Province VIII bishops pledge support for Haiti

Episcopal News Service. January 14, 2011 [011411-04]

ENS staff

The bishops of the Episcopal Church's Province VIII Jan. 13 pledged their personal financial support to the Rebuild Our Church in Haiti appeal, together with ongoing relief efforts and diocesan partnerships.

Also pledging "renewed efforts within our dioceses," the bishops said that "we call upon all in our dioceses to join this effort with generous support and online giving facilitated through the Episcopal Church Foundation."

The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti's Holy Trinity Cathedral complex in Port-au-Prince is the initial focus of the appeal, which officially launched Jan. 12 on the first anniversary of the quake.

The complex once housed Holy Trinity Music School, Holy Trinity Professional School, primary and secondary schools, and a convent of the Sisters of St. Margaret, as well as the church with its world-renowned murals depicting biblical stories in Haitian motifs, which were crafted by some of the best-known Haitian painters of the 20th century.

In October, the Episcopal Church's Executive Council reaffirmed its February challenge to the church to raise money to help the diocese begin to rebuild. Duracin has asked that the initial effort be focused on the cathedral for its profound symbolism not just for the diocese but also for the country. The council designated the foundation to coordinate the appeal.

Information on donating to the appeal is here.

Province VIII includes the dioceses of Alaska, Arizona, California, Eastern Oregon, El Camino Real, Hawaii, Idaho, Los Angeles, Nevada, Northern California, Olympia, Oregon, San Diego, San Joaquin, Spokane, Taiwan and Utah, as well as the Navajoland Area Mission.