The Bishop of Bermuda yesterday called on Bermudians to stop seeing the world in black and white at a ceremony marking National Heroes' Day held at the Hamilton Cathedral.

The Bishop's comments came during a homily at the end of the hour-long church service honouring the late Dame Lois Browne-Evans, who was, for the third time, chosen as Bermuda's National Hero.

"May I say, deliberately mixing my metaphors that we ought to ponder why it is when we live in such a technicolour location we cannot get past reducing things to black and white," The Rt. Rev. Patrick White said.

"The language used as Dame Lois Browne Evans was making her mark on the life of this Island can be described as the language of social justice.

"Then, with a change in political fortunes it became inevitably, we might even say naturally, the language of political rhetoric. As we mature we grow to understand this as the language of political discourse. We might not always like it but we understand this is part of life in a democracy. And better we use language and tactics of real politics to attempt to persuade one another of the need to change than to take up arms against one another."

The Bishop continued by acknowledging the devolution of what was, at one time, the language of social justice into petty bickering.

"The question in my mind is whether this language, which was once the language of social justice and which has become the language of political rhetoric has now degenerated too often on the public level into the language of schoolyard belligerents," he said.

"If we need to do anything for our children we must, in our public discourse, give them a language that enables them to rise above the tactics of the schoolyard to take their place in the larger community rather than alienating them from it. I think this is the way we honour the legacy of Dame Lois Browne-Evans whose language in the context of social justice may have seemed excessive to some but at least understandable in that context."

"Perhaps this all sounds just a little too political. Coming from a white Bermudian it may sound just a little self-serving. I leave you to make your own assessment of this."

Rt. Rev White highlighted the fact Dame Lois was a woman who achieved many "firsts" in Bermuda. She was the first female lawyer on the Island, the first female opposition leader in Bermuda and the whole British Commonwealth. She was also the Island's first female Attorney General. Her many achievements helped pave the way for a considerable amount of social change in Bermuda.

"For this we have the utmost of admiration," Bishop White proclaimed. "However, I submit to you that the virtues that were needed to break down the barriers are different than the virtues that are now needed to clear away the rubble of those barriers and to allow us as a country, of African descent or of European descent together to break new ground. If we are truly to honour the legacy of Dame Lois Browne Evans then we must ask what virtues are needed for our times."

He continued: "We may still speak of the virtues of courage, determination and intelligence but to look at our own time I have to say that the barriers we face today are more likely within, and the enemy we must face down is within. These barriers, this enemy is now within ourselves as individuals and as communities."

Bishop White stated his belief that it is time to substitute the commonly held feeling of entitlement with a belief in hard work.

"I think it will take some courage, yes, to abandon that sense that we are owed something because of what others did or did not do in the past," he said. "It may take some courage to come clean among ourselves about our sense of entitlement because it may have been one element that has fuelled our common search for justice. We may have, on both sides of the racial divide used the language of entitlement to wrap our greed in a blanket of self-righteousness.

"Sacrifice is not about making martyrs of ourselves it is about letting go of the lesser good in order to achieve the higher good. And surely, the higher good is to see our material wealth, the thing that attracts our greed, our desire for more than our needs require, surely the higher good is to see the need for the creation of a common wealth which is there for all to share. In the process we can create an ethos in which everyone, not just the rich and powerful get to turn a hand at creating that common wealth."

He added: "Our purpose must also be to commend and nurture those virtues which will enable the next generation to take us forward and not remain mired in the rubble of barriers broken down by the saints and heroes of the past.

"If we are to seek for national heroes for our time it is, I think, among those who display such virtues that we will find them. These are the virtues we need to clear away the rubble of past barriers broken down and enable us to break new ground. When we do this we will more fully see and appreciate this technicolour world God has given us and cease to see it in black and white."

Approximately 50 people turned up for the "service of thanksgiving" to mark National Heroes' Day. The church service was attended mostly by members of Parliament and a handful of others.

Premier Ewart Brown attributed the low turnout to the fact that the service was broadcast live on television and radio, saying that most people opted to watch from home.

During his address at the ceremony, Dr. Brown described Dame Lois as a "mother of the nation" and said the discussion over who should be Bermuda's next National Hero is a healthy one.

"Three years ago from this very podium I eulogised the woman some have rightly termed 'Mother of the Nation'. Her life, her sacrifice and her 'firsts' have become the stuff of legend.

"As our democracy matures, so does our understanding of true service and real impact on our society. The discussion on when we will have another national hero, who should select heroes and even if we should have a day for such an observance is healthy. It is a discussion that shows growth. These and many other real issues reveal our fears, give voice to our caution and thankfully encourage us to be bold."

The Premier continued by saying the example set by Dame Lois Browne-Evans can help in addressing the problems Bermuda is facing today, such as crime, economic troubles and social dysfunction.

"The hope we need in our communities is a commodity that must be poured into the spirits of our people by those of us who know that struggle has an end. It does not come by our example alone, but it comes through proudly declaring 'look at Browne-Evans; look at this life; look at this struggle; compare it to your own; see the end and the triumph; hope is real'."

Throughout the ceremony there were reading from the Old and New Testaments by leader of the Opposition Kim Swan, Speaker of the House of Assembly Stanley Lowe and Minister of Culture Neletha Butterfield.

Bishop Vernon Lambe read a prayer for the people before the homily by Bishop Patrick White.

After the ceremony Health Minister Walter Roban said he was proud that Bermuda as a country has taken the opportunity to celebrate Dame Lois and looks forward to acknowledging more of the Island's heroes.

Opposition Leader Kim Swan said he is hopeful that Bermuda will celebrate the lives of all of the heroes in the Island's past.

"It was a good service this morning," said Mr. Swan. "The Bishop gave a very respectful and profound speech and the Government needs to be given credit for putting the day together. Bermuda has many unsung heroes in her past and I hope as we move forward we will be able to embrace all of those heroes in a non-partisan way."