Reflections of the Historic Trip to Cuba the Rt. Rev. Scott B. Hayashi Reflections of the Historic Trip to Cuba, the Rt. Rev. Sc

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REFLECTIONS OF THE HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA THE RT. REV. SCOTT B. HAYASHI

REFLECTIONS OF THE HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA, THE RT. REV. SCOTT B. HAYASHI

PART THREE - THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF CUBA (A)

The Episcopal Church in Cuba began in the very late 1800's. It began when missionaries from the Episcopal Church from the United States came to Cuba to evangelize the people. In these ﬁrst years this was not an easy work. They were able to establish small worshipping communities but were hindered politically as the only church that had legal sanction to exercise ministry was the Roman Catholic Church. (Alert readers will recognize that this period coincides with the Spanish-American War. As well as providing a bit of background for the suppression of religion in Cuba that would come later with the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro.) Indeed, as a result of the intervention of the United States the Episcopal Church was given social status by the Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice and An old Chevy Bel-Aire is parked in front of an Episcopal church in Cienfuegos, Cuba.

registered it as a “Protestant Episcopal Religion of the United States of America” In 1900, then, the Episcopal Church is ofﬁcially recognized in Cuba. It was seen as a missionary endeavor of the Episcopal Church which became a missionary district in 1901. In 1968 it became an autonomous diocese. The Episcopal Church of Cuba is not a separate province of the Anglican Communion. Thus, while it is a diocese unto itself Bishop Maria Griselda del Carpio is not a primate. It is, at this time, not a part of any province of the Anglican Communion. The overarching governance would be the Metropolitan Council which exercises oversight regarding faith and order. The Metropolitan Council is made up of the primates of the Anglican Church Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Havana, Cuba. in Canada (Archbishop Fred Hiltz), The Episcopal Church (The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori) and the Province of West Indies (Archbishop John Holder).

The diocese of Cuba had internal divisions that could not be overcome in order for them to elect a bishop. Interim bishops had been appointed as well as suffragan bishops. In January of 2010 Bishop Griselda was appointed to be the bishop coadjutor after the diocese once again failed to elect. (The Metropolitan Council made the appointment.) She was installed as the diocesan bishop upon the retirement of Bishop Miguel Tamayo A “house church” in Favorito, Cuba that has been of the Anglican Church of Uruguay who helped in support by St. John’s of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

served as interim bishop. Bishop Griselda was the rector of Santa Maria Virgen in Itabo, Cuba. (She was born in Bolivia.) She remains the rector there as they do not, as of this time, have a priest. A person is in process from that congregation.

Bishop Griselda is surrounded by visiting bishops and guests on the historic trip to Cuba.