DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, HAITI: Dioceses explore mutual ministry at mission dialogue conference

February 29, 2008 [Episcopal News Service] One hundred Episcopal Church leaders from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola gathered February 25-29 for a mission dialogue conference to identify and build on common areas of mission and ministry.

Led by bishops Julio Holguin of the Dominican Republic and Jean Zaché Duracin of Haiti, with financial support from several external sources, 50 people from each diocese met in the Dominican Republic to explore ways in which they could support each other in the larger context of their mission strategy.

Through presentations, plenary sessions, reflections in small groups, worship, and mutual mission engagement and companionship, the Church leaders worked on three major areas: microcredit, as a tool for women's empowerment; health ministries, with a particular focus on malaria and HIV/AIDS, especially in marginalized communities; and theological education, in the context of clergy and lay formation and ongoing theological reflection.

Conducted in French/Creole and Spanish, the conference included presentations by the Rev. Margarita Santana and the Rev. Frantz Cole (microcredit); Dr. Loyda Perez, Dr. Michael Dohn and Dr. Eddy Genece (health ministries); and retired Dominican Republic Bishop Telesforo Isaac and seminary deans, the Rev. Napoleon Brito and the Rev. Oge Beauvoir (theological education).

Dr. Robert Stevens delivered a presentation on the model of the Dominican Development Group (DDG) in the context of Companion Diocese Relationships. Stevens is executive director of DDG.

A joint commission will compile the minutes and recommendations of the gathering.

Haiti occupies the western third and the Dominican Republic the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. Haiti is one of the Episcopal Church's dioceses in Province II and the Dominican Republic forms part of the Church's Province IX.

Several Episcopal Church dioceses share companion relationships with the dioceses of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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