Down in Panama

I’m down in Panama this week, attending the Central American House of Bishops meeting with Bishop Monterroso. I’ll be meeting with the bishops about Disciple Bible Study, in which they are very interested. There may be a good possibility of getting the program started in Panama and El Salvador, maybe some other dioceses. Prayers will be gratefully accepted.

Panama City is quite a metropolis, with lots more skyscrapers than Atlanta and many more banks than Charlotte. It also has its share of shantytowns. I’m staying at the diocesan house here, thankfully with a good ceiling fan. This place makes New Orleans look puny when it comes to heat and humidity. The cathedral in Panama is the old Canal Zone church.

Took a tour of the canal with a wonderful Panamanian priest who has parishioners working there. I got to sneak around in places where most visitors can’t go. Toured the museum and watched a ship go through the locks. It’s truly an engineering masterpiece.

I visited the oldest Episcopal church in Panama today. San Lucas is located in an old neighborhood which is on the decline. Sewage runs in the streets and a XXX theater occupies the nearest corner. The congregation consists mainly of English-speaking folks of Jamaican origin, who are older and have moved away from the neighborhood. The parish struggles with finding a new identity of service to their Spanish-speaking neighbors. Like St. Alban’s, San Lucas continues to discern its calling in a changing environment.

My daughter Mary Clare and grandson Lucas visited last week. After wandering about San Jose for a couple of days, we traveled to Arenal Volcano and stayed at a nice hotel which had great views–probably will be too close for comfort some day. The mountain behaved fairly well while we were there, occasionally burping and sending huge red-hot rocks rolling down the slopes. We were supposed to visit a tropical frog exhibit as well, but got lost and decided to return to San Jose. It’s really refreshing to have family visit, even if some of them have a lot more energy than I ever did.

That’s all for now. Hope you have a peaceful week where you are.