After such a long break with no blogs, I would like to summarize each month with a snapshot of just one thing that happened. Obviously there was quite a lot going on! July 2022 – Discipleship and Evangelism Commission in London
August 2022 – Holiday with Stefi in Mendoza, Bariloche and Cordoba
September 2022 – 25th anniversary of Chorote New Testament
October 2022 – Indigenous Congress in La Caldera
November 2022 – overland to Paraguay
December 2022 – Local communities celebrate Christmas at the mission in Juárez
January 2023 – Pastoral Conference and farewell in Potrillo
February 2023 – family support following heart surgery
March 2023 – Local park in Salta, scene of healing walks
April 2023 – mothers’ day with my life partner
May 2023 – Retirement and farewell in Salta
June 2023 – final farewell in Cathedral, Buenos Aires
14 years ago, around this date I posted “From a small island to a huge continent.” The land masses referred to were Guernsey and South America, the occasion being our move to our new place of ministry serving the church in Northern Argentina.
Lots has happened in those 14 years, some of which is reported in these blogs (although recent months have been a bit sparse on the blog front! I propose to post one photo and comment for each month missed, just to remember the huge continent at a glance). For Catherine’s more frequent blogs see http://www.catleti.wordpress.com
And now we are enjoying the prospect of returning for a season to the “small island” to serve as House for Duty priest-in-charge at the historic parish church of Ste Marie du Castel.
Whilst we miss the vast beauty of Latin America, we are also drawn to the “hiddenness “of the islands. It is a time for healing and quiet service.
“Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praises from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You islands, and those who dwell on them.”
Isaiah 42.10
The prophet also addresses the islands (isles, coastlands) in chapters 41 and 49.
Obviously, there is the attraction of being near at least part of our family. But we are in a very different place to when we left. The time as an active bishop has been unforgettable. But then I hit a brick wall. Burnout, or simply fatigue made travelling ministry so much harder, and in January I ended up in hospital with a “coronary episode”.
After major surgery, grateful to be alive, and for the outpouring of love and prayers, it was as if my body took the decision to behave as though I was now 70, and seriously slow down. 9 months later, and after huge efforts to try and be back to strength, I am having to accept the limitations and possibly a diagnosis of some unexpected pathology.
The task of pastoral work in a Guernsey Parish seems daunting at this stage as I find standing a challenge. But we are irresistibly drawn to this next challenge (or “fearful adventure”) as we head for the islands and the call to make Jesus known.
Guernsey at night from Castel churchCobo bay slipwayFurther up the coastGuernsey as seen from Plemont, JerseyTown Church, which claims to be the nearest church to a pub in Britain!Cobo Bay
So, here we are another year on. Not a great year for blogging (haha)! And we have somehow got more used to juggling between virtual and face to face…
So, as I enter my 70th year, I reflect on how more zoom has meant less travel. And travel has become more complicated. But gradually travel has resumed.
In May last year we couldn’t return to Argentina, but finally got to visit Jersey… (by boat). Our son Sam and his family had gone to live there, and we have since come to love the island, having previously only known Guernsey well!
In August we headed back to Argentina… (a lot later than expected!) The journey was fraught, but eventually we made it to Buenos Aires, and enjoyed quarantine there before travelling north, and reaching our Juarez destination in October. In December I was back in Buenos Aires, and again in March en route to Montevideo.
Once in Argentina we hit the road again…. Our main work has always been visiting far flung communities, so we had some catching up to do. This gets harder the older you get, and we are having to slow down a little!
And in March and April we visited Uruguay and Bolivia …… After so many months of virtual meetings it was great to be able to spend quality time with colleagues, as well as breathing in the sea air, and the sights and sounds! (All these trips are described in more detail in Catherine’s chat: http://www.catleti.wordpress.com)
But the trip to London in March/April turned out to be the most fascinating. Never before have I stayed the night in the city centre. So to be a guest at Lambeth Palace (together with 30 or so other Primates), was an unexpected oprivilege.
The fellowship, prayer and discussion with colleagues at “high table”, and the sense of being in the welcoming home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife, was special.
Anglican Communion.
The meeting of Anglican Primates – the senior archbishops, moderators and Presiding Bishops from the 42 Churches of the Anglican Communion. London. 29 March 2022.
I also got to Jersey again, and enjoyed being with the young family too!
Mural depicting Latin America from Mexico to Chile
Yesterday I turned 68. I remember turning 18. It was significant, as it signalled the independence which allowed me to fulfil a dream and go off on my travels to Mexico. 50 years ago!
How and why I went, and what has happened since, are both long stories, told elsewhere. But here I just want to flag up the debt I owe to that decision and sense of call, and which now is insisting again.
Latin America… I owe a debt of gratitude to this amazing continent for all it has taught me. About God, and people, and myself. About language and culture, and about friendship, about social justice, and about the gospel.
I have learnt that, whilst there is great beauty in the land and the people, there is also great suffering and tragedy, and alongside the dignity there is great malice and corruption. Over the years it has changed dramatically, but some things do not change. There is history, and social movements, and in the midst of it all is the church, which has grown in numbers, but somehow not lived up to its potential.
50 years on, what do I see, and what do I hope to see? I would hope to be the last English bishop, and that the Anglican church, together with all the others in the Christian family, would produce appropriate ways of reflecting the message of Christ, and His transforming power in this amazing place.
Primates of Chile and South America consult
Having been “bishop in exile” for over a year now, I have become (for the next couple of years) team leader of our group of dioceses which go to make up the Anglican Province of South America. The term used for this in our region of South America is Primate, but that sounds more suited to monkeys. However, in many other countries they refer to this post as Archbishop.
Both options were met with mirth in my family. (Archbishop of South America sounds a bit like Gran Vizier of the Ottoman Empire!) The main difference that I can sense so far is that people I don’t know are calling me “Your Grace.” On reflection this is good, because it reminds me that all we can hope to do is by the grace of God!
One of the highlights of the past few weeks of lockdown has been the release of the film version of the stage show Hamilton. Since its debut on the New York stage it has been highly acclaimed, and now we can all see it. Written and performed by New York born Puerto Rican Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers, of humble Caribbean origins, actively involved in promoting the American Revolution and in writing the US Constitution. The story involves love, war, intrigue and passion, and brings alive a significant chapter of American history and identity. But what is so stunning and gripping is the way the music chosen to portray this is Urban Hip-Hop and a blend of styles drawn from “black and brown” music and culture, just as the actors are. The multi-layered conversations in the rap idiom are heavy with modern day allusions, and the rhythm and mix are infectious and powerful. Surfacing as it does in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests it is testimony to the vibrancy of this movement and its Latino neighbour. It is significant that Miranda is also working on a project to bring West Side Story back to its Puerto Rican roots by translating the libretto into Spanish. However, without denying for a moment the hugely deserved success and importance of the musical, there is an elephant in the room. Despite occasional references to the abolition of slavery, the Founding Fathers essentially continued the system that the British started, and some would say the British did more in the end towards abolition than the United States. This is similar to the story all over the Americas. Colonial oppression was booted out, but the newly independent states continued to oppress significant sectors of their people, specifically the black and the brown. In Latin America, as in the USA, the First People continued to suffer despite the high minded liberal ideals of the liberators. Slavery has obviously been widely discussed and decried recently, but little has been said about those who were displaced by the first Europeans to arrive, and generations after them, including those who believed in emancipation. Good art reflects and even changes society, but we must not allow it to idealize our blind spots.
In the face of police brutality, and largely inappropriate responses from elected leaders, people have taken to the streets worldwide to protest the death of George Floyd in police custody. Together with many church leaders in the UK (where we are at present), and around the world, we know we must not just call for justice and name evil for what it is, but we must examine ourselves and our churches with repentance. Our reading of Philippians 2.5-11 today, commented in Lectio-365 by a South African Christian, “has much to say about the purpose of power, the future of nations and the way that God Himself was oppressed and innocently killed by evil men.” He goes on to say:”One day, perhaps quite soon, every tribe and tongue will finally bow the knee – not before a flag, but before the Lord Jesus Christ. On that wonderful day, every culture will bring its own unique revelation – its food, its language, its music – as equals as the coronation of an innocent Middle-Eastern man, killed without justice and exalted by God to the highest place.” I recognise in myself all sorts of deep-seated attitudes, despite having worked cross-culturally for years, and often stood up for minority cultures. Even in something (relatively trivial) like the 60s music that shaped me, I came very late to the black (blues) music that inspired modern rock, and hardly know any of the Motown and Gospel that was so important to Black communities in those years. In Argentina it is commonly supposed that there is no black population (as they are largely invisible on the streets) and that the few African descendants one meets are largely Brazilian or Uruguayan. There is in fact a historical black community which is conveniently hidden. But it used to be said, as well, there are no “Indians” in Argentina (meaning Amerindians, or Original Peoples as they are now called). A much better job has been done of giving them visibility, and the relatively new Constitution reflects their ancient rights and identity. However, this is where Argentina’s racism largely resides, and it is no stranger to the church.
I am grieved to say that, despite several generations of affirming indigenous identity through language and culture, much of our church, and most of the surrounding culture is in some way racist. It is two way, given centuries of suspicion and hostility. It has to be said that much has been done to overcome it, but a situation of real equality still feels a long way off. One example: would it yet be possible to contemplate having a Wichi bishop over Criollo (white) members? There are obviously considerations of ability, training and calling, but for many this is difficult to contemplate. However, for “white” Argentines, their “black lives” are the Original Peoples, who, in our church at least are the vast majority.
May we examine ourselves, repent, and take practical steps, not just because it is now fashionable, but because it is Biblical.
Tierra del Fuego may seem a strange place to go on a pilgrimage, but it was a desire to follow in the footsteps of Waite Stirling, Allen Gardiner and others, that led a group of us from several countries in Latin America, many linked to CMS in some way (including 4 bishops, 4 clergy and 5 lay people) to board a small boat in Ushuaia and cross the Beagle Channel in very bad weather!
All this year the Anglican church in South America has been celebrating the 150th anniversary of two events: the establishment of the first Amerindian mission on Argentine soil, and the consecration of South America’s first bishop. But these statistics hardly do justice to the reality of what happened on these cold, remote shores.
The group of us that were being buffeted about on the tiny yacht felt some of what it meant to reach the “uttermost parts of the earth”. Of course, the early missionaries would be more used to sea faring. The seas were their motorways (in much the same way as the Irish monks who evangelized Britain in places like Lindisfarne and Iona).
But we felt some of the vulnerability, and also the pain, that accompanied their vision to reach the Fuegian tribes. The contrast between the majestic peaks and huge seas, and the miserable state of the canoe dwellers, was not lost on early explorers, including Charles Darwin. The passion to share the love and hope of Christ, led to very brave action, by men like Stirling and Gardiner. The reports of this early period are gathered in the SAMS magazines, aptly called “Voice of Pity”. It seems the motivation for action which led to these heroic initiatives, was the compassion of Christ.
The sad reality, which is felt strongly in the area today, is that the arrival of white settlers led to the extermination of the very peoples that the mission sought to protect. It was highly poignant for our two indigenous bishops, wichi and toba, to reflect on why their early brothers had not survived, and their people had.
This extreme vulnerability of the Amerindians, the pain surrounding their struggle for survival, and the initiative of the early missionaries, which ultimately led to the establishment and growth of the Anglican church throughout the different people of the continent, weighed heavily on our hearts/spirits as we crossed the channel, and stood in those places where Stirling and others had prayed and lived.
It was heartening to pray with local believers, in some ways the direct descendants of those early missionary efforts. And it was inspiring to sense the same missionary call today, as the Latin American church looks outwards to the other “uttermost parts of the earth”.
Ushuaia is one of my favourite places. Southernmost city in a beautiful setting on the Beagle channel; good friends; and, perhaps especially, the mystic association with the early mission which led to the living church we have today in other parts of Latin America and especially the Amerindians.
And that is what brings me here in winter. It is exactly 150 years since the first white man settled here: a missionary called Waite Stirling, who later became the first Anglican Bishop of South America. For that date in December some of us are planning an anniversary celebration, from those groups that owe him a debt of gratitude- the Amerindian church, Chile, chaplaincies in Buenos Aires and Lima – all that today goes to make up the Anglican Church in South America.
Apart from the fact that it is difficult to arrange a visit like this from a distance, I needed to check with local churches and civic authorities what their reaction might be. Over the past few years many of the traces of the early mission have been kicked over, especially since the Malvinas conflict. But there’s does seem to be interest, so we will go ahead, including a boat trip to the Chilean island to the south where much of the missionary work took place.
Sadly today the Amerindian population is no more, and where the mission stood there is a desolate spot with a monument, where we hope to place a plaque.
It is still inspiring to stand where the early missionaries stood and one can’t fail to be spurred to continue as “God’s sentries”, patrolling not these beaches but the places where we stand today in joyful recognition that the kingdom of God is here.
“The reason we don’t have a solution to climate change has less to do with the greed of the great unwashed than with the greed of the almost unbelievably small percentage of people at the top of the energy heap, corrupting the political debate with rolls of cash.” These words by Bill McKibbern underline our present political and social reality.
Our visit to England coincided with the extinction rebellion protest in London. There was something familiar about these protests: so often in our context we have so often seen impoverished people taking drastic action in order to get something to happen. There is a sense in Britain as in many western countries that the important political decisions regarding the future of the planet are being completely ignored in favour of local interest. Climate change has the potential to change the future irreversibly, and whilst not all agree on the science, there is no doubt that legislation would achieve prevention of worse damage. It has been possible to legislate on other global issues in the past but there are too many interests involved. So it is not surprising that those with a conscience should take to the streets, nor that wise spokespeople (such as Rowan Williams) should fully support them.
As he says in his book ‘God with us’:e ‘the affirmation of Jesus’ resurrection, the great decisive change in the middle of material history, bears on how we see the material world as a whole. It touches our thoughts about the environment. Part of the good news that Christians have to utter and express in a world very anxious about the material environment, is that the matter of this world is God’s before it is ours.’
The third discipleship consultation was in Dominican Republic. So what is the consultation about? It is about PR, learning and accountability, community, ethics and spirituality, and being shaped by Jesus.
So, discussing all this and more with all the diocesan clergy, and many others was a wonderful experience. The island was a complete unknown, and I learnt a huge amount from everybody there.
The island would have been under British rule except that the navy led by Penn and Venables was repelled by a handful of Spanish soldiers near Santo Domingo. Having failed to capture Spanish territory they took Jamaica instead (and were put in the Tower when they returned to Britain!)
It was the first place that Columbus landed at, and very soon the indigenous population was replaced by African slaves and consequently waves of black (ex)-slaves from Haiti, US and the West Indies. Together with the descendants of the original Spanish settlers, that racial mix is still reflected today, and the church is no exception.
Strangely, one of the main concerns expressed was noise pollution. The island is crowded with cars, no traffic is very slow until you get away from the capital. Environmental concerns are also a priority, as are trafficking.
It was a delight to get a glimpse of life on this Caribbean island which is also part of Latin America.
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