Little Chapel visitors invited to light a candle
THE Little Chapel has reopened to visitors, after closing during lockdown over the last few months.
Visitors are welcome from 9am until 4pm from Wednesdays through Sundays. It will be closed for deep cleaning and maintenance on Mondays and Tuesdays.
John Silvester, chairman of the TLC Foundation, encouraged people to visit the chapel to remember those who lost their lives in the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘Along with every other island charity, we have seen our income significantly reduced in recent months,’ he said.
‘Everyone would help us greatly if they were to visit and make a small donation or perhaps light a candle as a tribute to those who have lost their lives and in gratitude for all those who have work so hard on our behalf to keep us safe.
‘Let’s fill the Little Chapel with candlelight.’
A century ago, the Spanish flu made its way onto the island and tore through the faith school at Les Vauxbelets.
The diary of Brother Charlemagne Leon, the brother director who led the community of Les Vauxbelets at that time, revealed that the ‘flu virus had spread like wildfire throughout the whole school’.
‘Doctor Cande, who was attending to the boys, warned that with so many being ill he was expecting that six or seven of them would most likely die,’ wrote Brother Charlemagne Leon.
Horrified by the doctor’s forecast, he took his colleague Brother Athanase Emile to the chapel to pray for the children’s safety.
While in prayer, the two men swore a vow: ‘If the house was preserved from calamity, the chapel would be dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and her picture would be permanently on view in the house’.
Two weeks later, all the sick boys were back in their classrooms having recovered completely and, ever since, the middle altar of the Little Chapel has been dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
To ensure the safety of visitors during phase four, a clearly marked one-way circuit has been established and hand sanitiser provided.
Only two visitors at any one time are permitted in each of the three levels and the foundation has asked people to refrain from touching the internal surfaces, with CCTV employed to ensure guidelines are being followed.
