Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
To be read Sunday, March 13, 2011
To be read Sunday, March 13, 2011
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
We, your bishops, are writing to invite your parish to participate in a special Lenten appeal to support the rebuilding of the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Specifically we are asking every worshipping congregation of the Diocese of Connecticut to give to a special appeal, coordinated by The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, for the rebuilding of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince.
In the year since the earthquake in Haiti, the Rt. Rev Jean Zaché Duracin, Bishop of Haiti, and the staff of the cathedral schools and other ministries have carried on heroically amidst the ruins, while at times living in tents. The music school and grade school are in operation again even though there are no walls and only temporary shelters. Students practice under trees, surrounded by rubble. During this time, the Diocese of Haiti has identified the rebuilding of the Cathedral complex in the heart of Port-au-Prince as its top priority.
Last November, Bishop Duracin wrote:
God is at work in the ministry of the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Thousands of people who have lost so very much are being fed by the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, and the ministries of the communities of the diocese. A rebuilt cathedral will be the hub of God’s continuing mission and a center of prayer and renewal. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti have asked for our help. Let us respond, “Nou ave’ou!” "We are with you!"
God bless you in your generous response and God bless the ministry of the Episcopal Church in Haiti.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas
The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens
We, your bishops, are writing to invite your parish to participate in a special Lenten appeal to support the rebuilding of the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Specifically we are asking every worshipping congregation of the Diocese of Connecticut to give to a special appeal, coordinated by The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, for the rebuilding of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince.
In the year since the earthquake in Haiti, the Rt. Rev Jean Zaché Duracin, Bishop of Haiti, and the staff of the cathedral schools and other ministries have carried on heroically amidst the ruins, while at times living in tents. The music school and grade school are in operation again even though there are no walls and only temporary shelters. Students practice under trees, surrounded by rubble. During this time, the Diocese of Haiti has identified the rebuilding of the Cathedral complex in the heart of Port-au-Prince as its top priority.
Last November, Bishop Duracin wrote:
Rebuilding Holy Trinity Cathedral will do more than raise up bricks and cement. It will raise the hopes of a people who have lost so much of their earthly habitation. It will raise the Spirit of a community made weary… As we rebuild Trinity Cathedral, brick by brick and stone by stone, it will serve as a beacon and shelter for literally thousands who are rebuilding their lives with little more than hope and prayers.The Diocese of Connecticut has a long association with the Diocese of Haiti. For over 150 years, from the founding of the Episcopal Church of Haiti under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. James Theodore Holly, one-time rector of St. Luke’s in New Haven, to the current partnerships many of you share with different schools, churches, clinics, and ministries in Haiti, we have built relationships rooted in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are now being called upon to help rebuild Holy Trinity Cathedral, a tangible sign of our deep commitment to each other as one people of God and as a sign of hope, reconciliation and renewal for the rebuilding of Haitian society.
God is at work in the ministry of the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Thousands of people who have lost so very much are being fed by the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, and the ministries of the communities of the diocese. A rebuilt cathedral will be the hub of God’s continuing mission and a center of prayer and renewal. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti have asked for our help. Let us respond, “Nou ave’ou!” "We are with you!"
God bless you in your generous response and God bless the ministry of the Episcopal Church in Haiti.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas
The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens
Nou ave’ou! – We’re with you
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For more information see the diocese's Rebuild Our Church in Haiti web page.
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