The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Assisting Bishop of San Diego, renews her call to support pensions for clergy in the Diocese of Cuba:
Clergy in Cuba have no access to state pensions or any equivalent of social security, for their service to the church is not recognized as employment, which is a function of the Cuban government. Their retirement requires enormous creativity and often means penury beyond what most Cubans already endure. In spite of the fiscal realities, the church in Cuba continues to be immensely resourceful and creative. Bishop Griselda has fostered a culture of strategic planning and missional engagement that will move and challenge anyone who has the opportunity to visit the diocese and her congregations. …
The pension gap is approximately $800,000. Given the current census of Episcopalians, the need amounts to about $0.50 per member of this Church. I write to ask you to offer a mite to aid the aged and aging clergy of the church in Cuba. A couple of bishops of smaller dioceses shared their plans with us at General Convention to raise their offerings to $1 per member.
I am in conversation with Mr. Kurt Barnes, treasurer of the Episcopal Church, about an account dedicated to aiding the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba by underwriting the pension obligations. Our treasurer, the Rev. Kirby Smith, will be happy to receive the offerings of Episcopalians in the Diocese of San Diego and send them on together.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
