Angie and Roosie

Dr. Roosevelt "Roosie" Panthier is 72; he was married for 40 years and then his wife died about one year ago. Angelic "Angie" Depooter is 77; she lost her husband in October of 1988.

As fate will have it, Angie and Roosie will be married on August 3, 2018 at the Cathedral Chapel of Our Lady of Fair Haven.

Angie is a very devout Catholic and Roosie is a pastor in a protestant church although, he says, he has never lost touch with the Catholic Church where he was an alter server in Portsmouth and a member of the Catholic Charismatic conference of 1974/75. Rosie and Angie attended that conference.

Roosie and Angie were childhood friends and over the years they stayed in contact.

"When Roosie was 14 years (in the 50's) I went to his uncle's shop to buy bread. I used to love the bread hot and while there this young man came from behind me and said "hello". He was very inquisitive about me and asked for my name and that was it," Angie said.

Now, God has called them back together, they say.

"When my husband died I told the Lord I was all his and if I was to get married again that person must respect my children, be of God, in the spirit, prayerful," Angie said.

Roosie, who lived in the United States, added: "My wife, Joyce, passed away and I told the Lord, I can't do it alone, I need a wife; but I need a woman just like my wife. She has to be filled with the Holy Ghost, anointed, be a teacher, love the Lord and people, feed the poor etc. I was talking to the Lord like this.

"One day I was going to preach and I heard this voice, the spirit of the Lord saying to me: "Roosevelt, Roosevelt, I am going to give you Angie as your wife". I was looking around in the house to ensure no one was there. I said: "Okay Lord, I will talk to you about that". I left and went to church and was preaching on the topic: Marriage between Mercy and Grace and Faithfulness and Truth."

Then the inexplicable happened, Rosie said.

"I preached the message and we were really blessed. I returned home and about 1pm got a phone call and it was Angie.

"She said "Roosie, I am going to tell you this thing you might not believe it but it's true". So I said, Angie I know you for a long time, you will not lie to me, so say what you have to say.

"She said: "Roosie this morning I was praying and I heard the Lord telling me, "Angie, I am giving you to Roosie just as I gave Joseph to Mary…

"I said shut up Angie, I had the same vision. Let's pray about it in the Holy Spirit. The spirit of God was so strong we both felt a spirit left our heart and went into each other's heart. We felt knitted.

"I am a cry-cry baby when it comes to the Holy Spirit. She shares the scriptures with me and I said Lord as soon as I get the opportunity I will go to Dominica and get my wife," he said.

"We have prayed about it all; we went to the Bishop and also our priest (pastor)," Roosie said.