Ralston Shakes recalls a time when St Alban’s Anglican Church in Ashton, Westmoreland, was vibrant, with a full congregation and a packed calendar of events. The church hosted an annual Harvest Thanksgiving Service, rallies, regular members’ meetings, and monthly communion. However, today, with fewer than eight people attending services regularly, St Alban’s has become a place for only a small Sunday gathering and monthly communion.
Shakes explained that the church no longer holds a Sunday school, as the youth of the community have stopped attending the weekly services. There are no longer any choirs, musical instruments, night services, or prayer meetings.
On the third Sunday of January, The Sunday Gleaner visited the church, just in time to witness its first Holy Communion of the year.