JOINT CD Newsletter

A Newsletter of the Companion Dioceses Georgia, South Carolina, Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida, and Western Louisiana with the

Diocese of the Dominican Republic

August 2005 - Volume X

The Continued Dynamic of the Dominican Episcopal Church

DR Update - 2005

[Editor’s Note: This whole Joint CD Newsletter is an update on the dynamic goings-on in the Dominican Episcopal Church. In it you see the moving of the Spirit, and our human response to the Spirit’s leadership – Enjoy! RWS]

In his address at the 47^th Diocesan Convention Bishop Holguín gave an update on the continued growth and missionary expansion of the Dominican Episcopal Church. It has been spectacular over the past decade-and-one-half. The DR is the fastest growing diocese of the Episcopal Church. It is just brimming with life. There are many great stories to be told here.

One year earlier, at the 46^th Diocesan Convention, the Church counted 42 missions. Now the number has grown to 65. This needs a little amplification. Bishop Holguín announced that 20 new missions had been established in the past year and three recessed missions had been reopened. Some are essentially Bible studies and preaching stations while others are full-fledged missions that meet in their own sites and only lack the process of being recognized as “unorganized” missions. All are begun with the intention that they will grow into missions and then full fledged congregations. Later in the year Bishop Holguín and the deans of each region gave names to the new missions.

New Missions: In Jamaní up on the Haitian border a year-and-one-half ago flash floods took the lives of some 3000 persons, the Dominican Church, with help from some of many of us, and from ER-D, responded to the needs of the victims. After the emergency we were asked to start a church there to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Bishop Holguín assigned recent seminary graduate Jesús Mosquea, under the supervision of Fr. Smith Milien, to initiate the mission. The church, San Pablo Apóstol, meets in the front yard of the house the Diocese rents for Jesus’ residence. Bishop Holguín and the Diocese are in the process of purchasing a 6,400 m² (~1.6 acres) to build a new church and school to service the needs of the community. Interestingly, residents of Boca Cachón, a small community just a few miles outside of Jimani, asked Jesús to start a mission there too, and he has done so – San Tito. At his pastoral visit in May, Bishop Holguín confirmed, received and baptized 79 persons from the two new missions. Furthermore, another mission is forming in another community outside Jimaní.

Jesus Peregrino in Batey Central just outside Barahona (about 1 ½ hours east of Jimaní) has grown dynamically since its founding in 1995. In response to Bob Stevens’ challenge to divide to form two congregations (the main Sunday service frequently has almost standing-room-only attendance) the church responded by sending a handful of parishioners to form a new mission in Barahona itself, La Redención. A few years back, anticipating that move, the diocese purchased a 600 m² (6455 ft²) lot. This past year the diocese rented a small storefront for the La Redención mission that was inadequate the moment it was rented for it seats maybe 25 persons wringing wet. With the help of the Clearwater Deanery of Southwest Florida construction of the new church has begun. It is the “L”-shaped two-story church/school La Encarnación model and it will completely fill the lot.

In the roadside village of Catalina on the main highway between Santo Domingo and Baní, Fr. Hernán Villalba and seminary graduate Roberto Gómez, have opened El Santo Nombre at the request of a member from La Transfiguración in Baní, who had recently moved back to Catalina. They meet in the front yards of family homes, and have an average attendance of 45 persons.

Just east of Santo Domingo, Fr. Felix Encarnación, with lay minister and seminarian Bienvenido López, has started Santo Susana in San Isidro (where the Episcopal Church had a mission in the 1920’s) and De la Gracia in La Caleta where the road from the Santo Domingo airport meets the main highway going in to Santo Domingo. Furthermore, Fr. Mario de Miranda, with the assistance of seminarian Miquella Mendosa, has started Santa Ana, in the Mendoza sector of eastern Santo Domingo where up to 60 persons attend services.

In Puerto Plata, Fr. Rafael de la Cruz, has started San Simón Apóstol in the San Marcos community within the last couple years, and the diocese purchased a 2000 m² (21,517 ft²) lot there on which they hope to build a new church and a vocational school. Sunday services are standing room only in the small house they use to meet in. Just outside Puerto Plata in Cabarete, Fr. Ramón Ubiera, with the help of Lay Minister Miguel Kingsley, has reopened San Cornelio in that town.

In Los Conucos Fr. Neptaly Desir has started San Pedro in this beach community just outside the City of San Pedro. Some 200 children attended VBS this summer in Los Conucos.

On the heels of relief efforts after one the hurricanes of last year, local government officials and citizens asked the Episcopal Church to open a mission in El Seybo in the East. City officials have assigned a fairly large lot to the Episcopal Church on which to build a church and school for the needs of its citizens. The Diocese is now going through the process of putting the papers formally in the name of the Diocese. Fr. Sandino Sánchez reports that up to 110 persons have attended mass at La Ascensión on a given weekend, and that some 400 children showed up for VBS this summer.

There are several other Bible studies - emergent missions that are springing up in other cities around the diocese that have now been names, where Episcopal families and seminarians work with priests to start a Bible study/new mission. These new missions in the South include Santa Marta in Los Cocos and Santa Juana in Los Laras, both in Santana and both started by the Rev. Ercilia Peralta, and La Reconciliación in La Bombita, Azua started by Fr. Guelmi Rosario. Frs. Smith Milien and Guelmi Rosario have also started a new mission in San Juan de la Maguana.

Other new Bible studies/preaching stations in Santo Domingo include Los Santos Inocentes in the community of San Luis in eastern Santo Domingo and Santa María Magdalena in Manoguayabo in western Santo Domingo, both under the leadership of Fr. Cruz Méndez, and Santa Inés in Villa Mella in upper Santo Domingo with Fr. Salvador Ros.

In the North, in Santiago Fr. Salvador Almonte has reopened the mission station Santa Marta y María in El Papayo where the diocese owns an 800 m² (8,607 ft²) lot. Fr. Hipólito Fernández has started new mission stations in the sectors Pekín, Villa María and Los Maestros. And in the city of Salcedo outside Santiago, under the supervision of Fr. Salvador Almonte, brother Ramón Sosa, who plans to go on to seminary, has reopened La Natividad. The Rev. Miguelina Espinal has started a mission station in Barrio Prosperidad in Bonao.

New Constructions: In addition to the expansion of new missions, the diocese has several facilities under construction – which also indicate the dynamics of the movement of the Spirit in the Church. Many of these have had the involvement of churches and deaneries from our companion dioceses.

Projects finished since the 2004 Diocesan Convention through August 2005 include:

Diocesan Center: meeting room & guest apartments;

Divina Providencia, Guerra: the second floor multi-use center;

San Andrés School, Santo Domingo: second level classroom addition;

San Lucas, Santiago: second level multi-use center;

La Anunciación, Santiago: second level multi-use center;

Jesús Nazareno, San Francisco de Macorís: remodeling and new pews & altar furniture;

Cristo Rey, Puerto Plata: repairs on vicarage;

San Esteban, San Pedro de Macorís: repairs on vicarage;

Current ongoing construction includes:

La Encarnación, La Romana, church/school unit;

Santa Cruz, Santa Fe: new classroom building;

San Esteban & Clínica Esperanza: expansion of clinic’s facilities, addition of new parish hall;

Centro Buen Pastor Church, San Pedro de Macorís: church & second floor education center almost complete;

Bishop Isaac Home for the Elderly: phase I almost complete;

La Transfiguración School, Baní: second floor of classroom unit;

Monte de la Transfiguración, Jarabacoa: church/school unit;

San Matías, Santana, Baní: reconstruction of the church;

San Marcos, Haina: construction of new church/multi-use center with UTO grant;

La Redención, Barahona: beginning construction on church/school unit in August.

What tremendous opportunities! There are many good sites here for positive mission team involvement. This is a wonderful time to be involved with the Dominican Episcopal Church! What a dynamic movement of the Spirit working through priests and lay leaders for the growth of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic. Bishop Holguín sees this as a clear indication that the Church, through its priests and lay leaders, is carrying out the Great Commission. And, for all of these above emerging missions, Bishop Holguín would love to send work teams to assist in the construction of new facilities, for Vacation Bible School during the summer etc. Some of the sites are more ready than others for mission teams, and some fall higher on the diocesan priorities list than do others, so if you are interested, please contact Bishop Holguín or Bob & Ellen Snow. Physically, some of the sites would be more difficult than others to work in or find adequate lodging, but what a challenge. With the continued dynamic growth of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic, mission teams from the Companion Dioceses and from other interested churches will continue to play a vital partnership roll in the dynamic growth of the Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic.

Other Notes

DR English-language Web Pages. The English-language Web Page for the Dominican Episcopal Church is www.dominicanepiscopalchurch.org. The English-language news service for the Dominican Republic is DR1.com not DR1.com.do as I incorrectly reported in the last Joint CD Newsletter.

COMPANION DIOCESE COMMITTEE CHAIRS/CONTACTS

Publisher=s Note: The Joint CD Newsletter is edited and distributed via e-mail by Dr. Robert Stevens, Executive Director of the Dominican Development Group. Those wishing to submit information for distribution may contact P.O. Box 661, Ellenton, FL 34222, 941-776-0405 (o), 941-776-2678 (fax), Email: ddgstevens@aol.com.