"Making the impossible ... possible."

The Rev. Ed Miller, a veteran Dominican Republic missioner and Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia, says in the "La Paloma" campaign video that Bishop Julio C. Holguín's visionary leadership style is all about "making something that was impossible... possible. Giving us an opportunity to do something that we never even thought of." The video includes more statements by Fr. Miller and five other DDG board members about Bishop Holguín's 26 years of service, and goes on to focus on the need to strengthen the diocese's endowment so it can be financially self-sustaining in the near future. You can check out this video  here.

The La Paloma campaign website has more information on the campaign, including resource materials and an online link for secure donations. For that campaign website, click here.

Education Conference in the 

Diocese of the Dominican Republic

 

Dr. Tom McGowan, the educational missionary from the Diocese of Nebraska who has been consulting with the Dominican Episcopal schools during several recent trips, recently led a team of professional educators from the United States and Mexico in a one-day conference on May 19 in Santo Domingo with the leaders of the Dominican Episcopal schools. Melvina Dinsey, the head of the diocesan Junta de Educación (Board of Education), convened the conference and spoke about her vision of an  educational program that stresses both academic achievement and Christian values. The Rt. Rev. Moisés Quezada, Bishop Coadjutor, addressed the importance of the school program in the diocese and outlined the responsibilities of each level of school administration. Topics explored by the missioners included creative and critical thinking, storytelling in all subjects, and student motivation. 

For Tom McGowan's blog post on this conference, click here. 

A Successful Exploration Trip in April 2017

Four missioners from Florida and South Carolina recently participated in the DDG-sponsored exploration trip from April 27 to May 3. Starting in Santo Domingo, the team first traveled west to visit several Episcopal sites each day, including the churches and schools near the Haitian border in Jimaní and the southwestern coast in Barahona. Then they returned to Santo Domingo for a reception and dinner at the home of the Rt. Rev. and Mrs. Julio C Holguín, and next ventured to the east as far as La Romana. The team leaders were Karen Carroll, head of the mission team support office in Santo Domingo, and Bill Kunkle, Executive Director of the Dominican Development Group.

These trips are usually conducted twice each year, and are intended to familiarize mission trip leaders and others interested in the Diocese of the Dominican Republic with many of the churches, schools, and other facilities within the diocese. The next trip is planned for October 26 - November 1, 2017. News about this trip will be posted on DDG Facebook as soon as the details are established, and will also be included in future issues of this newsletter. If you are not already receiving this newsletter by email, please join the DDG email list to be notified about this trip by clicking here.