News Briefs
Episcopal News Service. May 2, 1985 [85100]
HOUSTON (DPS, May 2) -- The Rt. Rev. Maurice M. Benitez, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, acting with the consent of the diocesan Standing Committee, has announced the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Anselmo Carral to serve as assistant bishop of the diocese. The exact date when Carral, 60, will assume his duties has yet to be determined. For the next few months, he will continue in the position he has held since 1982, executive director of the Center for Hispanic Ministries in Austin, Texas, while the board of trustees of that Center engage in the search process for his successor. Carral, a native of Cuba, was ordained priest in 1952 and served congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba until forced to leave in 1961. He then served congregations in Panama and Florida. He was elected Bishop of Guatemala in 1973 and, during his term, also exercised episcopal oversight of the Diocese of Honduras for five years.
HONG KONG (DPS, May 2) -- The Rt. Rev. Peter Kwong, Bishop of Hong Kong and Macao, saying that ordained ministers are members of society, too, took the opportunity of a diocesan luncheon last fall to express his support for the participation of clergy in political affairs. Kwong said that the Church, as the conscience of the society, must be concerned with the situation and suffering of the people, adding "In this time of rapid change, every one of us could no longer excuse ourselves from fulfilling our social and political duties by alleging that we don't have the time, the knowledge, or the experience." He went so far as to say that he would encourage clergy to run for election in district boards and, in future, to the Legislative Council, which will govern the islands after they become part of China.
PORTLAND, Maine (DPS, May 2) -- On March 28, the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Luke here was the scene of a historic state-wide gathering of Protestant, Jewish, and Roman Catholic leaders to issue a joint statement condemning the MX missile and the nuclear arms race. Episcopal Bishop Coadjutor Edward C. Chalfant read the statement to a large group of reporters in St. Luke's Parish Hall. Following the reading, several members of the coalition added their personal comments. Wherl challenged on the issue of politics from the pulpit, Chalfont responded, "I support the freedom to be heard, and hope to spark dialogue. We speak to each other, not for each other."
SEWANEE, Tenn. (DPS, May 2) -- A grant of $800,000 has been authorized by the Tonya Memorial Foundation to endow the Frank W. Wilson Professorship of Political Economy at the University of the South. Wilson was a federal judge in the Eastern District of Tennessee, which includes Sewanee, Winchester, and Chattanooga. In naming the chair, University Vice Chancellor and President, Robert M. Ayres, Jr. cited Wilson's interest in law, politics, government and economics, saying: "The Tonya trustees believe, and Sewanee concurs, that Judge Wilson embodied the ideal of the large life, well, lived." In addition to serving the federal bench for more than twenty years before his death in 1982, Wilson was active in religious, civic and regional affairs. The grant, along with $200,000 raised by the University from other sources, awards $250,000 to endow student internships in the field of political economy. Ayres stated his hope that the professorship will provide "a bridge between the study of economics and the study of politics."
STONY POINT, N.Y. (DPS, May 2) -- "Ethics in Action: The Search for Justice in the Middle East and South Africa" will be the topic of a four-day seminar to be held July 8-11 at Stony Point Conference Center here. Among the leaders will be South African theologian Dr. Allan Boesak, President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches; Dr. James Ellis, professor of Sociology at the University of Western Cape in South Africa; Dr. Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, and founding member of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace; and Dr. Edward Huenemann, Associate for Theological Studies, Program Agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA), with special concerns relating to South Africa and the Middle East. The cost, which includes registration, roomand board, is $125. Registrations need to be made by June 15. For more information or to register, contact Jim Palm, Stony Point Center, Crickettown Road, Stony Point, NY 10980; phone: (914) 786-5674.
SEWANEE, Tenn. (DPS, May 2) -- In what its rector, the Rev. John Andrew, hopes will serve as a "challenge to parishes, foundations, or organizations", St. Thomas Church in New York City has given the U.S. branch of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK/USA) a $10,000 donation earmarked for projects in Latin America. Monies from the donation will be used to help supply Cuba with a Theological Education by Extension program, Chile with an Indigenous Leadership Training Program, Argentina with a supplemental salary for a national worker to be trained as production manager with a Christian publisher, and Mexico with a Spanish translation of the Education for Ministry program. According to Karen Crippen of SPCK/USA, "Those four projects will cost approximately $55,000 to complete. This donation is a big step toward that completion."
LONDON (DPS, May 2) -- An article appeared recently in "Crucible", a prestigious quarterly journal of the Church of England's board for social responsibility, calling for the emancipation of women in the vicarage. The article's author, Canon John Rogan of Bristol Cathedral, says that few people realize the burden clergy wives carry and that a reform of the whole structure of parish life and leadership is needed. During his 30 years as a priest, Rogan has known clergy wives in a number of different parts of England and says many of them regard themselves as "dowdy cheap labor" who are expected to undertake all kinds of responsibilities and duties for their husbands and the parish. Noting that despite this, few clergy wives opt out, he said, "If this shows that the old pre-feminist order rules in the Church, then that must be taken into account and the smallness of numbers in the ranks of the reformers indicated just how far there is to go."