Articles

Remembering a beloved priest and a dear childhood friend who died from COVID-19

Miami Herald / Bea L. Hines / April 17, 2020

The coronavirus has taken away our loved ones and acquaintances.

It has also taken away a way of life from us. No longer can we stand around the bedside of a loved one who is about to make his or her transition from this earthly life to life eternal. And no longer can we celebrate their life in going-home ceremonies that help comfort us.

This became a reality a few weeks ago when one of my dear childhood friends, the Rev. Canon Richard Marquess-Barry, died. Until his retirement in 2012, he had served as the popular and civic-minded rector of the Historic Saint Agnes Episcopal Church in Overtown.

At another time, it would have been hard to find a house of God to accommodate all who would have attended his funeral. Yet we, his family and friends, still mourn him and celebrate his life, even though we do so from our homes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the things that helped to console me when I learned of his passing was the many childhood memories I have of him. We lived next door to each other on Northwest 65th Street in the Liberty Square Housing Project.

His mother, Tina, and my mom were the best of friends. And until his late sister Veronica was born when he was a junior in high school, I had the honor of being his sister.

Later, Veronica would become my first godchild. She was dedicated in the old Church of the Incarnation Episcopal Church, then located at Northwest 17th Avenue and about 68th Street.

Although Father Barry grew up in an era when his childhood friends (my brother Adam included) enjoyed playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians, you would more than likely find Richard moving slowly through his mom's tiny apartment, a towel tied around his neck like a priest's robe, chanting and slinging a bottle with a string attached to it, pretending it was incense.

Of course, we laughed. It didn't matter to him. He was in early training for what was to be his life's vocation, a job he seemed to have been born to do.

U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, his cousin, called him "my priest, my friend and my confidant." She said he was a "man for all seasons. … He was truly a man for the people and did whatever he could to help them become homeowners and to create generational wealth for African Americans who never got a second chance. He .... exemplified that through his community activism and relentless fight for equal rights. … He was a stalwart Christian and community servant."

Miami Dade County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson also commented on his legacy:

"Father Barry embodied the meaning of service spoken of in the Scriptures, which states: ‘... for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve …' Not only did he serve faithfully as pastor of Saint Agnes, he also faithfully served his community. His love for Overtown and the community was evident in everything he did."

Edmonson said although she and Father Barry were close friends, "He held my feet to the fire whether it was during late-night chats or urgent meetings at the church's parish hall, often accompanied by shrimp and rice and conch. He never minced words. He was passionate about affordable housing, our children's future, the elderly, economic development and disparities wherever they were to be found. Action was not just a word for him, but a way of living. He believed in helping the least among us."

As much as he loved his fellow humans, at the top of Father Barry's list was the church. He loved Saint Agnes and nurtured it back to vibrant health when he became its rector. It was pure joy to attend the Christmas and Easter Masses, the music permeating the church's rafters, with him leading the procession officiating in his colorful priest robe, chanting the ageless Anglican songs.

He was, as the Right Rev. Bishop Peter Eaton, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, said: "an Episcopalian institution and a Miami treasure."

Father Barry returned to Miami in 1977, after his education and after serving as a priest in Fort Pierce, Eaton said.

"He gave the best of his years and his talent as the energetic rector of the Historic Saint Agnes Episcopal Church in Overtown. Although he was passionate about many things, before all else, he was a faithful priest. He loved the Church and paid real attention to the life of the Church, and worked hard to keep it faithful to her Lord. … Because of his understanding of the Church and the priesthood, Father Barry also knew that the Church could make a difference in the lives of people and neighborhoods.

"... Crucial to his ministry was his devoted wife, Virla. We also give thanks for her steadfastness and considerable gifts," Eaton said.

In addition to his wife, Father Barry leaves a daughter, Diana Barry Frazier, and grandsons Richard II and Ronald E. III.

A private ceremony was held. His daughter said a Requiem Mass would be celebrated at a date to be announced.