Brief Background of San Fernando
San Fernando, the second city of the nation is located in the south western part of Trinidad. San Fernando de Naparima was coined a city on 18th November, 1988. The city’s origin has a Spanish base in terms of named and beginning of development (Newsday, 2012). Even though it went through a lot of changes and upgrades, it maintained its cultural tradition and holds its history as part of it existence.
“The city functions as the main transportation hub for the south of the island and is identified as a regional urban centre in the National Physical Development Plan of 1984. This indicates the significance of San Fernando as the key urban centre after the national capital, and denotes a concentration of urban amenities and employment opportunities and a high level of social services.” (UN Habitat, 2012, p. 6)
Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
Prominent Landmark in San Fernando- Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church
The original structure was built in 1784, making it one of the oldest structures in the City of San Fernando. It is located on Harris Promenade, a prominent area in San Fernando (Limited, 2015) and is an important feature in the urban landscape. It is surrounded by other significant buildings including the Supreme Court, City Hall and the Police Station.
“Cities are a point of maximum concentration of power and culture of a community” (Mumford, 1938). With reference to the Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in San Fernando its location in the city allows a greater amount of people and through this the everlasting rich culture through religion is maintained holding together a community.
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| Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church San Fernando |
“Urbanization undermines the traditional rural way of life based on family, kinship and community.” (Pacione, 2005, p. 499). This church has maintained its structure and togetherness over the years. Its location in the city gives that sense of community and communion to the urbanize area through this the everlasting rich culture. Therefore, the church counteracts this effect of urbanization mentioned in Pacione’s work by being much more than a religious institution, it is “the most visible symbol of the community, but also a social anchor. It enables the greater socio-spatial structure of city dwellers.” (Henderson, 2002, p. 141)
It can be considered to be a social institution as it offers a “place for informal social interaction outside of the home.” (Clark, 1982, 84) In 2011, during the its 225th anniversary there was a competition, in art, photography and essay writing, which attracted more than 200 entries from children all over the country, this church not only has a reach to its local community, but nationwide.
It has a key role in the city and civic health. “Even today, the only reason many families with children are confident enough to stay in the city is because they can enroll their kids in Catholic or other religious schools.”(Renn, 2012) In the context of, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church has been involved in the establishment of highly recognize d Catholic schools such as St. Benedict’s College Presentation College, St Joseph’s Convent and St Gabriel's Girls RC the San Fernando Boy R C (photos in that order) and the offering parents that boost in confidence. "Church (or religion) ran schools improve the educational success of students and provide training and skills that promote civic engagement. For students, religious involvement is positively correlated with higher scores and greater educational aspirations (Regnerus 2000; Regnerus 2001)
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| Photo showing the schools established by the church taking part in community activities. |
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