Only the Bell Tower Survived: A Black River Congregation Now Worships in Its Damaged Rectory

• Hurricane Melissa reduced St John’s Anglican in Black River to rubble, leaving only the belfry
• Services moved to the nearby rectory, which was also partially damaged
• Four of five churches in the cure were severely damaged
• A carol service was held in the churchyard at Christmas

When Hurricane Melissa passed over Black River on October 28, 2025, the brick walls of St John’s Anglican Church came down. Only the bell tower was left standing. In the fourth part of a Gleaner series on the church, contributor Paul H Williams followed what happened next.

With the church in ruins, the congregation moved its services to the rectory next door, which was itself partially damaged. The priest’s cure covers five churches, and four of them were severely damaged, with the fifth partly damaged. After the storm, the priest went to the surviving belfry and rang the bell.

At Christmas, the congregation held a carol service and a Christmas treat in the churchyard, in the rain. Allison Morris, a Black River resident and tour operator with family ties to the church, described the grief of seeing it. “It’s like someone had died… when I saw the church, I understood what she meant… You literally feel like it’s death,” she said.

The article did not set out any rebuilding plan, cost or timeline. That silence is itself telling: nearly two months after the storm, a historic parish church in a parish capital had no public figure attached to its reconstruction.

The move into the rectory shows why church property is more than the sanctuary. Rectories, manses and halls often become the fallback when the main building fails, which is a strong argument for keeping them insured and in good repair. A cure of five churches with four badly damaged also shows how one storm can overwhelm a single priest and a thin rural budget.

For Jamaicans abroad with roots in St Elizabeth, St John’s is part of Black River’s identity. Its recovery will depend on the diocese, heritage agencies and outside donors deciding together how, and how faithfully, to rebuild.