My fellow St. Martiners,
It is my pleasure, also on behalf of Marie Louise, to wish you a Happy 60th St. Martin’s Day celebration. (Note St. Martin refers to the entire island, Sint Maarten and Saint Martin) Today November 11th , 2019, we gather to mark the 60th anniversary of the official joint celebration of St. Martin’s Day. Today we come together as brothers and sisters from North and South to celebrate our oneness based on the founding idea of Dr. Hubert Petit and Claude Wathey. Today is thus our celebration of “Our St. Martin Story”. Every year we start our
celebration with the pleasant greeting: Happy St. Martin’s Day. It is a profound greeting.
A greeting that reflects the story of the St. Martin spirit. A spirit of community, resilience and unity. It is the source of our kindness, solidarity and determination towards our common happiness and wellbeing. These are the values that have shaped our St. Martin way for generations.
T his morning, amid our St. Martin’s Day greeting, we began our observance of our 60th St.Martin’s Day anniversary with a joint Church service at the Philipsburg Methodist Church in appreciation of God’s blessings and to seek his continued grace and guidance for us as a people and for our island. I was pleased to inspect our uniformed men and women in appreciation of their selfless service towards the maintenance of our cherished law and order. We laid wreaths at the Cole Bay/Bellevue border monument in recognition of our shared heritage and as inspiration for our common future. And we prepared a time capsule in acknowledgement of our obligations to future generations.
My fellow St. Martiners,
I highlighted our actions as a reminder of the significance of our St. Martin’s Day celebration as a shared moment of celebration and reflection. A shared moment in our continued obligation to perfect Our St. Martin Story together. It is my hope that you are enjoying our St. Martin’s Day Celebrations with family and friends in good St. Martin tradition and that you will take time to reflect on your contributions to Our St. Martin Story.