The liturgical calendar in use in the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic honors the lives and work of the late David Morrow and Robert (Bob) Stevens, both of whom had major roles in the development of the Dominican diocesan ministries and facilities. Both were founding members of the Dominican Development Group. David served as the representative of the Diocese of Northwest Texas and several terms as the DDG's President and Treasurer, and Bob was the DDG's first Executive Director.
This liturgical calendar was printed by the Ashby Company in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the tribute panel was designed by Julia Ariail. The Rt. Rev. William J. Skilton, another founding member of the DDG, arranged for the cost of the publication to be supported by a charitable donor in Charleston, South Carolina, and for the printed calendars to be transported to Santo Domingo for distribution to all of the Dominican Episcopal churches.
Dr. Joe Gaston, University of South Alabama, with the Rt. Rev. Moisés Quezada Mota, Bishop of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic.
University of South Alabama Scholarship Program
Educational Missionary Tom McGowan recently wrote in his blog about this new partnership between the University of South Alabama and the Diocese of the Dominican Republic:
Dr. Joe Gaston had negotiated an agreement between his workplace, the University of South Alabama, and the Diocese of the Dominican Republic to make scholarships available yearly for deserving students from the Episcopal colegios who meet the university's entrance requirements. The Bishop got out his best signing pen for this one! Padre Ashton Brooks did an instant translation of the document for the assembled committee members. We all applauded Joe's accomplishment.
Tom indicated that the South Alabama partnership was one of several important initiatives launched during the team's December trip. Other high points included a research program to determine how effective our school improvement efforts have been; a grant to purchase four computers for pilot schools; and the creation of "Un Club de Tecnologia" (an Internet link enabling Dominican teacher-leaders to communicate with each other more easily).
To read the complete blog post on the South Alabama connection, click here. To check out all of Tom McGowan's lively blog posts, go here.
The poster with photographs of all of the 2019 mission teams. Click this image for instructions on how to download and print it locally.
Poster of the 2019 Teams Available Online
The Mission Team Coordination Office in Santo Domingo has completed work on a 20"x30" poster with group photographs of all of the Episcopal mission teams and other visitors who came to the Diocese of the Dominican Republic in 2019. For the first time, two versions of this poster are available -- in English and in Spanish. For a set of instructions on how to download the poster file and print it locally, click
here. To see an online album of the group photographs that make up this poster, click
here.
The poster includes this statement from Bishop Quezada thanking the mission teams for coming and working in the Dominican Diocese:
Nosotros agradecemos mucho el inmenso trabajo que hacen los grupos misioneros en nuestra Diócesis. Con su testimonio nos ofrecen una verdadera muestra de lo que significa el compañerismo en la misión.
We are very grateful for the tremendous work these missionary groups do in our diocese. Through their testimony, they offer us a true example of what fellowship means in mission.
To make arrangements for mission team trips in 2020, contact Miquea Santivil Luis in the Mission Team Coordination Office in the diocesan office in Santo Domingo: <
missionteam@iglepidom.org>. The schedule of incoming teams in 2020 is available on the diocesan website
here
and on the DDG website here. These lists are usually updated on Mondays throughout the year.
Links to online copies of recent issues of the
DDG Companion News:
