Time, as the ancient Greeks observed, is a dual concept. There’s chronos, the linear, measurable passage of hours, minutes and seconds. And then there’s kairos, the qualitative, opportune moment.
I guess it’s the difference between time and timing. The kairos timing was obviously in play last year when the church here in Luz was approached by a certain David Jones. He fortuitously popped into church one day and inquired whether we would like him to fix the church clock (at no cost). Of course, we were only too pleased to accept his generous offer.
David, as it turned out, knew what he was talking about. In David’s own words: “From the age of 16, my entire background and working career has always been in horology, dealing mostly with church and public tower clocks. I consider myself very fortunate to have worked on many important and historical clocks, some dating back to the 15th century.”
David’s career has taken him all over the UK and sometimes abroad to places like the US and France to work on and install clocks in well-known locations.
David informed me that the clock installed in the church tower was manufactured and constructed by Manuel Francisco Cousinha. A native of Pomares, the parish next door to Benfeita, Cousinha was afamous clockmaker of the period and owner of the firm A Boa Construtora, located in Almada. The clock bears no date but is quite typical of the period from 1900 to 1930.
And yes, the clock does need winding up! I was surprised that a normally intelligent friend of mine (I have his permission to use that phrase) thought that the clock was battery-operated! The clock’s mechanism uses weights on pulleys to make it ‘tick’ and it needs winding up every couple of days.
The next phase of the project is that in a few weeks’ time, our local bombeiros in Lagos have offered to provide an external platform hoist, which will enable David to access the clock face to check the hands, the dial and to paint these areas which have faded due to exposure to the elements.
Since getting the clock up and running, both David and the church have received great feedback from people who say how wonderful it is to hear the church bells once more – it really does add something to the life of Luz. Meanwhile, David has become a little bit of a local hero, being affectionately dubbed ‘Dave the Clock’.
David told me, “I’m very happy to have received many kind comments regarding the church clock bell striking again. It’s given me a personal sense of satisfaction in getting it working properly for the entire community. The clock and bell play a big part in village life, history, and community. It is part of our heritage, which needs preserving and maintaining for future generations to come.”
What an incredible ‘kairos moment’ – perhaps an answer to prayer even, to have someone with David’s skill and experience approach us. Luz thanks you ‘Dave the Clock’ – well done.
Father Rob Kean oversees the Anglican chaplaincy in the western Algarve and is based in Praia da Luz.
