VIM in Belize No Longer

Friday, August 08, 2008

A New Priest For Belize

This is especially for my one loyal “reader” who checks the Blog each week in time to tell me on Sunday morning that there is nothing new – as if I didn’t know. Thanks for your faithfulness, Richard. But I’ll be thrilled if anyone else reads it, too.

The news is that on Monday, August 25, in St. John’s Cathedral Church, Belize City, Lorna Sampson will be ordained to the order and ministry of Priest in the Church of God. This is particularly exciting for me as Lorna comes from Punta Gorda, where I was stationed for 16 months, and I consider her to be a good friend and certainly a worthy candidate for the priesthood. The last time I saw her was early last year when she was suffering through her first Canadian winter as an exchange student at Wycliffe College, Toronto. Belize is a remarkably multicultural country, but on her arrival at Wycliffe Lorna was impressed by the variety represented in the community she was to become a part of. When I was introduced to the Assembly I felt that I was immediately a part of the whole world, because as I looked from one person to the other, a different country, or denomination, or political persuasion, or race, or ethnic group, or economic status or culture was represented there.

People have often asked me whether I would return to Belize. I answered that I would be prepared to go for a few months if they wished, but also thought I might go for a funeral or an ordination. Perhaps this is the occasion. My responsibilities at St. John’s, Port Hope, include Sunday worship on August 24. I wonder….

In searching the Internet for Lorna’s picture I came across the blog of “Deacon Chelsy Stevens presently Deacon in Charge at Independence and Placencia”.
http://chelsy-youbetterbelizeit.blogspot.com/2008_02_12_archive.html
Actually Chelsy completed her posting at the end of July and I presume is back in Canada now. The blog (unfortunately no pictures) makes fascinating reading, certainly for me and, I hope, for you. Although Chelsy has promised to return to Belize, there is a sad note on which she leaves as she notes, “after I leave there will be 9 parishes without clergy”.