[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 187 (Wednesday, December 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   HONORING REVEREND LEON H. MATTHIAS

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2011

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
devoted servant of God, the Reverend Leon H. Matthias who will retire 
from active ministry on December 31, 2011.
  Sunday, December 8, 1946 seemed to be a perfect day for the arrival 
of Leon Henson Matthias to George and Ethel Matthias. His humble home 
provided his first real setting where Christian nurture would take 
place. The family were members of Gracefield Moravian Church in Cedar 
Grove and Adrian Joseph, the grandfather, was the sexton of this small-
congregation.
  After primary and High School he gained four subjects at Ordinary 
Level from the University of London. In September 1967, he entered the 
teaching profession and was appointed as an uncertified teacher at the 
St. James Government School in Cedar Grove where he had received his 
early primary education.
  At 19, he was elected as chairman of the Board of Stewards at 
Gracefield. The members of the congregation recognized that God was 
calling him to a special task in His church.
  Leon Henson Matthias began his theological training on the island of 
Trinidad in 1970 and in 1974 he completed the Licentiate in Theology at 
the United Theological College of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. 
He served as student pastor in the Antigua and Tobago Conferences and 
on August 24, 1975 Brother Matthias was ordained a Deacon. On September 
1, 1975, he began his first appointment as a Moravian Pastor in St. 
Kitts. Six years after his ordination as a Deacon in the Moravian 
Church, Rev. Matthias was consecrated a Presbyter.
  On August 28, 1976, Rev. Leon Matthias made another decision in his 
life. He joined in matrimony to Mable Hall in that beautiful western 
Jamaica Town of Montego Bay. God blessed this marriage with three 
wonderful sons, Lennox, Leon Jr. and L Richard.
  From all accounts, Brother Leon was as popular as he was active. He 
has always had an abundance of energy that seems contagious, and this 
has manifested itself throughout his life and the life of anyone with 
whom he has had contact. As an executive of the Rivals Sports Club in 
Cedar Grove, where he was a serious cricketer and concert performer, to 
Youth Soccer Coach in Richmond, Virginia, he displayed versatility and 
his love of sports.
  Rev. Matthias has always enjoyed leadership roles in the church and 
the community. He however developed a new interest in 1992. In 1990, he 
was invited by the Lutheran Church in the United States Virgin Islands 
to participate in an oral history workshop led by Judy Saxton of Baylor 
University. This opened for him a vast new field of inquiry and an 
unquenchable thirst for the unwritten folk history of his people. This 
he has pursued in his visits to Tanzania, London, Johannesburg and Cape 
Town.
  The versatility of the good Reverend has also been manifested in his 
editing of many publications including Rapport' magazine and the 
writing of four books--Boy from Popeshead (1995), Against the Odds 
(1996), A history of the Friedensberg Moravian Church, Tales from the 
Hill (1997) and Winds of Change (1999) Gracefield--A Northern 
Star(2005)Down Punty Hill(2008)A Cloud of Great Witnesses ( 2011).
  Brother Matthias holds a Licentiate in Theology from the University 
of the West Indies and a Master of Arts Degree from the Presbyterian 
School of Christian Education. .In 2002 he obtained an, MLS Degree from 
Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, specializing in 
Archival Studies.
  His ministry has spanned forty years and the Western Hemisphere--
beginning in Jamaica as a Student Pastor in 1971, serving the Virgin 
Islands Conference in St. Croix from 1988 to 1996 and St. Thomas and 
Tortola from 1996 to 2000, then New York from 2002 to 2009 and lastly 
in Washington DC.
  In that time he has served in many positions of church leadership, 
has mentored many young pastors and served every congregation and 
community with excellence, dedication and compassion. We are thankful 
to God for his service, which overcame many obstacles over the years, 
and for his family who served by his side these many years.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in asking God's blessings on Reverend 
Leon H. Matthias, his wife, Mable and the entire family with gratitude 
for a life of exemplary service.

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