New bishop of Cuba: 'Hers is a theology of hope'

New bishop of Cuba: 'Hers is a theology of hope'
Marites N. Sison
staff writer
Feb 9, 2010
Paul Feheley

In a service described as "full of life and energy," The Rev. Griselda
Delgado del Carpio, 55, was consecrated on Feb. 7 as the new co-adjutor
Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Cuba.

The pews at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Havana were packed as about
400 people – busloads from parishes where Bishop Delgado had served as
priest – gathered for the four-hour service. Archbishop Fred Hiltz,
primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Presiding Bishop Katharine
Jefferts Schori, primate of The Episcopal Church, and Archbishop John
Holder, the new primate of the Church of the Province of the West
Indies, celebrated the Eucharist as members of the Metropolitan Council
of Cuba. (The Council has overseen the Cuban church since it separated
from The Episcopal Church in 1967 because of difficult relations between
the governments of Cuba and the United States.)

Archbishop Hiltz, chief celebrant and chief consecrator in his capacity
as Council chair, presided over parts of the Eucharist in Spanish.
Archbishop Hiltz isn't fluent in Spanish, but "he worked very diligently
on it in events leading up to the service," said Archdeacon Paul
Feheley, the primate's principal secretary. "He spoke slowly and people
had the printed text in front of them. I think there was a very deep
appreciation of his willingness to try." Archbishop Hiltz' sermon was,
however, delivered in English and Bishop Jefferts Schori, who speaks
Spanish, acted as translator.

In his sermon, Archbishop Hiltz expressed confidence in Bishop Delgado's
leadership. He recalled that when the Council asked Bishop Delgado if
she would accept the appointment, she had replied, "I live for the
witness of the Church in Cuba." He said that "as she has poured her
heart and soul into her parish ministry, so we believe she will serve
the diocese with deep love…She will encourage and support all of you in
your ministries, lay and ordained. She will call you to prayer and to
good works…"

Bishop Delgado was appointed by the Council after two special electoral
synods held last year failed to elect a successor to Bishop Miguel
Tamayo Zaldivar, who is retiring as interim bishop. She was chosen from
a pool of candidates who were asked by the Council to submit written
responses to a series of questions.

In her submission, Bishop Delgado spoke of the Spirit of God "blowing
its fresh air" to renew Cuban vocation and witness to the Gospel, said
Archbishop Hiltz. "Hers is a theology of hope grounded in the context of
the church local," he said. "She speaks of the rebuilding of temples
throughout Cuba – the restoration of churches and the growing of
congregations through worship and service – through reading biblical
texts, celebrating the Eucharist, sharing in prayer for the community
and for the world, and then sharing food, providing clothing, and
distributing medicines as any and all have need."

Bishop Delgado's consecration ceremony was steeped in symbolism. Her
daughters Griselda and Marcela, and son, Lautaro, vested her with
liturgical garments imbued with deep meaning. The stole had come all the
way from Bishop Delgado's native Bolivia, which she had left at the
height of military coups in the early '80s; the cope, mitre and pectoral
cross were gifts from the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal
Church of the U.S. The Canadian gift was given in memory of Gail
Virginia (Gini) Pollesel, wife of Archdeacon Michael Pollesel, general
secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, who was killed in a car
accident on Dec. 27. The couple had visited the church in Cuba on many
occasions, in Archdeacon Pollesel's capacity as Council representative
to the diocese's annual synod.

The collection, which came from the service as well as contributions
from parishes, was offered to Haiti, which is still reeling from a
devastating earthquake that hit the capital, Port-au-Prince and
neighbouring suburbs, on Jan. 12. Council members saw this gesture of
solidarity as "evidence of Communion," said Archdeacon Feheley.

As she received the mitre, Archbishop Hiltz reminded Bishop Delgado that
as servant leader, "the bishop is called to care for all the Churches."
He described a bishop's ministry as one that brings "great joy" and
"great pain." Joy comes when the church gathers "in times of celebration
and new beginnings," and pain comes when there is "dissension and
conflict among the faithful," he said. The challenge is "to address it,
and to declare that we belong ultimately not to one party or another,
but to Christ."

Archbishop Hiltz quoted the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams who
said that one should be able to see in the bishop "the Christ who
gathers the people, speaking words of welcome, forgiveness, healing, and
peace."

A bishop must also have a commitment "to cherish diversity within
unity," he added. "It is reflected in our willingness to come to the
table respecting the range of theological perspectives our Anglican
tradition has the capacity to embrace." It is also reflected "in the
generosity of spirit and substance for relief in emergencies of a
catastrophic nature such as we have seen in Haiti in recent weeks and in
long-term commitments to the repair of the world through the Millennium
Development Goals," he said.

A graduate of Cuba's Seminario Evangelico de Teologia, Bishop Delgado
was ordained a priest in 1990. She worked at the parishes of San Juan
Evangelista, Coliseo, San Felipe Diacono, Limonar, Santa Maria Virgen,
and the missions at Cuatro Esquinas and Guachinango.

Anglican Journal: New bishop of Cuba: 'Hers is a theology of hope' (10
February 2010)
http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/new-bishop-of-cuba-hers-is-a-theology-of-hope/?cHash=ef8c244358