Two Years After Beryl, a Union Island Catholic Church Is “Still a Pile of Rubble”

• A Union Island resident says the island’s two original churches have still not been restored
• St Matthias Anglican Church, opened in 1875, has walls but no roof
• St Joseph Roman Catholic Church remains rubble two years after the storm
• He is asking the Anglican and Catholic hierarchies to commit to rebuilding

More than two years after Hurricane Beryl struck St Vincent and the Grenadines on 1 July 2024, the two original churches on Union Island are still not back in use. In a letter published by Searchlight on 18 August 2026, Union Island resident Godwin E. James asked what the future holds for the island’s original places of worship.

James described the state of both buildings. St Matthias Anglican Church, which opened in Ashton in 1875, still has most of its walls standing, but, as he put it, “the roof is yet to be restored.” St Joseph Roman Catholic Church, established around 1919, is in a worse condition. It is, he wrote, “still a pile of rubble.” He added that the Catholic church on neighbouring Mayreau was in the same state, describing it as “a stark reminder of Beryl’s onslaught on its sacred space.”

The contrast with other congregations is sharp. According to James, most of the island’s non-traditional churches have been restored since the hurricane, though not necessarily to their former glory. He also noted that during the storm every church except the Gospel Hall Assembly in Ashton was unusable as a shelter. He credited much of the visible recovery on Union Island to philanthropic help from a Mr Wace.

His request to church leaders is simple: that the Anglican and Catholic hierarchies reassure parishioners that the two churches will be restored as permanent places of worship, even if not to their original condition. Without that commitment, he warned, “The faithful few may lose hope in returning to them for worship, burial of the dead” and the other rites of church life. “Beryl’s devastation tested the faith of Unionites,” he wrote.

The letter highlights a real gap in disaster recovery. Small, independent congregations can often raise money and rebuild quickly, while historic churches owned by large denominations must wait on diocesan budgets, insurance and decisions taken far away. For a community, an unroofed church is more than a damaged building; it is a sign of whether the institutions behind it intend to stay.

Jamaica now faces the same question after Hurricane Melissa, with many church buildings across the western parishes damaged. Union Island’s experience suggests that dioceses should publish clear rebuilding plans and timelines early, and that parishioners, including members of the diaspora who want to help, should press for them. Congregations that know what their denomination intends for their building are far more likely to stay together, and to raise the money needed to put the roof back on.