Hmong priest finds 'different vision of Christ' in Episcopal church

From The National Catholic Register-

In June 2013, Toua Vang became the first Hmong man in the world to be ordained an Episcopal priest, and is now pastor of the only Hmong-majority Episcopal church anywhere.
His roots are in Catholicism, but the Episcopal church offered an option for non-celibate priesthood. "I come from the Hmong culture, and men are expected to have a family," he said.

Vang, 47, is one of hundreds of Hmong who began attending Holy Apostles Episcopal Church in St. Paul in 2005. The church was about to close, with only about 60 members remaining. Then 700-plus Hmong, making up 78 families who were searching for a new place to worship after leaving the nearby St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, found a home at Holy Apostles. They were welcomed and quickly became a part of church leadership.

More here-

http://ncronline.org/news/people/hmong-priest-finds-different-vision-christ-episcopal-church

A translation project launched by a St. Paul church will end up serving Hmong worshippers the world over.

From Minnesota-

It's a story that loses a lot in translation: Holy Apostles Episcopal Church in St. Paul is working on a Hmong version of the Book of Common Prayer. This simple-sounding endeavor goes far beyond just replacing one word with another.

It's a story about a church that was in danger of dying joining forces with a culture that was worried about the same thing. It's a story about finding just the right words in a language that didn't even exist in written form until the 1950s. It's a story about a book from a St. Paul neighborhood that will spread around the world.

Five years in the making, the first Hmong translation of the most important book in the Episcopalian service might be completed by fall.

"That's our dream, anyway," said the Rev. William Bulson, the man overseeing the project. "It's really time-consuming work."

More here-

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/95284954.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DU2EPaL_V_9E7ODiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Translation to explain Episcopal tenets in Hmong

From AP in Minnesota-

Words like "peace" and "mercy" are vital to talking about Christianity. They're just two of many English words difficult to translate smoothly as an evolving Episcopal congregation tries to create a Hmong version of the denomination's Book of Common Prayer.

"Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. You can see it is important," said Cher Lor, a member of the congregation at Holy Apostles, an Episcopal church in St. Paul that is the only Hmong-majority congregation across the entire denomination. "But the word mercy itself, we don't have in Hmong. So we are using 'hulb,' which is a concept something like love. We believe that is the closest."
The Book of Common Prayer is the foundational text of the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its roots trace to the Church of England's split from Roman Catholicism in the 16th century, and ever since it has dictated morning and evening prayers, the rites of Holy Communion, baptism, marriage and funeral services, and much more. It typically runs to about 1,000 pages.

"Far more than a service manual, it's an embodiment of our life and our faith," said the Rev. William Bulson, the former pastor at Holy Apostles who continues to lead the translation effort.
For Hmong Episcopalians to enter fully into the church's fold, it's important that they have a Book of Common Prayer to call their own. It's been a long and painstaking process, but necessary for a mainline denomination struggling for relevance to new generations of U.S. immigrants.

The unique status of Holy Apostles, a modest wood-and-concrete parish on the working-class east side of Minnesota's capital city, has earned special attention in the wider Episcopal Church. James Jelinek, the Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, is retiring in February, and he recently chose Holy Apostles as the site of his last Sunday parish visit as bishop. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, has also visited.

More here-

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7tADnxuR79MJPcf7h0C8jxGSMGQD9DU2ML00

MINNESOTA: Native American, Hmong congregations seek to preserve cultural identities

From Episcopal Life Online. (Don't the Hmong have nice hats!)

Episcopal Church is committed to sharing "the good news of Jesus in ways people can understand and receive" within a variety of cultural contexts, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told gatherings of Native American and Hmong Episcopalians during a May 14-17 visit to the Diocese of Minnesota.

On Saturday, she toured the Prairie Island Indian Reservation and met with a group of about 25 clergy and lay leaders at the Messiah Episcopal Indian Mission in Welch, about 50 miles south of Minneapolis. Among other things, they asked about "the circle of advice that is being consulted for decisions in and about native ministries" as well as appropriate funding sources for it.

The Rev. Robert Two Bulls Jr., director of the diocesan Department of Indian Works, shared a document previously given to the Presiding Bishop which listed concerns from a dozen clergy working in 12 Native mission congregations and two specialized ministries, including All Saints Episcopal Indian Mission in Minneapolis, where he serves as vicar.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_107783_ENG_HTM.htm