Newsmakers
Episcopal News Service. October 6, 2005 [100605-02]
Douglas McCaleb named dean of Miami's Trinity Cathedral
[ENS, Source: Diocese of Southeast Florida] -- Trinity Cathedral, Miami, announced the selection of the Rev. Douglas W. McCaleb as the third dean in the cathedral's history. He will begin his ministry there on January 1, 2006.
McCaleb, 56, is the rector of Christ Church in Winchester, Virginia, a congregation that has grown from 800 to 1200 members during his 10 years in the parish.
A native of California, McCaleb earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971 and did graduate work at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
He received the Master of Divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary in New York in 1987. While in New York, he served as an intern in both urban and suburban churches, as well as at a crisis shelter for teenagers.
Before beginning his seminary studies, McCaleb served for three years as a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard and seven years as a Foreign Affairs Officer with the United States Department of Commerce.
Prior to coming to Christ Church as priest-in-charge in 1995, McCaleb served for two years as assistant at St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC, the historic church often called "the church of presidents" because of its location directly across the street from the White House. Among his duties at St. John's was responsibility for leading an urban outreach program.
The multiculturalism of Miami, McCaleb says, reminds him of Washington. What led him to seek the position at the cathedral is "the opportunity for urban ministry."
"What an exciting time to be in Miami!" McCaleb says. "The opportunities for outreach, for evangelism, for exciting worship -- the sky's the limit."
Trinity Cathedral was founded June 10, 1896, as Trinity Church. In 1970 it became the cathedral for the newly formed Diocese of Southeast Florida. The present building at 464 NE 16 Street, completed in 1925, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Episcopal Migration Ministries welcomes new staff
[ENS, Source: Episcopal Migration Ministries] -- Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) -- whose services in refugee and evacuee resettlement reach across the church -- has welcomed the Rev. Lisa Hamilton, Laura Cardinal, Don Cimato, and Lizzie Goodfriend to its staff to support the EMM Hurricane Evacuee Relocation Project.
Hamilton, named sponsorship development associate, said working with churches to sponsor evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is "some of the most rewarding work I've ever done."
"Working at EMM, I am continuously amazed at the outpouring of support and offers of help that we are receiving from churches and dioceses from around the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Cardinal, a matching team associate, said.
Cimato, also a matching team associate, said he remembered doing similar work in the past for the Church "and how important that this was to me as an Episcopalian."
"I find it inspiring to be part of the team here at EMM," said Goodfriend, "and through that team a larger network of individuals, churches and dioceses that is so dedicated to helping hurricane evacuees start the process of rebuilding their lives in the wake of such an enormous crisis."
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Utah Episcopalians expand Latino ministry
[ENS, Source: Diocese of Utah] -- The Rev. Canon Pablo Ramos is becoming the fulltime Episcopal missioner to the Latino community in Utah, announced Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish of Utah. His position, which became effective October 1, will also encompass being vicar of San Esteban, the growing Latino congregation housed at St. Stephen's Church in West Valley City.
"Pablo will concentrate on developing congregations and ministries to Utah's expanding Spanish-speaking population," said Irish. "He will be based in West Valley City and nurture the Latino congregation there while supporting growth of Latino congregations in other parishes in the diocese."
Ramos moved to Utah in 1998 to expand the Latino ministry at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark. He has been dividing his time between cathedral and diocesan responsibilities. Now he will concentrate fully on planting and nurturing Latino congregations in parishes where the need is greatest.
Ramos is a native of Mexico and the son of the Very Rev. Pablo Ramos, an Episcopal priest and dean of San Andres Seminary, Mexico City. The younger Ramos holds a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Guadalajara and received his theological training at San Andres Seminary.
"Many Latinos have been alienated in the church of their birth," says Ramos. "One goal of this ministry is to offer them or any Spanish-speaking person a relationship with God." He recently collaborated with the Most Rev. Carlos Touché-Porter, Archbishop of Mexico, in translating into Spanish much of the "Windsor Report," the document studying sexuality and ministry in the Episcopal Church and its effect on other Anglican Churches. Ramos also translated a textbook, "The Story of the Real Prayer Book" by William Sydnor, as part of a "seminary by extension" program he helped create for the Diocese of Utah and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California.
The new missioner is married to Beatriz Ramos; they have three children and make their home in Salt Lake City.
The Episcopal Church in Utah, with 6,000 members, has 21 congregations in the state and one in Northern Arizona.
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Comedienne Phyllis Diller addresses Pasadena parish forum
[ENS, Los Angeles] -- One secret to a long life is the long-term ability to laugh, actor and comedienne Phyllis Diller told the October 2 rector's forum at All Saints Church in Pasadena, California. Diller, 88, underscored this observation by pointing to the longevity of fellow comics -- the late George Burns, Bob Hope and Milton Berle.
Among her most recent roles, Diller appears in the current pilot of a new NBC television show, "The Book of Daniel," the story of an Episcopal priest (played by Aidan Quinn) which is expected to air in months ahead (see related ENS story http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_64242_ENG_HTM.htm). The show was taped in part at the Pasadena church, among whose longtime parishioners Diller has several friends.
Diller regaled the packed forum audience with stories of her faith, her life, and her humor. Among jokes she shared was the following, an observation about her husband, "Fang," and his observation about reading the newspaper obituary page. Said Fang to Diller: "Can you believe that people die in alphabetical order?"