June/July 2005 • Volume 36 Number 3
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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA TTHEHE NNETET JUNE/JULY 2005 • VOLUME 36 NUMBER 3 “We have to be able to “But we still wear masks...” “We could make a difference “You just destroyed one of “’Love ye one another’ give up things that are —The Rev. Donna Hall, in our church and in my core values...I guess I’m answers all the questions.” important to us to make Holy Spirit, West PalmBeach the world.” going to have to learn to —Helena Paris, others feel welcome.” —Ian Headly, love. That hurts!” St. Bernard de Clairvaux, --Fr. Alejandro St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach —Chuck Millspaugh, North Miami Beach Hernandez St. Mark’s, Ft. Lauderdale Holy Cross, Miami Learning to listen and love on the “river of diversity” By Mary W. Cox, editor bout 200 people from across the dio- and leading praise songs in Spanish; Dean Matt the need for whites to become “culturally com- cese, old and young, clergy and laity, re- Faulstich of the Broward Deanery channeling El- petent”. Aflecting the variety of races and cultures vis with a soulful “Glory, Hallelujah”; a women’s It was the message he got in church, said in our communities, came together at St. Mark’s group from Ascension, Miami, offering a flow- Howard, that led him to his work teaching mul- School in Ft. Lauderdale on Apr. 8 and 9 to ex- ing liturgical dance; and a rousing reggae-gos- ticultural understanding and social justice: “The plore the challenges of multicultural ministry. pel-calypso conclusion on Saturday afternoon idea that we’re all created in God’s image”. The theme of the Fifth Annual Bishop’s by the Jamaican Folk Review. He told participants that the conference Spring Conference was One Body--Many Mem- Welcoming participants on the morning of would take them on a “river journey”--a river of bers: Ministry in a Multicultural World. Facili- Apr. 8, Bishop Leo Frade said that the excite- “diversity and healing”, always changing, cutting tators and presenters were teacher and pastor ment of cultural diversity was what attracted through canyons with layers of cultures, some- Gary Howard, author of the book, You Can’t him to our diocese. The purpose of the confer- times rocky, sometimes smooth, “navigating the Teach What You Don’t Know and founder of the ence, he said, was to help us all learn how we rapids” between absolutism and relativism. REACH Center for Multicultural Education in can be “better servants of God” in our multicul- In the first activity, participants explored Seattle, Wash., and the Rev. Kortright Davis, pro- tural communities. their own identities and were asked what as- fessor of theology at Howard University School The first of the two conference presenters, pects of their identity—race, religion, life value, of Divinity and rector of Holy Comforter Episco- Gary Howard, a self-described “white guy”, language, vocation, possessions—they would pal Church in Washington, DC. spoke briefly of his own awakening from grow- be willing to give up if forced to do so. Both days were filled with the music of a va- ing up as a “fundamentalist Presbyterian” in Fr. Leonel Charles, rector of St. Christopher’s, riety of cultures: Members of the Haitian Com- a “monocultural” society in Seattle, Wash., Ft. Lauderdale, told the group that in Haiti, peo- mission singing in Creole; Fr. Leonel Ortez and through student years at Yale during the civil ple have indeed been forced to give up every- his family, from Holy Cross, Miami, performing rights movement of the 60s, to a recognition of See Conference next page New buildings, new programs “transforming” Duncan Center or the past year, Duncan Conference Center Director Fr. Steve Fregeau has Fbeen talking about the “transformation” of the Center. With the completion of the Schofield Cha- pel, scheduled to be dedicated June 19, and the arrival of Program Coordinator Veneta Lorraine-Poirier, the transformation is evi- dent. Some upgrading of existing facilities con- tinues, but the Stahl Conference Building has been in use since March, and the dedication of Steve Fregeau/The Net the chapel will mark the end of major capital Karen Gury (right) of St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, gets guidance improvements to the Center. from professional tile-layers Jade Justice and Bill Bardash as she prepares to install a piece of the labyrinth in the floor The Building to Serve campaign, which of the Schofield Chapel. Gury and her husband David (not aimed to raise the $1,500,000 needed for the pictured) donated funds for both the chapel labyrinth and a See Duncan page 4 Celtic cross inlaid in the floor of the chapel narthex. THE NET • PAGE 2 in the www.diosef.org News JUNE/JULY 2005 •Conference The Rev. Kortright Davis ended the day with theolog- continued from page 1 Medallists in the ical reflections on power, thing. “This is not only an religion and culture (“No Diversity Exhibit exercise for me—this is a religion is culture-free”), Young people in the diocese were invit- what it means to be human reality that I have lived,” he ed to submit art or writings on the theme, said. (“Most of the time, to be hu- “What diversity means to me”. Entries were Howard noted that for man is to fight…the hardest displayed at the conference, and each exhibi- many people—not just in fight is against sin.”), the Haiti, “daily life is pressure culture of sin, the cycle of tor received a medallion with the “E-Church” to ‘give it up’.” baptism and the life of the logo. “What do we do in the Spirit. The exhibitors were: Michael Layton--St. church,” he asked, “that Each of his teachings Mark’s, Palm Beach Gardens; Jocelyn Albury, makes people feel they can’t was outlined by an allitera- Brenton Brown—Ascension, Miami; Takya be fully who they are?” tive pattern. The cycle of Gardner, Tinesha Mitchell, Akilah Sweet- baptism, he said, could be He asked the group to ing—St. Peter’s, Key West; Eileen Arugu, Mary consider, “How can we be described with “five Rs”: Arugu, Stephanie Bramble, Stephen Bram- authentically different and Recognition that we are ble—St. Kevin’s, Opa-locka; Nerissa Stur- still be deeply engaged in members of one another; Christian community?” Repentance, turning away, rup—St. Faith’s, Miami; Katie Reeves, Dorian Cultural competence, he “a radical posture that re- Reeves—All Saints, Ft. Lauderdale; Jennifer said, requires “the will and Gary Howard invites conference participants on a nounces negativities”; Res- Ramos, Ana Edad, Karla Lopez, Sandra U, skill to engage diversity ef- “river journey”. urrection—we recognize Josue Padilla, Allan Padilla-Fernando, Johan- fectively…and to form loving and authentic rela- that “the stone of your na Martinez—Holy Redeemer, Lake Worth. tionships across our differences.” whiteness or blackness has been rolled away”; Culturally responsive leadership in our church- Renewal; and Reconciliation, “trying to break who the kids are that we need to help. Tell us es will “facilitate authenticity”. down everything that divides us”. specifically what you want in the way of liturgy— The journey to authenticity, he said, also in- “The ministry of multiculturalism has to be you write the liturgy, and we’ll use it!” volves an awareness of social dominance, which the ministry of reconciliation,” Davis said. Davis said that young people need to be in- functions across multiple differences—race, On the second day of the conference, young volved in every aspect of church life, and suggest- class, education and economic status. people enlivened the discussion of “Why has it ed that every congregation should be required to A panel of diocesan clergy—Bishops Frade taken so long for us to build communities of so- have a scholarship fund. and Ottley; Archdeacons Bryan Hobbs and Mary cial justice in our churches? What’s in the way? Discussion continued on other groups that Gray-Reeves; Canon for Youth Ministry Terrence What will it take?” seem to be excluded from the church—the Taylor; Fr. Alejandro Hernandez, rector of Todos Ian Headly of St. Matthew’s, Delray Beach sug- homeless, ex-offenders, the gay community—and los Santos, Miami; the Rev. Donna Hall, assistant gested, “It’s taken so long because we want it to young adults. at Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach; and Fr. Frantz be so long. If we wanted to change, we would We all have “co-responsibility”, Howard said, Casseus, chair of the diocesan Haitian Commis- have done it…we’re selfish.” to make changes happen in our churches. sion and rector of Bon Pasteur, Miami—shared Kaylin Lynch of St. Christopher’s, Ft. Lauder- As on Friday, Davis summed up the day’s con- their views of how our diocese deals with diver- dale, agreed: “People want what they get used versations with theological reflection. sity. to.” “The Trinity is the most central fact of diver- There were positive comments. Frade said that We need “courage to understand each other,” sity,” he said. our church is “trying to reach out…we have a de- said another young woman. He described Acts 15 as the first “General Con- sire to connect with each other.” “Sometimes we have to go deep into the can- vention,” in which the first-century Church wres- “I am extremely proud of the Episcopal yons of experience in order to heal…How do we tled with the question of multiculturalism and Church,” said Hall. “We go where others are learn to sing harmony to the songs our kids are the reality that the Holy Spirit had been given to afraid to go…to ask the hard questions.” bringing us?” Howard challenged the group.