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Current Background Information on Relationship
The Diocese of Florida is linked with the Diocese of Cuba with 41 parishes in
Florida linked with at least one church in Cuba. The Diocese of Florida has
75 congregations and a 14,000 household community with 135 canonically
resident clergy. The Episcopal Church in Cuba (ECC) had about 10,000
communicants
and 50 churches and missions and 24 priests, two of them woman. The Cathedral
is in Havana, the residence of Bishop Miguel Tamoya.
The Diocesan Cuba Committee (DCC) meets monthly, usually at a central
location such as St. James in Lake City, as Pat Robinson, wife of the rector,
Father
Jeff Robinson, is a very active member of the Committee. There are about 24
listed members of the DCC of which fifteen are usually in attendance at the
monthly meetings. The local and diocesan committees consist of much the same
committed people. The focus of most meetings is the sharing of information on
how the Episcopal Church in the United States (ECUSA) and the Episcopal Church
in Cuba (ECC) can more effectively engage in a Christian symbiotic relationship
becoming an integral part of each otherıs lives as we both grow in the
knowledge and love of God.
The Holy Trinity Cuba Committee is under the auspices and funding of our
Outreach Committee chaired by Willa Wolcott and Susan Nugent. Our current
budget
request for 2004 is $1500. Diocesan support of the Diocesan Cuba Committee
has fallen from $2500 two years ago to $1000 and this year is only $500. Local
parishes have had to join forces to help fund individual parish trips as well
as subsidizing funding to increase Cuban priestsı salary of approximately $20
a month. Holy Trinity with the support of Father Gordon and the Outreach
Commission sent $300 to Father Alfred Nunno, parish priest of our companion
church, St. John the Baptist in Florencia. (See VII Maps) This just about
doubled
his monthly salary. Father Nunno needs more funding to pay for expensive
gas($2.50$ a gallon) to visit his four churches and missions under his care. Holy Trinity Cuba Committee has had several very active members including
Ginny and David Bushnell, Nancy Galloway, Joy Lewis and Alberto Mendez, and
Harold Nugent. Peter Bushnell has recently joined the HTCC and DCC helping to
fill the gap when Nancy Galloway and Peterıs parents Ginny and David Bushnell
migrated to New Mexico last year. Many Holy Trinity parishioners give
generous support in funds and goods to our parishioners traveling t o Cuba
under
visas singed by the Bishop of Cuba and approved by the U.S. Treasury Department.
Newcomers to Holy Trinity Joy Lewis and Alberto Mendez, both fluent Spanish
speakers, have joined both HTCC and the DCC and made a trip to Cuba with Julie
Sullivan the second week in March, leaving March 5th.
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