Anglican Church in Central America
Encyclopedia
The Anglican Church in Central America (Spanish: Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America) is a province of the Anglican Communion
, covering 5 sees
in Central America
. The Bishop of Guatemala, the Rt. Rev. Armando Guerra was elected to a four year term of office as primate and has succeeded Archbishop
Martin de Jesus Barahona.
of El Salvador, who has served as primate
for the past eight years.
was also introduced by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel when England administered two colonies in Central America, British Honduras
and Miskitia. In later years, immigrants brought the Anglican Church with them.
es organized into diocese
s. There are 5 of these, each headed by a bishop:
Some countries of Central America are part of other Anglican churches:
is used.
, includes:
The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker
, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.
.
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
, covering 5 sees
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. The Bishop of Guatemala, the Rt. Rev. Armando Guerra was elected to a four year term of office as primate and has succeeded Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Martin de Jesus Barahona.
of El Salvador, who has served as primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
for the past eight years.
History
Four of the five dioceses of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America were founded by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. AnglicanismAnglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
was also introduced by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel when England administered two colonies in Central America, British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
and Miskitia. In later years, immigrants brought the Anglican Church with them.
Membership
Today, there are over 24,800 Anglicans out of an estimated population of 30.1 million.Structure
The polity of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America is Episcopalian church governance, which is the same as other Anglican churches. The church maintains a system of geographical parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es organized into diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s. There are 5 of these, each headed by a bishop:
- The Diocese of Costa Rica
- The Diocese of El Salvador
- The Diocese of Guatemala
- The Diocese of Nicaragua
- The Diocese of Panama
Some countries of Central America are part of other Anglican churches:
- The Anglican Diocese of BelizeAnglican Diocese of BelizeThe Anglican diocese of Belize was established in 1891. The current bishop is the Right Revernd Philip Wright.-References:...
is part of the Church in the Province of the West IndiesChurch in the Province of the West IndiesThe Church in the Province of the West Indies is a member province in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church comprises eight dioceses spread out over much of the West Indies area. The present position of archbishop and primate of the West Indies is held by The Most Rev. John Holder. The Most... - The Episcal Diocese of Honduras is part of Province 9Province 9 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of AmericaProvince 9 is one of nine ecclesiastical provinces making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It comprises seven dioceses in Latin America and the Caribbean.-Dioceses of Province IX:*Colombia *Dominican Republic...
of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America
Worship and liturgy
The Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America embraces three orders of ministry: deacon, priest, and bishop. A local variant of the Book of Common PrayerBook of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
is used.
Doctrine and practice
The center of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America's teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechismCatechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
, includes:
- Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
- Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
- The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.
- The two great and necessary sacramentsAnglican sacramentsIn keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholic tradition and a church of the Reformation...
are Holy BaptismBaptismIn Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and Holy EucharistEucharistThe Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance... - Other sacramental ritesAnglican sacramentsIn keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholic tradition and a church of the Reformation...
are confirmation, ordinationOrdinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
, marriageMarriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, reconciliation of a penitentConfessionThis article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
, and unction. - Belief in heavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, hellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and Jesus's return in glorySecond ComingIn Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
.
The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker was an Anglican priest and an influential theologian. Hooker's emphases on reason, tolerance and the value of tradition came to exert a lasting influence on the development of the Church of England...
, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.
Ecumenical relations
Unlike many other Anglican churches, the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America is not a member of the ecumenical World Council of ChurchesWorld Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
.