The Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen, bishop of the Diocese of Honduras, knows the 144 churches of his diocese well. That knowledge, combined with spiritual discernment, has led him to the choice of one church, San Patricio (Saint Patrick’s) in the city of El Progreso as the recipient of this year’s annual Thanksgiving offering from the Diocese of Central Florida.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which wreaked havoc on the nation and its people, Honduras was hit hard by two back-to-back hurricanes in late 2020. This triple whammy has left the Diocese of Honduras making gains, but still struggling, Allen said.
Damaged fence surrounding Iglesia Episcopal San Patricio in El Progreso, Honduras
The Rev. Tom Phillips, rector of Holy Trinity, Melbourne, who visited Honduras in June, agrees. “Honduras didn’t have the governmental resources around the pandemic that we had,” he said. “The government pumped a ton of cash into our economy for years. Honduras didn’t get those things, and you can see it when you go there. The churches are still recovering.”
San Patricio falls into this category, Allen explained. “It’s a church that was built probably about 12 years ago. I visited there about a month ago and walked around the premises of the church, and I found a lot of things that need to be done: building a fence, repairing the floors and doing a lot of other upkeep around the church.”
Allen said these critical needs stem both from the rains associated with the hurricanes, including more recent ones, and the continued recovery from the pandemic-related shutdown.
“The church needs a lot of help,” he said. “During the heavy rains, part of the fence was washed away. Water got into the church and damaged the floor, a special type of tile construction used in Honduras. We will have to replace, maybe not the entire floor, but part of the floor.
“And then we would like to put up a fence around the property for protection of the church’s property and its value,” he added. “So that’s where we will be working with funds raised in the Thanksgiving offering.”
One of multiple sections of flooring tiles damaged by water intrusion at San Patricio
While Allen has long sought to help his churches grow in self-sufficiency, the pandemic has delayed this pursuit. “It threw us back in the sustainability plans that we were working on and moving along with our brothers and sisters at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City to move us from that legacy of dependency into a vital, self-sufficient church,” he said. “Those three years really affected and hurt us, but we’re picking up the pace again. And I look forward to better times in the next couple years.”
Phillips urges clergy and laity throughout the diocese to consider not only the urgent need in Honduras but the exponential impact of their gifts. “You should understand that because of the exchange rate and the strength of the American dollar, the impact of your giving is multiplied tremendously – to change real lives,” he said.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, places a high value on the Thanksgiving offering as well. “It’s more than a tradition,” he said. “It flows from our strong relationship with the Diocese of Honduras, which has endured for nearly 50 years.”
And Allen is grateful for the continued support of the Diocese of Central Florida. (See “Poised for Growth: Central Florida’s Companion Diocese Relationship With Honduras” for more information about this long-standing partnership and opportunities.)
“I want to take advantage of this opportunity to express my gratitude for Bishop Justin,” he said. “I thank him for having had me at his consecration and for continuing the partnership between the Diocese of Central Florida and the Diocese of Honduras.”
“Thank you very much for your continued support, for walking the walk and talking the talk,” Allen added.
ANNUAL HONDURAS THANKSGIVING OFFERING GIVING OPTIONS
DONATE ONLINE: Click this link to donate online and select “Thanksgiving Offering” from the dropdown list of funds.
DONATE WITH CHECKS PAYABLE TO: “Diocese of Central Florida”
MAIL TO:
Diocese of Central Florida
1017 E. Robinson St.
Orlando, FL 32801
Memo: “2023 Thanksgiving Offering”