On Friday, Dec. 14 the Latino Ministry Commission will host the final quarterly worship service or 'misa' of 2012 at the Latino Ministry Center in Forest Park beginning at 6:30 p.m. We will be celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12) isn't an official day in the Episcopal Church calendar, but it is a major feast day in the Roman Catholic Church and in some Mexican communities.

  

In 1531, a beautiful indigenous woman appeared to an indigenous campesino Juan Diego, at an indigenous holy site, Tepeyac --speaking his native tongue, nahuatl, and presenting herself as the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Only True God, Teotl. In a series of visions, she asked only that a home/sanctuary be built for all her children at this site, that the bishop be informed of her appearance and enlisted in the creation of this home. 

  

It took some efforts and a couple of signs to convince the local bishop to pay attention to this campesino, but in the end he was convinced. The story is recorded as a poetic work full of theological significance, in nahautl, El Nican Mopohua.The Virgin of Guadalupe is recognized as protector of not only indigenous people but also of all Americans and the Americas -- where we have the opportunity to bring forth a new humanity embracing many cultures, peoples, and languages. The Virgin of Guadalupe is the most ubiquitous icon in Latino culture to spiritually empower Latinos, a perfect example of God breaking through and meeting people where they are.

  

In this season of Advent, remember the beautiful story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And like Juan Diego, look for the vision in your own life. Look for God breaking through in your life, in new and unexpected ways.

  

Please plan to join us. The Latino Ministry Center is located at 11381 Hanover Road in Forest Park. For more information contact Carlos deJesus at cdejesus@cinci.rr.com.

  

The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti announce the selection of Kerns Group Architects, P.C., of Arlington, VA, as architect of the new Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Diocese of Haiti).
 
On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, killing more than 300,000 people, seriously injuring more than 250,000, and leaving 1.3 million homeless.  An extensive number of private and public buildings were destroyed including Holy Trinity Cathedral and the affiliated Episcopal institutions in the Cathedral Complex in Port-au-Prince.
 
"Faced with the enormity of rebuilding most of its churches, schools and other structures throughout the earthquake ravaged region, the Diocese of Haiti decided to concentrate its initial efforts on rebuilding Holy Trinity Cathedral as a prominent landmark of God's abiding presence with the Haitian people and the Church's commitment to serve them," Bishop Duracin said. "The new Cathedral will be a beacon of hope to all who suffer."
 
"This marks an important milestone in the effort to rebuild our church in Haiti," noted Bishop Stacy Sauls, Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer.  "It has come about because of the hard work of many people from the Diocese of Haiti, the Church Center, and beyond. It has come about in no small part due to the generosity of thousands of Episcopalians from across our Church who have given to rebuild the Holy Trinity Cathedral."

The Diocese of Southern Ohio was one of several dioceses to generously support the re-building of this cathedral.
 
The new cathedral will be designed to respect and celebrate the characteristics of the Episcopal Church in Haiti, the Haitian people and their culture. The worship space will be larger than the previous cathedral and will provide the flexibility to accommodate larger congregations. It will incorporate the three, surviving, world-renowned, painted murals, and its structure will comply with international seismic and hurricane building code standards. The building will be constructed to serve as a place of refuge in the event of future emergency situations. 

For more information on supporting the fundraising effort: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/rebuild-our-church-haiti 

  

The following excerpt was written by the Rev. Scott Gunn, Executive Director of Forward Movement, in the November 2012 edition of Vestry Papers, an online publication of the Episcopal Church Foundation:

If you pay much attention to goings-on in the Episcopal Church, you've probably heard of The Bible Challenge. Right here in the Vestry Papers, it's been covered a couple of times.

  

The Bible Challenge, a systematic way to read the whole Bible in a year, might seem like a gimmick, but it's much more than that. In fact, I think projects like this have the capacity-more than anything else-to transform and animate the Episcopal Church.

Read more from this article at http://www.ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/liturgy-music-leadership/transform-your-congregation-read-the-bible/ 

Check out Vital Practices, the website of the Episcopal Church Foundation, offering vestry members and other people of faith resources and tools to respond to the changing needs of the Church