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2007November 19, 2007 The Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands announced the following :
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 28, 2007
The following buildings were damaged in the Hurricane ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 29, 2007 JAMAICA'S 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 10,2007 The Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands has released a statement covering the main areas of its Five Year Diocesan Strategic Development Plan: Vision Statement: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 19,2007 ADMISSION SERVICES
The Bishop of Mandeville will officiate at both services. OTHER NEWS April 29,2007 Rededication of St Mark's Mission,Scott's Hall ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 2, 2007 An Easter Message from Canon Ernle Gordon The message was originally published in "St Mary's Chronicle" dated April 1,2007. Click to read Canon Gordon's message The Abolition of Slavery ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 2,2007 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 1,2007 2006November 1, 2006 45th ANNIVERSARY OF PRIESTLY ORDINATION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 5, 2006 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 25,2006 To be ordained Priests Elizabeth Riley Owen Lambert To be ordained Deacon Michael Elliot ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 4,2006 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 29,2006 2005December 6, 2005 DID YOU KNOW THAT:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 19, 2005 Reverend Leon Golding has been appointed Archdeacon of Kingston. Father Golding is the Rector of Kingston Parish Church. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 26,2005 Today, June 26,2005 will go down in history in the Diocese because on this day ten deacons and one priest were ordained in services at three locations each commencing at 4.00pm. The Cathedral,Spanish Town
Presiding Bishop - Right Reverend Alfred Reid (1)Richard Issac Courtney Anderson - St Thomas-ye-Vale Church,Bog Walk,St Catherine Mandeville Parish Church Presiding Bishop-Right Reverend Harold Daniel Suffragan Bishop of Mandeville Ordained Deacons (1) Charles Lloyd Danvers St Agustine Church, Porus,Manchester Montego Bay Parish Church Presiding Bishop - Right Reverend Howard Gregory Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay Ordained Deacons (1)Cleve Woodrow LLewelyn- St Saviour'sChurch,Chichester,St James ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On May 16,2005 the Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC)
released a document called Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ.This major document
is about the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the doctrine and life of the
church. Both introduction
and full text are provided. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May 31, 2005 On May 31,2005 Canon Robert Thompson was consecrated as Bishop of Kingston.The sermon was delivered by Dr Kortright Davis,Professor of Theology,Howard University School of Divinity,Washington D.C ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May 2, 2005 Fire Damages St.Marks, Rio Bueno ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 29, 2005 New Bishop of Kingston The 135th Synod of the Church in Jamaica & the Cayman Islands in the Province of the West Indies was held at the Starfish Hotel,Trelawney from March 29th to April 1st 2005. The charge by the Lord Bishop was given at the opening service at the Falmouth Parish Church on March 29th. At the Synod the Reverend Canon Dr Robert Thompson was elected Bishop of Kingston ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 1, 2005 Primates of the Anglican Communion meet in Ireland The Primates of the Anglican Communion met in Ireland , February 21 – 25, 2005 . The meeting centred on Bible study, prayer and retreat.It included a careful study of the Windsor Report, the recommendations of the Lambeth Commission on Communion published October 2004 and its ongoing reception process.At the end of the meeting a communiqué was issued.Paragraph 14 of the communiqué stated “Within the ambit of the issues discussed in the Windsor Report and in order to recognise the integrity of all parties, we request that the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada voluntary withdraw their members from the Anglican Consultative Council for the period leading up to the next Lambeth Conference. During that same period we request that both churches respond through their relevant constitutional bodies to the questions specifically addressed to them in the Windsor Report as they consider their place within the Anglican Communion.” It should be noted that the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) referred to above is one of the four instruments of unity within the worldwide Anglican Communion.The ACC is the only one of the four with laity representation.The next meeting of the ACC will be in June 2005.The other three instruments of unity are: • Lambeth Conference which meets every ten years.The next Lambeth Conference will be held in 2008. • The Primates Meeting – Meetings are held regularly • Archbishop of Canterbury in his international role as “primus inter pares” (first among equals)
Frequently asked Question (FQR) What is a Primate? The use of the title Primate in the context of meetings of the Anglican Communion denotes the Chief Archbishop or Bishop of a Province of the Anglican/Episcopal family of churches. The Primate of the Province of the West Indies is the Most Reverend Drexel Gomez.Archbishop Gomez is also Diocesan Bishop of Bahamas including Turks and Caicos Islands . ---------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- communiqué : http://anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/39/00/acns 3948.cfm
January 25, 2005 The Right Reverend Alfred Reid, Lord Bishop has announced the following:
February 6 is being observed as Provincial Sunday. In this connection, a second collection is being solicited on that day towards the work of the Province.
In view of the concerns being expressed from time to time about the radiation levels at aerial sites we list below an excerpt from an extensive report taken from the Church of England web site: “Mobile phone base station (aerial sites) are low power multi-channel two way radios;mobile phones are low power,single channel,two way radios.When in use,a mobile phone sends a signal to a nearby base station from where the call goes into the land line phone system.As two way radios,mobile phones and base stations produce radio frequency radiation (which is how the message is carried) and consequently expose people near them to radio- frequency(RF) radiation .However,because both the phone and the base station are low power(short range),the RF radiation exposure levels from them are generally relatively low.RF energy also diminishes very rapidly over distance.”(our emphasis) In the Church of England there are aerial towers affixed directly on several church buildings.In the Diocese of Jamaica aerial sites are located on several properties. Committee members and other interested individuals may access the full information by visiting http://aerials.cofe.anglican.org/hs_network.php 2004
The 134th Annual Synod held in Trelawny in April 2004 was continued on Tuesday December 7, 2004 at Saint Gabriel’s Church, May Pen. The following resolution on Regional Boundaries and Administration was passed: Resolution on Regional Boundaries and Administration WHEREAS the Commission on Regional Boundaries has found that the main issues facing the Diocese are: a) The effectiveness of the Church in carrying out its mission based on the deep concern that the Church is in crisis b) The Diocesan organizational system has not kept pace with changing conditions and, c) The need for authority linked to responsibility at the regional and local levels as well as the need for a related system of accountability, assessment, appraisal and evaluation of performance and the results achieved; BE IT RESOLVED that the Diocese be divided into four rather than the three existing regions by dividing the Kingston Regions into two as follows: 1. The continuing Kingston Region to consist of the Deaneries of Kingston, St. Thomas and St. Catherine, including the Municipality of Portmore which is to be constituted as a separate Deanery. 2. The Deaneries of St. Andrew, St. Mary and Portland be constituted as a new Region known as the Eastern Jamaica Region, under the Episcopal supervision of the Diocesan Bishop, who shall be assisted in non-Episcopal functions by appropriate personnel. BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that in practice, the designation of “Suffragan Bishop” be replaced by the term “Regional Bishops” and that the Diocesan Bishop in Council be mandated to develop the concepts of decentralized authority and clearly defined areas of responsibility and accountability AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Diocesan Bishop petitions the Province through the Archbishop and House of Bishops to reinstate the See of Kingston in its revised form and to approve the creation of the new See of Eastern Jamaica. MOVED BY: The Rt. Rev. Alfred C. Reid The Church in the Province of the West Indies consists of the following eight Dioceses:
Provincial Synod The following communiqué was issued at the end of the synod: The Communiqué The Synod opened with a Concelebrated Solemn Eucharist in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist, Belize City, Belize at which the Archbishop was President and Preacher. In his sermon based on the text, “Do not therefore abandon that confidence of yours, it brings great rewards…we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved” (Hebrew 10: 35, 39), he called for the recognition of the strong note of encouragement in the passage. There were he said three qualities that Christians already possess – confidence, endurance and faith. He called the Communion to embrace these qualities especially in the light of crisis facing it. Conscious of the challenge facing as he urged us to “to pray for a fresh out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in order to more effectively engage in God’s mission in a world which is becoming increasingly secular and materialistic”. When the Synod gathered for business members were privileged to hear a number of thought provoking addresses from Prof. Neville Duncan, Dr. Patrick Bryan and others. Prof. Duncan challenged the Synod to recognize that poverty alleviation is the out come of social development and not social welfare. He said that proponents of globalization in the articulation of its benefits have deceived us. Instead we need to look at a new kind of governance in which Caribbean Countries are able to choose their degree of insertion into global economies and are in position to choose when and how and on what terms. The common and widespread threat of the HIV/AIDS virus needs to be put in the forefront of our concerns, as the disease is not just a health factor but an economic and development one. It removes the 18-35 years old primarily from the society, which is a highly productive sector. The migration of the more educated persons from the region exacerbates the problem. The rise in crime and violence adds to the difficulties of fledging economies in effecting real growth and development. In his address, Prof. Bryan spoke of the flexibility of the Anglican Church in responding to challenges throughout its history and called attention to the fact that Caribbean society faces the impact of pluralism as well as relativity in traditional values. In light of this, some people are seeking the security which biblical fundamentalism offers. The challenge of the CPWI is to have a positive impact on the values and nurturing of a creative spirituality, which is liberative of our people. The crisis throughout out community caused by the actions of the ordination of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire (USA) and the blessing of same sex union in the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada were discussed in detail as the Synod received the Windsor Report. This as a result of the findings of a Commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to examine theses issues and their implications for the communion. The Synod has issued its response and urges each Diocese to widely disseminate it. The CPWI notes that one of the instrument of our unity, the Primates meetings of our Communion will be considering our response and others to the report and will be pointing the way forward for our communion. We urge the province to join in prayer for this meeting to be held in February 2005. The Synod received resolutions and recommendations from them at the plenary sessions for implementations by the agencies of the Province as well as the several Dioceses. We wish to express our heartfelt thank to the Bishop, clergy and Laity of the Diocese of Belize for the generous hospitality that has been showered upon us. We join with the diocese in expressing thank to Bishop Romero-Palma for his leadership over the past ten years and wish him and his family every blessing as they leave the Diocese of Belize for ministry in California. The Synod took note of the terrible destruction wrought in the region by hurricanes Francis, Charlie, and Ivan especially in Jamaica, Haiti, Grenada, and the Cayman Islands. We heard first hand accounts of the disaster from delegates from Grenada and Jamaica. We gave expression to our solidarity with the people of these territories and ask that support to them continue. W e leave Belize strengthened in our fellowship in Christ and more determined to follow and make Christ known in our several Diocese.
In addition a response was issued on the Windsor Report : A RESPONSE TO THE WINDSOR REPORT FROM THE 35TH SESSION OF THE SYNOD OF THE CHURCH IN THE PROVINCE OF THE WERST INDIES (CPWI) HELD IN BELIZE CITY, BELIZE This Synod endorses the statement issued by the House of the Bishops and Standing Committee in which they expressed opposition to the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson and their inability to accept his ministry as a Bishop; continue the dialogue with and to provide pastoral care for homosexual persons; and expressed satisfaction with the appointment of the Lambeth Commission. This commission was requested to examiner the implication of the actions of the Church’s which were considered detrimental to the unity of the Anglican Communion and to recommend a way forward for the Communion. The Commission published this report on October 18, 2004. Following is the said report: We commend the members of the commission for the tremendous effort, which they have exerted in accomplishing the tasks given to them. Their report provides a framework for the Communion to move forward as Communion. We reaffirm our position that no Providence/Diocese has the authority to unilaterally alter the teaching of the Anglican Communion. We believe that the Windsor Report shares this view where it states that the Episcopal Church (USA) AND THE diocese of Westminster (within the Anglican Church of Canada) did not “attach sufficient importance to the impact of their decision to the Communion” (sec.121) and “acted in ways incompatible with the communion principle of interdependence, and our fellowship together has suffered immensely as a result of these developments.” (sec.122) We support the Call of the Windsor Report for a moratorium on the election and consecration of any candidate to the Episcopate who is living in a same sex union and the use of rites for the blessing of same sex unions. We feel that, in compliance with this, Provinces/Dioceses ought to cease and desist from such activities. We recognize the authority of the instruments of unity, as listed in the Report namely, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Anglican Consultative Council, the Lambeth Conference, and the Primates Meeting and we support the call for their strengthening. We believe3 that the mechanism ought to be put in place for the resolution of situations where provinces refuse to adhere to the decisions of these instruments and we recommend the acceptance of the proposal for the establishment of an Anglican Covenant. We support the call of the Primates for the provision of Episcopal Oversight “for congregations alienated from their Diocesan Bishops”. We note the endorsement of the report for the Delegate Episcopal Pastoral Oversight authorized by the Episcopal Church (USA). We propose that mechanism be put in place to verify claims of Episcopal care/oversight. In this regard, we recommend that the Council of Advice proposed in the Windsor Report (sec.111) be that body. We reiterate our commitment to the official teaching of historic Christianity and this communion as stated in Lambeth 1:10 (see footnote) in which homosexual practice is described as contrary to scriptural teachings. We also acknowledge the enormous contribution which the Anglican Communion has made to the proclamation of the Good News in Jesus Christ. While recognizing the importance of the subject of human sexuality for members of the Communion we believe that the Church’s mission to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be reduced to the contemporary preoccupation with human sexuality, while ignoring the many urgent and pressing issues which confront the people of the Caribbean Region and the Rest of the World. We hope and pray that the authorities in the Episcopal Church of (USA) and the Diocese of New Westminster will heed the call of the commission and comply will the recommendations of the Windsor Report. Failure to comply will lead to a serious situation in the Communion.. The Primates at their meeting in February 2005 will assess the situation. We pledge ourselves to work for the preservation of the unity of the Communion and will continue to walk with those who share this vision. The delegation representing the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands was as follows: Right Reverend Alfred Reid, |