{Courtesey: Awoko -Sierra Leone Jan. 26 2026}
The Canterbury of West Africa as it is called has its dual role of promoting education and worship during the days when it was constructed. The head of the Anglican Church in England is at the Canterbury where they perform the same role now as it was then for St Charles.
This is the oldest stone Church, South of the Sahara that has stood the test of time since it was built. According to reports, it took four years to build this church for the settlers that needed a place of worship and a centre where they would be educated.
Canon Balogun Buck who is in charge of the church and also a member said that it is imperative on the current membership to make sure that posterity judge all of them by making sure they do everything in their power to make the 200 years celebration a success.
“We will never have the opportunity to be around for the 300 years celebration, but now that we are opportune to be part of the 200 years, we all must take part and make sure we leave behind our legacies and history of what we did during the 200 years. The history we are now using to celebrate the 200 years was left behind by those who celebrated the centenary.”
According to history, the reason why this church was built was because the freed slaves that were located at the Mountain villages of Regent, Gloucester, Leicester, Bathurst and Charlotte needed to continue their worship and a place where they would continue their education.
So in 1812, they decided to build the church for worshipping and to train inhabitants in skills and other education.
In August of 1816, the Church was completed and was in operation until November when they officially dedicated the it and it was named after Governor Charles Marcathy who was instrumental in the whole process of building the church.
The first Reverend of the Church was W.A.B. Johnson who has been in charge since the construction.
As Cannon Buck always says, one peculiar advantage that St Charles church has is that it was constructed on a hill surrounded by streams, which always give it that special look. On that hill the Church, the Primary and Secondary Schools and the Vicarage where the Reverend resides.
According to history, the training of the inhabitants of these villages led to the founding of the Fourah College (FBC) which started at Leicester village; it was then brought to Regent where the Vicarage is before it was taken to Cline Town.
Also, it was in Regent that the first secondary school was built in West Africa known as the Sierra Leone Grammar School. The first female school was built in Charlotte known as the Annie Walsh Memorial School.
From St Charles Church, many Reverends were trained and posted across West Africa including Canons Ajayi Crowther and S.S. Williams who were sent to the Niger Delta in Nigeria to pastor churches there.
St Charles Church, which is an Anglican Church, is still the only church using the same building built 200 years that is why it is still the oldest Church South of the Sahara. Many other churches in the country started in tents and grass houses, but none of those churches have a building that is 200 years old, according to the history books.
The celebration will continue until November when the Church will then celebrate its 200 years as there are many programmes slated throughout the year to commemorate such an auspicious occasion in the village.
Monday January 25, 2016.
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