wfn.org | [ENS] Mauritian bishop underscores theological education,

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Mauritian bishop underscores theological education, Anglican unity as
priorities

By Matthew Davies

ENS 101105-2

[Episcopal News Service] Theological education and unity are key
priorities
for the worldwide Anglican Communion, Bishop Ian Ernest of Mauritius --
a
diocese in the Province of the Indian Ocean -- told staff at the
Episcopal
Church Center in New York City October 10.

Having spent a month visiting dioceses and seminaries in the Episcopal
Church in an effort to forge closer relationships between the two
provinces,
Ernest said, "Many of us don't want to leave the Anglican Communion or
put
it at risk. We need to have all hands together ... with mutual respect."

Ernest, a member of the 2008 Lambeth Conference Design Group Committee,
said
that he felt privileged to be visiting the Episcopal Church and was
happy to
bring greetings from his brother bishops from Africa "because most of
them
think like me -- we want to maintain communion and we want to foster
partnerships and a spirit of community..."

Education is essential

Convener of the Target Group for Bishops Training within the Task Force
of
Theological Education for the Anglican Communion, Ernest spoke of the
importance of theological education but also acknowledged the challenges
involved in training.

"It is important for the Anglican Church to have a strong presence in
society, but Anglicans need to be well informed so that they are not
being
torn apart," he said. "At times the church can be at risk if we do not
give
a proper balance of the liturgical and intellectual."

Elected bishop in 2001, Ernest felt that he would benefit from a time of
observation while making the transition from priest to bishop. "I said
to
myself that I have to be imbued with what the Lord wants me to be. So I
have
taken my time," he said. "I wanted to know my people so that I could
better
serve them and help them to know the Lord so that they can better serve
Him."

Ernest conducted a survey of the diocese which revealed, among other
things,
that people are ready for training "and want it to be the backbone of
their
lives."

"We included more people in the thinking process, especially women and
children," he said. "It was good for us to have a strategic plan and to
engage all people in ministry, from Sunday school to the elderly. We
needed
to have a notion of where we are going as a diocese -- to serve to
provide,
empower to transform and evangelize so that we can enlarge."

A strategic plan has now been sent to all of the diocese's 19 parishes
for
study. "The plan is only a basis upon which they can work," Ernest said.
"I
want parishes also to develop their own ministry."

The Province of the Indian Ocean, which includes seven dioceses covering
Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles, was founded in 1973. The Anglican
mission began in Mauritius in 1810, after the British capture of the
island
from the French.

Theological education has been offered intermittently since 1869 at St.
Paul's Theological College, Madagascar. Ernest has helped develop a
Diocesan
Training Center for Ministries and Community Development to "sustain and
serve the people of God in the diocese," he said.

With assistance from the United Society of the Propagation of the Gospel
(USPG), the college has received funding and human resources so that it
can
sustain itself now and in the years to come. "We now have a budget of
more
than a million rupees (US$35,200) for [the college]," Ernest said, "and
USPG
has been very generous by sending Canon Brian Maraj," who has been dean
of
the college since 2004.

"We have established training for lay people and engaged ourselves into
the
thinking process that enables us to see what we want our people to be,"
Ernest said. "We now have a projection to 2030 as we have to plan for
the
future and we are working in South Africa and here in the United States
to
establish relationships with seminaries."

Ernest explained that he is enthusiastic about welcoming missionaries
from
the Episcopal Church to live and work in Mauritius to assist with
theological training, particularly in the areas of liturgy and
Anglicanism.
He also requested the support of a Young Adult Service Corps missioner
--
preferably a woman -- to spend a year assisting with communication and
administration in the Mothers' Union center.

"Bishop Ernest's request for missionary companions offers a few
Episcopalians an opportunity to work closely with a diverse and
fascinating
Church partner we have not known well before," said the Rev. Jane
Butterfield, mission personnel officer for the Episcopal Church's Office
of
Anglican and Global Relations.

"The Ernests are a dynamic team -- theologically creative, wise and
focused
on issues of justice and social development," she added. "Anglican
ethos,
the centrality of Eucharistic worship, the well-being of women and
children,
and unity in diversity -- these are characteristics we share."

A place for women

Out of 36 lay leaders being trained at the college, 10 are women. "In
the
years to come, I could be the first bishop [in the Indian Ocean] to
ordain
women to the priesthood," he said. "Today we are really ready to add
women
to ordained ministry."

Ernest's wife, Kamla, works at the Mauritius Institute of Education and
is
president of the Mothers' Union. "The women of Mauritius are very
determined
and are the backbone of the church," she said. "We now have a younger
group
of women coming in who are very dynamic and want to be a voice that is
heard
in the church and Mauritian society."

Through the Mothers' Union, Kamla offers support to families in
distress.
"We offer counseling services not just to Anglicans but to Mauritians in
general," she said.

The church has recently provided headquarters to the Mothers' Union "to
give
them a base and help them to be present in the lives of the people," the
bishop said.

Multicultural, multireligious society

Ecumenical relations are strong in Mauritius, Ernest said, citing a
secondary school project initiated in 1973 that is run jointly by the
Roman
Catholic and Anglican churches.

"There is a lot of cooperation and openness with ecumenical partners,"
Ernest said. "This is part of the witness of the church in this part of
the
world."

Mauritius is a multicultural, multireligious society, Ernest explained,
with
a large population of Hindus, Roman Catholics and Muslims. "We are a
country
of many colors," he said. "We call ourselves the rainbow people."

Since achieving independence in 1968, Mauritius has progressed both
politically and economically and boasts a strong tourism industry. "We
welcome nearly 900,000 tourists a year, for whom we try to maintain
quality
and offer an inspirational experience with the exciting cultural
diversity
we have to offer," Ernest said.

Central to the church's mission, Ernest explained, is to serve its
people
but also "to uphold the heritage of Anglicanism and that of our
forefathers
and to uphold what the new generation is bringing to us."

The Anglican Church has been instrumental in the country's social
network
through its work with the family network and mothers' union. "These have
been important ... in the life of the diocese to help engage Anglicans
in
pastoral responsibilities and be more present in the life of our
society,"
Ernest said. "We are helping people in distress and we have the joy of
knowing that today we are the Mauritian church."

-- Matthew Davies is international correspondent / multimedia manager
for
the Episcopal News Service.

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