The Reverend Emilie Smith, priest of the Diocese of New Westminster is 1/3 of the way through her 2 year mission, ministering to the people of Guatemala
She is priest-in-charge of San Juan Apostol in Chichicasatenango, congregation of about 100 faithful Maya-K’iche’ Episcopalians, and also serves as assistant to the suffragan bishop, assigned to attend to all of the western highlands. The dream of the 12 or so congregations here – in three to four years, is to create their own diocese. And in Santa Cruz del Quiche, the departmental capital, half an hour up the road from Chichi, Emilie was commissioned to found a new congregation . . . this January and February found her up to her ears in scrub-brushes and paint, and crud, soot, dirt and dust, performing a miracle, and turning an old crumbling colonial house into the K’aslemal Joromil Ja, the House of Life and Peace.
Peace House is the kind of ambitious, spirit-filled community project that is Emilie's passion and where she truly excels.
Emilie will be visiting Vancouver in late Spring, early Summer and there will be numerous opportunities to hear her speak about her experiences.
The April issue of the diocesan newspaper, Topic contains a feature article by Emilie describing her current work. Here is a list of Emilie's appearances in Vancouver this June:
June 6 Preaching and Presiding at Sunday Services at St. Paul, Vancouver
June 13 Preaching at Sunday Services at St. Hilda, Sechelt
June 20 Preaching and Presiding at Sunday Services at St. Barnabas, New Westminster
June 22 Soul Space, Christ Church Cathedral 6:15pm worship followed by dinner and discussion at 7pm
June 27 Preaching and Presiding at Sunday Services at St. Francis-in-the-Wood, West Vancouver
July 5-9 Emilie will be presenting a course during the first week of VST Summer School entitled
Ignited by the Spirit: A dynamic-interactive course that will open up our understandings of the historical structures of domination and the Spirit of Liberation that moves through our age. This course will make use of the instructor’s extensive life-experience in Latin America, and participants’ own gathered wisdom.
Donations to Emilie's mission are gladly accepted and can be given through
St. Francis-in-the-Wood Anglican Church in West Vancouver.