Bishop of Cuba to Visit Louisiana in August
July 24, 2015

Bishop-GriseldaWe are pleased to announce the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana is hosting the Bishop of Cuba, The Rt. Rev. Griselda Delgado Del Carpio, as we explore partnership opportunities between our dioceses. The dates of Bishop Delgado’s visit are August 15-20. She will be traveling with her husband The Rev. Gerardo Logildes Coroas and her interpreter Marilyn Peterson.

Bishop Delgado was appointed bishop coadjutor in February 2010 and became diocesan bishop, the first female bishop of Cuba, on November 28, 2010. She led the congregation of Santa Maria Virgen in Itabo, Cuba for 22 years. Bishop Delgado is Bolivian-born but moved to Cuba in the early 1980’s as a student fleeing the military rule in her native home.

The Diocese of Cuba is an extra-provincial diocese in the Anglican Communion, under the ecclesiastical authority of a Metropolitan Council. The Council has overseen the church in Cuba since it separated from the Episcopal Church in 1967.

In March of this year, the Diocese of Cuba voted in favor of reuniting with the Episcopal Church. At the 78th General Convention, steps were taken for the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church in Cuba to develop closer relations. You can read more about that here in an Episcopal News Service Report.
 

You are Invited to Meet Bishop Delgado:
 

Come meet Bishop Delgado and listen as she shares her deep love for the mission and ministry in Cuba.

 

Saturday, August 15 at 6:00 PM

Holy Eucharist and Welcome reception (Bishop Delgado to celebrate & preach)

St. John’s Episcopal Church, 2109 17th St., Kenner

 

Sunday, August 16 at 10:30 AM

Holy Eucharist (Bishop Delgado to preach)

Trinity Episcopal Church, 1329 Jackson Ave, New Orleans

 

Sunday, August 16 at 5:00 PM

Holy Eucharist  (Bishop Delgado to preach)

St. James Episcopal Church, 205 N. Fourth St, Baton Rouge


 Tuesday, August 18 at 5:00 PM (Note time change from 4:00 PM)

Meet and Greet

Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S. New Hampshire St, Covington

You belong. You are children of God. No exceptions.

Bishop Duckworth’s sermon called us to remember the UpStairs Lounge fire in the French Quarter, a violent act of deadly arson that killed 32 gay men in nineteen minutes. In the aftermath, no church in the city would bury the dead. The exception was St. George’s Episcopal Church. Its rector, the Rev. Bill Richardson, did what he knew Jesus called him to do — he buried those men. He did so not without cost: he faced active condemnation from the larger community, but also from within his own congregation and from within our own diocese.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of two pivotal resolutions from the 1976 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Resolution 1976-A069 and Resolution 1976-A071 declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church,” and that LGBTQ+ persons “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens.” While we can celebrate many clear advancements for the full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ community in church and community life, the work is ongoing.

It has not always been a straight path. The church is human, and humans stumble. But consider how far we have traveled: from a church being rebuked for praying over the dead, to bishops wearing rainbow stoles given as gifts by LGBTQ+ Episcopalians at ordination. From closed communion tables to fully open sacramental life. From whispered exclusion to the joyful, public, Spirit-filled worship we offer tonight.

In our own Diocese of Louisiana, the transformation has been remarkable. Inclusive Louisiana, our network of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies, has been a light in this region for years — marching in Pride parades, offering pastoral care, and equipping congregations to proclaim God’s all-inclusive love. And here at St. Anna’s, you have led the way: becoming the first congregation in this diocese to celebrate same-sex marriage.

Bishop Duckworth’s conclusion made plain that actively creating a joyfully inclusive church is what we are called to do:

Not someday. Not when things are more comfortable. Not when the political climate improves. Today. The work of liberation is always a present-tense call.”

To speak that truth in this moment is not a partisan act. It is an act of Christian faithfulness. It is what prophets do. It is what the Church, at its best, has always done — even when it cost us something.

We serve a God who said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” That includes everyone. Everyone is a child of God.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth

Bishop Duckworth offered the Prayer for Travelers from the Book of Common Prayer for Deacon Luigi, who is relocating to Chicago. His contributions to Inclusive Louisiana, St. Anna’s, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, and the broader community have been immeasurable. We are grateful for all he has given us, and we trust that though he leaves us physically, what he has created here will continue to grow.

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