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The Rev. David César is the first Haitian director of Holy Trinity School. The administration of the school was transferred to the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti from the Sisters of the Society of St. Margaret after the death of Sister Anne Marie Bickerstaff, former director of Holy Trinity School, in September 1995. It was Sister Anne Marie's plan that this transfer be made. Under the direction of Bishop Duracin of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, this has been done.
Rev. César writes, "I would like to assure you that Holy Trinity is not run by the government. It will continue to be an Episcopal school, as it always has been.
"The Sisters of St. Margaret will continue to be part of the life of Holy Trinity School. They are in charge of the catechism classes and the confirmation class as well as being represented on the board of the music school. The Sisters continue to help develop in the children a love of God and a love of their neighbors, preparing them to work together to build a better Haiti.
" 'Hang in there,' Sister Anne Marie used to say, and that's what we've done in the year since her death. We've kept the faith, kept the vision, and held firm to our commitment to excellence at Holy Trinity School.
"At Holy Trinity we are one family with many members: the elementary school, the music school, the vocational school, and the gift shop. And, as a family, we work together and by the grace of God we continue to grow stronger.
"Our elementary school provides an excellent education for students in grades kindergarten through six. On June 21, 1996, ninety sixth graders graduated from Holy Trinity School in the Sister Anne Marie Promotion. Eighty-eight of our ninety students passed the national exam and are ready to go on to secondary school.
"The craft shop continues to allow parents of children who cannot afford tuition to contribute through their talents. Proceeds from the shop are used to support the school.
"Sister Anne Marie used to say, 'empty stomach, empty mind.' In Haiti there are far too many empty stomachs. Holy Trinity School has an outreach program called the Canteen which feeds 1,000 children per dayÑthe only hot meal most of them receive. We want to thank you for your support of this program, and challenge you to increase it in the year ahead. The economy in Haiti is still not good. We must fight to feed more children. Please pray for this program to help our children.
"The Holy Trinity Complex is establishing an endowment fund in memory of Sister Anne Marie to continue her vision for Holy Trinity School. Our goal is to be able to use the interest on the account for operating costs for the school for which it is intended, leaving the capital protected.
"There are a variety of long-term projects which we are in the process of planning. We want to build a playground and/or gymnasium and offer recreational activities which are currently not available to our students. In addition, we plan to add four apartments to our guest house and dedicate them to Sister Anne Marie. Currently, we haven't enough space to house the volunteers who come to serve in the diocese and, above all, at Holy Trinity School. Combined with that renovation, we plan to expand the gift shop.
"All of these projects depend upon the generous support of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We also ask for your support in prayer as we continue Sister Anne Marie's work for the children of Haiti."
For more information or to send contributions, contact: the Rev. David César, Holy Trinity School, Agape Flights, 7990 15th St. E., Sarasota, FL 34243.
Holy Trinity Trade School opened on schedule in October, 1996 with a full contingent of students and teachers. They will face many challenges as they pursue their chosen field of work. The students will be encouraged all along the way by our 32 devoted teachers, hired to give the best training possible in Haiti, and, most of all, to sharpen the students' critical thinking.
We have almost 900 students enrolled in a three-year program in electricity, electronics, auto mechanics, carpentry, welding, printing, and plumbing. They are also offered classes in mathematics, technical English, and mechanical drawing.
Our philosophy has been the same since Holy Trinity was founded. That is, to teach as much theory as students can absorb, while a great deal of time is devoted to the practical aspect of each subject.
The services that we offer to the Haitian community, as a non-profit organization under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, have earned respect and admiration. It has taken great faith, hard work, and the support of so many friends worldwide to arrive at this point in our history. We are most grateful to all of you for remembering all of us.
Contact: Holy Trinity School, Agape Flights, 7990 15th St. E., Sarasota, FL 34243.
The Sisters of St. Margaret make beautiful altar linens, and the proceeds from the sale of these linens support their ministry in Haiti.
During the summer of 1994, the embargo against Haiti prevented the Sisters from having a booth at General Convention and they could not sell their linens. Bunny Joseph, Altar Guild directress for the Diocese of Albany, found a way to continue support for this sewing ministry at that time. She cut over 100 purificators, sold them to the National Altar Guild Association members meeting at their convention held at the same time as General Convention, and gave the money to St. Margaret's for their work in Haiti. Many members hemmed the linens during their convention stay. Fortunately, we don't have to hem our own linens now, as they are again available from the convent.
Bunny Joseph purchases the linen and sends it to Mrs. Adrean Jermain at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Mrs. Jermain cuts the linen and prepares it for three young Hatian women, under her supervision, to embroider and hem.
The following pieces are ready-made: purificator, $10; lavabo towel, $12; seven-inch pall, $16; eight-inch pall, $17; nine-inch pall, $18; corporal, $20. Custom-made fair linens and credence cloths are available on request. The finished linen pieces can be purchased through Sister Claire Marie at St. Margaret's Convent in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Orders can be placed at any time.
To order, or for more information, write or call Sr. Claire Marie, St. Margaret's Convent, 17 Highland Park Street, Roxbury, MA 02119, tel: 617-445-8961.
An historic event took place in Toronto, November 7-11, 1996, when the Executive Council held a joint session with the Council of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.
We have benefited immensely in our partner relationship by the presence of representatives who have attended each other's council meetings on a regular basis since 1990. These joint sessions provided the opportunity for these branches of the Anglican Communion to learn about each other's mission and ministry. This historic meeting was the result of the vision of the Planning and Evaluation Committee of the council, especially the former clergy representative from Province II, the Rev. Abigail Hamilton (N).
The Primate of Canada, Bishop Michael Peers, addressed the joint session. He reported on his activities and spoke about the difference between "managing" and "providing leadership." He said, "The most difficult aspect of leadership is the question of vision; how to discern vision. Some people do that in the classic way of seeing visions and dreaming dreams. I tend to search for it in what I see around me. I try to perceive it in the life of the church."
The Presiding Bishop, Edmond Browning, in his address to the joint session, cited several examples of our partnership with the Anglican Church in Canada. These include our partnership in higher education ministries and conferences, joint appointments of missionaries, mutual consultation in matters of world mission, and the networking of indigenous people in the Anglican and Episcopal Churches. This meeting was held close to the L'Arche Community of Toronto, where the late Henri Nouwen lived. Bishop Browning spoke tenderly about Nouwen for whom he had great admiration and respect. "Henri Nouwen had a way of speaking of his faith and his struggles that enriched my own faith and helped me through my struggles."
We heard a challenging address from Dr. Pamela Chinnis, President of the House of Deputies, about renewal, reformation, and overturning assumptions. "This is a time of tremendous potential, and it is also a time of great risk. Many say that this period in the church's life is a time of change, realignment, and redefinition as profound as that of the Reformation....This steadily shifting balance of spiritual authority within the Anglican Communion - from the North Atlantic to the global south; from the declining churches of the industrialized first world - is all a part of this reallocation of resources....Those of us who for so long could take for granted the availability of material resources are discovering how much we have let them substitute for spiritual riches within our common life. Who are the truly disadvantaged?"
In reference to political divisions and scandals which have riddled the church, Dr. Chinnis said, "None of us is as innocent as we might like to believe....The desire to scapegoat is primitive and powerful....But we are followers of Jesus Christ. He has already borne our sins, all of them. To scapegoat feminists or homosexuals, or those who read the Bible differently than we do, or those who are afraid of changing roles or languages or new modes of worship, or those who are blind to the riches of tradition, or those who think they own the truth, or those who think there is no truthÑall that blaming simply distracts us from the task of the church in every age: to be a community that stands on the far side of the Cross, never doubting its evil power but always proclaiming the far greater power of the Resurrection."
The council gave consent to the choice of Denver, Colorado, for the site of General Convention in the year 2000. David Perry, national church staff ecumenical officer, reported on the joint meeting of the bishops of both the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America this past October. The bishops are working on completing the text of the Concordat of Agreement to be sent out to all bishops and deputies. A video tape about the Concordat is being prepared for all deputies, Executive Council members, diocesan ecumenical officers, and anyone who wants to buy it. For more information contact David Perry, tel: 1-800-334-7626.
Bishop Victoria Matthews, of the Diocese of Toronto, reported that 850 bishops will be attending the Lambeth Conference (a meeting of bishops of the Anglican Communion to discuss church doctrine and policy) in 1998 in London. The themes will be: call to full humanity - that the world may believe; call to live and proclaim the Good News - that the world may believe; call to be faithful in a pluralistic world - that the world may believe; call to be one - that the world may believe.
The members of the presiding bishop's staff and Executive Council members have completed the diocesan visitations and have heard from more than 3,000 people.The primary theme heard during the visitations was that ministry is carried out at the local level and that the role of the national church would be to support, enable, and facilitate that ministry. There was also the realization that in certain areas of ministry, such as ecumenical relations and Anglican/global relations, the national church must continue to have a primary role. There was a call for spiritual leadership that would set a positive direction and a clear identity for the church.
Executive Council affirmed the Planning and Evaluation Committee's 12 recommendations based on information from the diocesan visits. They are:
Nan Cobbey for Episcopal News Service writes, "These recommendations are the most recent step in a six-year planning process that has involved national staff and consultants, two sets of diocesan visits (in 1993 and 1996), and two "visioning" and planning retreats for council and consultants." The final report, including the 204 reports of the visits, is available through Vernon Hazelwood, director of the Planning and Evaluation Office, 815 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017, tel: 1-800-334-7626.
Contact: the Rev. Virginia Sheay, St. Luke's, 1620 Prospect St., Trenton, NJ 08638-3031.
The Rev. Canon Willard S. Squire Jr., coordinator of the Partnership Program in Haiti for three years, and his wife Margaret have returned to the United States. Province II gives thanks for their work in the Diocese of Haiti and wishes them well in their future endeavors. The Rev. Robert Schwarz is the new coordinator. His wife Jean, who will be teaching art and English at Holy Trinity School, and two of their four children, Katherine and Karl, are with him. Province II welcomes them.
The Rev. Rodney R. Michel, rector of St. Peter's Church, Bay Shore, and president of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Long Island, was elected bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Long Island at a special convention which met in The Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City., NY, on Saturday, November 2, 1996.
Bishop Telesforo Isaac is the interim bishop in the Diocese of the Virgin Islands. Deputies to diocesan convention meeting March 12-14, 1997, hope to elect a diocesan bishop.
On November 3, 1996, the Rev. Ruth Cecilia Monge Teran de Erazo, an Episcopalian from Ecuador, became the first woman ever to be ordained a priest in Rome. Bishop Neptal’ Larrea of Central Ecuador ordained Rev. Erazo at St. Paul's Within-the-Walls Episcopal Church. She and her husband, the Rev. Juan Erazo, minister to the many Latin Americans in Rome. (From Episcopal Life)
The Rev. Harry H. Pritchett Jr., rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church, Atlanta, has been named dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, succeeding Dean James Parks Morton, who retired January 1, 1997. (From Episcopal Life)
Building upon the successful record of Intercultural Ministry Development in Province VIII (Province of the Pacific), and utilizing two of its principals as primary consultants and conference directors, approximately 35 people from 15 congregations already involved in ethnic specific or multicultural ministries will be brought together to share their experiences in the following areas:
Participants will learn from each other's successes and failures, engage in critical reflection of one another's experiences, and identify those insights and principles that may be applicable in a variety of settings.
Contact: the Rev. Jorge M. Gutierrez, 33 East First Street, Corning, NY 14830, tel: 607-937-5449. (The contact person for this conference was inadvertently omitted from the printed copy of the newsletter.)
HTML editing for this issue of The Grapevine was provided by the Reverend John A. Rollins, Christ Church, Pompton Lakes (Diocese of Newark) , NJ.
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