CHARLOTTE AMALIE – Governor Kenneth Mapp and Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter will host thanksgiving services across the territory next month to commemorate the one-year anniversaries of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which struck the islands last September.
The first praise and thanksgiving service will be held on St. Thomas on Sunday, September 9 at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Sports and Fitness Center from 2 to 5 p.m.
“Our community is invited to attend and share in the spirit of praise and thanksgiving as we honor the Almighty for giving us the strength and resilience to persevere over the past year,” Mapp said.
Additional services will be held on St. Croix on Sunday, September 23, and on the island of St. John on Sunday, September 30.
Living Hope Cathedral Praise & Worship Team, VI ASAPH Praise Team and Edificadores De La Fe (Faith Builders) will lead the worship service on St. Thomas, while prayers and scriptures will be shared by the island’s faith leaders.
The St. Thomas service will broadcast live on 1340 AM WSTA Radio, and on St. Croix 970 AM WSTX will carry the service. All three services will be streamed on a website.
The event on St. Croix will be held at the St. Croix Educational Complex and feature the renowned Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights as well as other inspirational groups. The thanksgiving service on St. John will be held at Franklin Powell Park in Cruz Bay and will follow a similar program.
“Hurricanes Irma and Maria may have devastated our islands last September, but not the resolve of our people to work together to build back stronger and smarter,” Mapp said. “In spite of our differences, we stand united as Virgin Islanders, thankful for one another and indebted to God for continuing to bless us.”