A Salute to Woman

THE WEEKLY GLEANER | MARCH 24 - MA RCH 30, 2021 | www.jam aica-gleaner.com | I the Last Supper he washed the feet of his disciples as an example of what they should put into practice throughout their lives, that is, love, humility and serving others. This act is repeated in the Eucharist on Holy Thursday by the Pope, the bishops, and parish priests in each of the communities in which they celebrate Mass. Veneration of the Cross: For Christians, the cross has a very valuable meaning, since it symbolises both the suffering, passion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ for humanity as well as salvation, reconciliation and union with Jesus Christ. The cross is the main symbol of the faith and the Catholic Church. On Good Friday, the Cross is venerated in order to remember and thank the sac- rifice that Jesus Christ made to cleanse the sins of the world. Light and Fire: Light has always ex- isted in close relationship with dark- ness: in personal or social history, a dark age is followed by a bright age. In na- ture, it is from the darkness of the earth that the new plant sprouts to light, just as the day follows at night. Light is also associated with knowledge, by becom- ing aware of something new, in the face of the darkness of ignorance. And because without light we could not live, light has always, but especially in Scripture, symbolises life, salvation, which is himself (Ps 27:1; Is 60:19-20). The light of God is a light in the way of men (Ps 119, 105), as well as his Word (Is 2:3-5). The Messiah also brings light and He himself is light (Is 42:6; Lk 2:32). The darkness, then, is the symbol of evil, misfortune, punishment, perdition and death (Job 18, 6: 18; Am 5:18). But it is God who penetrates and dispels darkness (Is 60: 1-2) and calls men to light (Is 42:7). Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 8: 12; 9:5) and, therefore, His disciples must also be so for others (Mt 5:14), becoming reflections of the light of Christ (2 Cor 4:6 ). A behaviour inspired by love is the sign that one is in the light (1 Jn 2:8-11). During the first part of the Easter Vigil, called the “skylight”, the source of light is fire. This, in addition to illuminating, burns and, by burning, purifies. Like the sun for its rays, fire symbolises the fertilising, purifying and enlightening action. So, in the liturgy, the symbolisms of light- flame and illuminate-burning are al- most always found together. Paschal Candle: Represents the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the light and life of the world. The Paschal Candle is a large white candle that is engraved with the Greek let- ters Alpha and Omega, which mean that God is the beginning and end of everything. The fire of the Paschal Candle is new that renews faith, from this fire, in addition, the rest of the candles are lit at the Easter Vigil. This fire represents Jesus Christ is risen and is the conqueror of the shadows and darkness. Baptismal Water: Baptisms are performed during Easter Vigil Service in order to incorporate Jesus Christ into the lives of the baptised. Water symbolises life and is also a means of purification. Baptismal water is used to renew Christian values. - Reprinted from the Catholic Opinion 6-3670 Odyssey Drive Mississauga, Ontario, L5M 0Y9 T: 905-607-6222 By Lester Hinds G ROWING UP in Clarendon, Jamaica, Beverly Nichols had no idea that she would be making the kind of contributions she does today that impact the lives of many in both her native and adopted countries. She says that, at age 11, her father sent her to live with an aunt who had no interest in the young girl going to school. “I had to take care of the animals and settled for a primary school education,” she said. Luckily, shewas returned to her father at age 16 years and she began taking evening classes. In 1981, she migrated to the United States and, for the next 15 years, pur- sued her educational goals while work- ing as a nurse’s aide, earning her degrees fromMedgar Evers College in Brooklyn, York College and LaGuardia Community College. Her loveof caring for people, especially the elderly, poweredher educational am- bition as well as her career path. In 1996, she started her own com- pany, Beverley’s Home Healthcare Incorporated that is licensed by the state of NewYork. Today, her company employs more than 300 people. “At one time, we had over 400 em- ployees but, because of COVID, we have lost patients,”she says. The company, located in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, focuses on tending to home-bound patients. SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS A self-described‘country girl’, Nichols is proud of the fact that an overwhelm- ing number of her employees are Jamaicans. But her love for Jamaica does not stop at just employing Jamaicans. She has made significant contributions to Jamaica through scholarships and her church missions trips to Jamaica. The main beneficiary of her gener- osity has been the Chapelton Hospital in Clarendon towhich she has donated US$1M to help upgrade the hospital. To this end, a wing at the hospital bears her name - The Beverley Nichols Wing. Shewas also looking to assist theMay PenHospital by providing dialysis equip- ment, but it was scrapped when the programme ran into problems, she said. When The Gleaner spoke with Nichols, she was in the process of transferring the final US$500,000 for the Chapelton Hospital. In addition to her donation to the hospital, she has also provided US$20,000 worth of scholarships to The University of theWest Indies, Mona, to students studying medicine or law. MOTIVATION Recently, she provided some US$25,000 to Jamaica that was used to provide incentive payments to some 75 Jamaican COVID-19 front-line workers. “I looked around and saw that hos- pitals in the US were giving bonus payments to their front-line COVID-19 workers and decided that the Jamaican front-line first responders deserved no less,” she said of her motivation to do- nate the $25,000. The church she attends also makes regular visits to Jamaica and she has donated some US$20,000 to these missions. The funds are used to assist Jamaicans. “What I am doing is trying to make a difference. If someone else sees what I amdoing and decides to do something similar or something else, it will go a far way to help the country,”she said. When she was first offered a national honour, she turned it down in favour of someone else. She has since accepted an OD from the Jamaican government. “I don’t do this to be honoured. I love Jamaica and would do more if I could,” she said. She said her contribution is in the interest of Jamaica. “I work hard so I can helpmy country,” said Nichols. Beverly Nichols – giving back, making a difference 30 THE WEEKLY GL AN R | MARCH 24 - APRIL 24, 021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.co | WOMEN’S M ONTH FEATURE – which had its genesis on The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, in 1979. Sharing the bill will be the highly-acclaimed gospel record- ing artiste Joan Myers, formerly of the Grace Thrillers choir. “It’s all about e-learning and students need devices and so this is just another event to raise much-needed funds from alumni and friends,”said Baldwin McIntosh, president of the Maldon High School Alumni Association, one of the event planners. “Well-known for its signature harmo- nies and a fusion of multiple musical genres, the group’s legacy is its contin- uously relevant sound,”according to a posting on its web page. The group – NCGI – has featured at major religious events and festivals throughout Jamaica and toured inter- nationally. Their debut album, Always , was nominated for a Jamaica Music Industry Award for Best Gospel Album. The group received a Honeycomb Award for significant contributions to gospel music in the 20th century. The event is being held under the pa- tronage of Alsion RoachWilson, consul general of Jamaica in New York, who has already done considerable work to help with the transition to e-learning in Jamaica. Tickets to this virtual event on the Zoom stage may be purchased from any member of the participating organisations. Proceeds from the event will benefit ongoing programme at the participat- ing schools, including scholarships and acquiring e-learning devices. Alsion Roach Wilson, Consul General of Jamaica to New York, event patron. CONTRIBUTED “What I am doing is trying to make a difference. If someone else sees what I am doing and decides to do something similar or something else, it will go a far way to help the country.” EASTER Continued from , 28 SIGNS Continued from , 28 “It’s all about e-learning and students need devices and so this is just another event to raise much-needed funds from alumni and friends.”