A commemorative book has been published to mark the 400th anniversary of a church in Warwick.

St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church’s Reflections of Faith contains a compilation of history, timelines, stories and letters that delve into the building’s history.

“Across the centuries, St Mary’s has endured hurricanes, social upheaval, shifting patterns of parish life, and the painful realities of enslavement, racial discrimination and segregation,” the Reverend Carl Williams, priest-in-charge at St Mary’s, wrote in the publication’s introduction.

“Yet, by God’s grace, it has remained a place of prayer, resilience, and hope, bearing witness to the transforming power of the Gospel.”

A timeline tells of the wooden Warwick Church being constructed in 1626 and continues through to the 400th anniversary committee celebrations in October 2026.

Four hundred years ago, George Tucker, of Milton in Kent, gave the land for the first church in Warwick, in return for a reserved front pew for himself and family.

The early church, one of the first four built in Bermuda, was a preaching church. The Reverend Patrick Copeland was the first minister of Warwick and Paget parishes.

Later pages of the book include a piece by Rashida Godwin on the Old Graveyard, south of the church across Middle Road, under the Rubber Tree, next to the Post Office, where Free Blacks and the Enslaved were buried from the 17th to the early 20th century.

Ms Godwin wrote: “Even though this should be viewed as a sacred burial ground, unfortunately most people don’t know this story and we still engage in commerce and drive on the area of the gravesite, in which for 300 years people have been buried.”

Meanwhile, St Mary’s long association with the Boer War and Military Cemetery on Long Island is explored by Andrew Bermingham.

Also included are letters from Andrew Murdoch, the Governor, David Burt, the Premier, Ben Smith, the Leader of the Opposition, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury and others.

Janet Bento, Andrew Bermingham and Anita Sandy Bushara collated the book, while ProServe and Dawn Gibbons, the designer, produced it.

Copies can be purchased from the church on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.