Nigeria Day at Christ Church

October 1st is Nigerian Independence Day.  What's that got to do with ministry in Mexico?  Here at Christ Church, an international Christian community, we have about a dozen or so active members who come from Nigeria.  Here are the core group of them, dressed in traditional garb for the festivities:

Since we have already celebrated US Independence Day, Canada Day, and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth I of the United Kingdom, it only made sense to celebrate the special day of the homeland of another group of our members. 

And what a celebration it was!  Far more than the usual number of Nigerians came to worship on Sunday -- there were thirty or forty of them -- including the ambassador...who at the last moment was invited to be the lector.  Here he is with the rector following the service:

 

Not only did the Ambassador read the scriptures on Sunday, he also asked to address the congregation 'briefly' at the end of the service.  Then we had prayers of Thanksgiving for Nigeria and the Nigerians in Mexico, and then we sang the Nigerian national anthem.  (It is short and to the point -- unlike the Mexican national anthem which, while musically interesting, is about as simple to sing as an operatic aria!)  The choir, as usual, rose to the occasion, offering some African music, including the Sanctus from the Missa Luba.  

This being an Anglican Church, naturally we had refreshments following the service.  Actually, it wasn't just refreshments, we had a lavish African feast, with plenty to eat and drink. 

 

They had also brought in a recorded music, so there was dancing, too.  I believe the style, a fusion of traditional African melody and rhythm with American Jazz and funk, is known as Afrobeat. Anyway, it was African, and it had a beat... 

 



Down South

Of course, I am  down south -- "South of the Border" as they used to say.  But Saturday I went even further down south, to the southern portion of the city, which is a world unto itself.  A tour was sponsored by the Newcomers Club (a bit of a misnomer, as some of the "newcomers" have been here for years -- I suppose it sounds better than the 'friendship club,' which is what it really seems to be.) 

 

We began with a stop in Coyoacan, which has mcuh more of a 'neighborhood' or even a small town feel than much of the rest of the city.  Over the years, it has been very much of an artists' colony -- a bit more relaxed, open, and 'bohemian.'  This is the central plaza and the colonial church of St. John Baptist.

The interior of the church is richly decorated, although it did not seem as 'over the top' as some of the other colonial era churches I have seen. 

 

 

 

 

The painted ceiling with gilt trim was particularly beautiful. 

 

It's a colorful neighborhod in many ways:

One of the street vendors had a trained bird that picked out your 'fortune' from a stack of cards.  It was actually a bit creepy...

 

We then visited Casa Azul,  "The Blue House," the home where Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born and grew up.  Eventually she also died there, after a life that seems to have been tumultuous.  She was married to Diego Rivera, another Mexican artist (and divorced from him and remarried to him -- twice, I think).  She was in constant and severe pain due to injuries from a car accident; she was a communist; she was one of the great champions of indigenous Mexican art and culture.  Many of her works are on display in the house, along with several rooms of her furniture and her studio.  The house appeared to be a series of interconnected buildings surrounding a lovely courtyard garden. 

 From Frida's collection of indigenous and folk art that was on display:

 

We stopped briefly at the National University -- which boasts something like 120,000 students.  The most famous landmark at the University (locally called UNAM -- Universidad Nacional Autonomo de Mexico) is the library.  The facade appears to be covered by a brightly painted mural -- it's not, it is a mosaic, designed by the Mexican artist Juan O'Gorman.

The mosaic depicts not only the history of Mexico, but also traces the Western cultural heritage of faith and reason. 

 

The highlight of the day was the trip to Xochimilco.  It's hard to imagine from the appearance of modern day Mexico City, but for many hundreds of years, the Aztec capital was actually situated in a lake.  Not on or near a lake, but it was an island surrounded by an elaborate grid of canals.  The Spaniards got the bright idea to drain the lakebed to build their capital of New Spain, which is why nowadays the historic center of the city is sinking, and many of the buildings downtown are leaning to one side or another.  Xochimilco is what remains of that watery city -- it is a place for recreation and relaxation. 

 

Colorfully decorated boats known is trajineras ply the waters. They are named after women, and the drivers use long poles to reach down into the lake bottom to push the boats along. 

 

 

 

As you can see above, down the center of the long, narrow boat there is a table, with seats on two sides.  This is perfect for putting drinks or food, and as we floated along the canal other boats came alongside us selling soft drinks, beer, and food.  This picture gives something of an idea of the traffic on the canal:

 

 

Other boats had musicians, including both marimba and mariachi bands.  For a small fee, they were happy to play and sing for our entertainment.

 

 

 

All in all...a great day!

 

 

 

 



Descanso

That's Spanish for 'rest,' which is the term used to describe a day off -- a day of rest.  Tuesday is my day of rest, and yesterday I woke up and just HAD to have an American Style breakfast -- pancakes and bacon.  So I walked to the IHOP, which is about a half-dozen blocks from the house.  It put me in such a good mood -- must have been the sugar rush from all that syrup. '

Anyway, I usually go shopping for my day off, but decided to get a real rest and do something different.  Mexico City is a great place for anyone who likes museums (someone like me, for instance) because there are more museums here than in any other city in the world.  I decided that I would go to the Museum of Modern Art, which is within walking distance of the house.  (A long walk, but a walk nonetheless). 

As luck would have it, the permanent exhibits were closed.  Either there was no explanation, or I didn't understand the explanation that was given to me by the person at the main desk.  In any event, I was prepared to enjoy a relaxing day at a museum, and I was not about to be deterred.  So I decided to go to the Museo Nacional de San Carlos, which was a bus ride away, near the center of the city.

It is housed in a seventeenth century hacienda, with an open-air sort of courtyard.  Like many of the large homes of that era, it was eventually abandoned, and used for another purpose.  This grand home was used at one point as a tobacco factory (the neighborhood to this day is known as "tablaclera.") As luck would have it, about half of the permanent exhibit was closed.  Only the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque exhibits were open.  However, it was enough. Here are a couple of examples of the kind of things I was able to see.

 

This is a Renaissance Altar frontal, for example, and below is a Madonna and Child:

There was also a marvelous Spanish baroque oil painting of Christ washing the feet of his disciples, which was my favorite in the whole museum.  As I looked at it, I thought to myself that I might be able to refer to some of the imagery of that painting in a sermon some day! 

 

One of the weird aspects of the museum was that the temporary exhibit (of an artist whose name escapes me) was actually displayed side by side with the permanent exhibit, as a kind of commentary on the works displayed from each era.  Here is the collage displayed in the room with Spanish Baroque art. 

 

Elaborate, overblown, full of detail -- I guess in a way it reflects the Baroque ideals...

 

After the Museo San Carlos, I walked a few blocks to the Church of San Fernando, which also is home to one of Mexico's important cemeteries.  Although my grasp of Mexican history is weak enough that I couldn't and didn't identify many of the heroes who were buried there, it was still an impressive and interesting monument.

 

 The Church dates from the 17th century -- or was it the 18th...?  At any way, it boasts another extraordinary gilded altar frontal and an elaborate carved exterior.

 

Así lo haremos

In nearly 25 years of priesthood I have had the privilege and honor of experiencing so much.  And being in a new country, in a new culture, means that some experiences have become totally new to me.  For example, although I have attended many ordinations, been honored to be a presenter for several persons, and even had the blessing of preaching at an ordination, I've never been to an ordination in Mexico.  Before this weekend, that is, when Christ Church was host to the ordination of a (transitional) deacon at noon on Saturday.

As typically happens for an ordination, clergy from around the diocese gathered to offer their prayers, presence, and support.  Here we are, gathered before the service. 



The ordinand, Ricardo, used to worship here, and also did his field work at Christ Church, so he is known to many of the parishioners. 

 

Like most Anglican/Episcopal services, this one was filled with pomp and pageantry:

 





The Bishop and his Chaplain

Deacon Jorge, acolyte Adolfo, and priest associate Padre Guillermo in the patio before the service , and two more acolytes, Juan and Hiram, who are currently students at Seminario San Andrés.

 

It was, of course, a particular honor to be asked to be a presenter for Ricardo's ordination, but it was especially moving to experience a familiar service in another language.  The nuances of meaning are always a little different in every translation, and I found that I was especially touched by answering the question which in English is - Will you support him in his ministry? The answer in Spanish is Así lo haremos, which is somewhat stronger than the English-language "We will," but more literally translates to "Thus will we do," which I believe is stronger, since it contains the VERB 'haremos' -- We will do. 

 

Lest all of the above photos lead you to conclude that only men are ordained in the Anglican Province of Mexico, this next photo shows La Madre Sally Sue who was minister of ceremonies and also preached the sermon.

 

 

The newly ordained, vested in dalmatic, receives his Bible, and sets the table for communion.

Pomp and pageantry -- we are Anglicans, of course.  But the ordaination wasn't the only bit of pageantry that day.  You see, it was also the Independence Day weekend, so the parish hall was festively decorated, and  many parishioners were dressed in festive garb -- not red white and blue, but red white and GREEN, which are the colors of the Mexican flag. 

 Those who had not come in the traditional colors of the Mexican flag were invited (encouraged?) (coerced??) into donning the colors. 

 

 

The Celebration of a New Ministry

Two days ago, on Saturday August 18, I was instituted as the 25th Rector of Christ Church in Mexico City.  It was a beautiful, inspiring, and deeply moving occasion. 

The Bishop of the Diocese of Mexico, the Most Rev. Carlos Touché Porter, who is also the Primate of the Anglican Church of Mexico, was the presider. 

The Rev. Tamara Newell, left, the first woman ordained in the Anglican Church in Mexico was the preacher.  She did a splendid job, using the story of Moses and the seventy elders to talk about the work of God's Spirit in the community.  To her left is my good friend and colleague, The Rev. Guillermo Salinas, who is Priest Associate at Christ Church and is also a medical doctor. 

There were a number of other clergy present from the Anglican Church of Mexico.  Also in attendance were ecumenical clergy, including the proto-presbyter of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Mexico City, seen here at the far left, and clergy of the Lutheran Church (also representing the Latin American Council of Churches), the Salvation Army, and the Mormon Church. 

The heart of the service, however, is the presentation of the symbols of office to the new rector.  Here, two of my colleagues, the Rev. Andrés Solis of the Cathedral of San José de Gracia and The Rev. Xavier Ocampo, Vicar of Santa Cruz, present me with the Canons of the Anglican Church of Mexico.  

I was also officially presented with the keys to the Church by the Wardens.

Presentations of the bread and wine, the Bible, the Prayerbook, and oil for anointing also took place.  Since part of the congregation is Spanish-speaking, and part is English-speaking, representatives of each group participated in their own native language. 

At the end of the presentations, also called the Service of Induction, the Bishop invites the congregation to "Greet your New Rector."  Susan was also introduced at this time.



Afterwards, there was a lavish reception, with, naturally a sheet cake.