JULY 15, 2020 DECLARED A PUBLIC HOLIDAY TO COMMEMORATE 25 YEARS OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

Wednesday July 15, 2020 has been declared a public holiday on Montserrat, in observance of 25 years since the start of volcanic activity.

The day will be observed as a National Day of Prayer, Reflection and Thanksgiving, under the theme ‘25 Years on, we are still here’.  The National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving service will be held at 5:00p.m. at the Look Out Catholic Church.  The order of service and other details will be published at a later date.  

The Ministry of Ecclesiastic Affairs said Churches will open for prayer from 5a.m. to 6:00a.m. and will remain open for visits all day.  Additionally, Radio Montserrat (ZJB) is scheduled to host a prayer by a different Pastor every hour from 7:00a.m. to 3:00p.m.

The proclamation declaring Wednesday, July 15 a public holiday was signed by His Excellency, Governor Andrew Pearce on Tuesday June 30, 2020, on the advice of the Cabinet.

The Soufrière Hills Volcano on the southern side of the island, became active on Tuesday July 18, 1995. Over the past few years, activity at the Soufrière Hills Volcano has been low.  The last weekly report from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory on June 26, 2020 noted that “activity at the Soufrière Hills Volcano remains low”.