As St Mary's Church prepares to commemorate 400 years of ministry and witness in Bermuda, the parish will begin its anniversary observances with a profound act of remembrance, acknowledging those whose lives and deaths were shaped by the painful realities of slavery and racial segregation.

The first major event of the anniversary season, a Service of Lament, Remembrance and Dedication, will be held on Sunday at 3pm at the historic Old Warwick Graveyard beside the Rubber Tree at the foot of Khyber Pass, Warwick.

The graveyard, in which many free and enslaved Black people were buried, is part of Bermuda’s Diaspora Heritage Trail. Wreaths will be laid at the cenotaph there by various community groups.

The liturgy will be led by The Right Reverend Nicholas Dill, Bishop of Bermuda. Rev Carl Williams, Priest-in-Charge at St Mary’s, will assist.

For any community, four centuries is an extraordinary milestone. For St Mary’s, the anniversary is not only a celebration of endurance and faith, but also an opportunity to remember the full breadth of its history and its connection to Bermuda's spiritual, cultural and social development.

The service will honour the men, women and children who, during periods of slavery and racial segregation, were denied burial in St Mary's churchyard and were instead laid to rest at the site.

Parish research indicates that their remains were later exhumed and reinterred together in an unmarked grave within St Mary's churchyard, returning them to consecrated ground.

Although the original burial site was later altered through landscaping and development, the lives of those buried there remain an essential part of both the parish's story and Bermuda’s wider historical narrative.

Through the dedicated research of parishioner and historian Andrew Bermingham and St Mary’s administrator Janet Bento, 77 names have been recovered. During the service, each name will be spoken aloud and honoured, transforming remembrance from a historical acknowledgement into a deeply personal and communal act.

Descendants of those named are not known by the current congregation of St Mary’s, but “many families may know their ancestor was interred there,” said Rev Williams. “We extend a special invitation to these families and request they let us know before the service or call me on 732-0257.”

By opening its 400th anniversary commemorations at this significant site, St Mary's seeks to affirm that celebration and remembrance belong together.

“This service is both an act of lament and an act of dedication,” said Rev Williams. “It acknowledges the sacredness of this burial ground while renewing our commitment to truth, healing, reconciliation and preserving the fullness of our shared history.”

Members of the public are invited to attend this thanksgiving marking four centuries of faith and community. African attire is encouraged.