position. Hence, when one enters the church, the ceiling’s beauty focuses your attention upwards, symbolizing that Christ is the head of the Church.

Baptismal Font  is placed at the Church’s entrance  and symbolizing the entrance of eternal life

Constantly churning, the waters of the font symbolize the living waters that save us. Standing at the entrance, the font represents how we enter the church through the Sacrament of Baptism, it is , the first of the sacraments or the “door” which gives us access to the other sacraments.

This font also has conch shells and whelk shells embedded in it to add to its striking aesthetics.

The Ambry  is the place that makes visible the tools of anointing

It is mounted on the wall, to the right of the Baptismal font. The ambry (a glass case) holds in place the holy oils used in the celebration of the sacraments.
 

The Tabernacle

The 500-pound tabernacle, was originally given in honor of the first Benedictine priest Fr. Chrysostom Shreiner, and it was blessed by the Very Reverend Bernard Kevenhoester, OBS (who became our first Bishop) on Christmas Eve in 1930 at St. Francis Xavier. The tabernacle traveled from there to Our Lady’s to St. John Chrysostom in Andros from where it was recovered. It is cast in bronze with gilded crosses and three sets of eight semi-precious stones. On the door are four panels depicting God feeding the people with manna in the desert (Ps 78:24-25), the priest Melchizedek, offering bread and wine (Gen. 14:18), the Last Supper, and the Crucifixion. Inscribed at the top in Latin is Jesus’ promise: “Behold I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Mt. 28:20). Down the front are the words, “Behold the dwelling of God with humanity”. (Rev. 21:3).

Reconciliation Chapel – Renewing the Saving Grace of Baptism
The Reconciliation chapel is located next to the ambry and near the baptismal font is this chapel and it is representative of how we may be restored after our initial cleansing from sin after baptism.

The Crucifix is made of The Corpus and Cross

The Crucifix, one of our central symbols and a focal point of our worship space was carved from indigenous trees. The arms are extended representing Christ welcoming all into the worship space. While the cross is made of woman’s tongue, the body is made from Madeira. The insignia  INRI (Jesus of Nazareth), the king of the Jews) was made from a left over piece of lignum vitae (tree of life) that was used to make a staff for Pope John Paul when he visited the Bahamas on January 31st 1979.

A shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mother
There is a space provided for a shrine to the Blessed Mother, the model disciple who points us towards her Son.

Bahamian Symbols
The “Connecting” water: The placement of blue green tiles around the church’s interior represents the waters which connect our islands. These waters unite us with the world and with our ancestors’ pathways to The Bahamas. The navy to aquamarine represents movement from darkness to light. Water is the primary symbol used in the Baptism.

Shells: The baptismal font, ambry, altar, ambo and the tabernacle’s base are made of natural materials, including marble, conch shells, and whelks. The shells represent “discarded” individuals – the elderly, sick, addicts and others – whom we overlook and who are able to contribute as well as transform their lives and the lives of others. By utilizing these “discarded shells” we recall that “discarded”  lives and relationships can be transformed.

The Sun: the yellow, gold and cream colors and wood trims represents the sun and Jesus’ declaration that He is the Light of the world.

The Sand: Sand is represented by the beige walls and tiles, as well as the pink marble tiles.
 

The Courtyard
The courtyard, enclosed by two gates and decorative grills, incorporates plants, flowers and limited seating space. The courtyard surrounds the main entrance and gives us the “space” physically and spiritually to prepare for our encounter with the Lord and each other. The gates depict the Virgin and Child (the beginning of Jesus’s  life among us) and the Ascension (the end of His life) Each grill depicts the sun and a person praying. (see 1st Tim.2:8)
 

Stained Glass Windows

Twelve panels are provided for in the church for stained glass windows which will chronicle our journey of faith.