Dear Diocesan Family,
My greetings of peace in this season of Advent.
Through this I am letting you know that we have started our affiliation with the San Pedro and San Pablo Seminary of the Diocese of Puerto Rico, with a view to the theological, pastoral and spiritual formation of those who are going to be ordained to the Sacred Ministry.
This decision has been the result of a discernment process that has been taking place based on the experiences lived on the path of vocational training in recent years.
The Examining Chaplains, the Ministers in charge of the communities, and I all believe that the Church has a key responsibility to train its clergy.
As the Episcopal Church in Cuba, we continue to be part of the Evangelical Seminary of Theology in Matanzas, as a founding Church, as part of the Board of Directors, and through our annual financial contribution. Likewise, we will continue the formation of our lay leaders in this Institution, with the endorsement of their respective Ministers. They will attend the Courses by meetings or any other means that the SET offers.
May this season of Advent be an invitation to widen the space in our hearts so that God with Us may come into our lives and we may be a sign of hope in the midst of our people.
With my blessing,
In Christ Jesus,
Maria Griselda Delgado del Carpio
Diocesan Bishop
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DIOCESE OF PUERTO RICO AND THE DIOCESE OF CUBA FOR THE AFFILIATION OF THE THEOLOGICAL FORMATION PROGRAM FOR CANDIDATES FOR THE ORDAINED MINISTRY
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We, the Most Reverend María Griselda del Carpio, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba, and the Most Reverend Rafael Luis Morales Maldonado, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico, gathered in Havana on December 3 of the year of our Lord 2022 , we decided to establish the affiliation of the Formation Program proposed by the Diocese of Cuba.
We recognize that the incorporation of the formation system for the ordained ministry of the Diocese of Cuba to the formative processes of the San Pedro and San Pablo Seminary of the Diocese of Puerto Rico, strengthens the ties of fraternity and communion between both dioceses, in addition to contributing to the improvement of our respective formation programs, thus contributing to the affirmation of our Anglican and Episcopal identity.
We adopt and declare the following agreements:
• The Diocese of Puerto Rico and its Diocesan Seminary recognize the solidity of the formation plan for the ordained ministry of the Diocese of Cuba, including its study program and the proposed curriculum, ratifying with this their full support.
• The Diocese of Puerto Rico will support the Diocese of Cuba with the necessary technology to make the training a reality in the face-to-face and digital modalities, with the participation of professors from both institutions.
• The Diocese of Puerto Rico will facilitate the access of Cuban professors and seminarians to the virtual library created in their diocesan Seminary.
• Both Dioceses will promote the exchange of seminarians to learn about other contexts of the mission.
• The Diocesan Seminary of Puerto Rico will issue the graduation diplomas of the graduates of the formation program of the Diocese of Cuba.
And for the record, we signed on December 4, 2022 in the Episcopal Cathedral of Havana:
_________________________________ ________________________________
Bishop Rafael L. Morales Maldonado Bishop María Griselda Delgado