Haiti missionary's service to diocese ends as recovery transitions

In a move justified as matching personnel to the current stage of recovery, "the Rev. Lauren Stanley, the Episcopal Church-appointed missionary who has been Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin's liaison in the United States, is no longer to be involved in those efforts."

ENS has the full story. Some excerpts:

Stanley, a priest in the Diocese of Virginia, told ENS via e-mail June 22, that she has "been informed that, because of the changing circumstances in Haiti, a request has been made for a different skill set in the position that I held. I am deeply saddened by this, but as I have said from the moment I arrived in Haiti, long before the earthquake, Bishop Duracin is in charge, and I truly believe that we need to let the Haitians be in charge of their own future."

Chief Operating Officer Linda Watt briefed Executive Council this past week on developments in the Diocese of Haiti.
Watt said that Duracin had recently given church center staff an assessment of damage to diocesan facilities in and around the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Watt said the assessment, which is the first part of the diocese's master plan for rebuilding, is "partial, it's incomplete, it's rough" and it carries a $60 million price tag. The cost of rebuilding Holy Trinity Cathedral is estimated at $10 million.

She said that conversations with Duracin have led to the conclusion that the diocese needs a reconstruction coordinator to help finish and then implement the master plan. An Episcopal Church missionary will be hired for that job, Watt said, as will a second missionary to continue the work of coordinating the diocese's many partnerships in the church, which "was so ably done by Lauren Stanley" in the months after the quake.

Posted by John B. Chilton on June 23, 2010 7:25 PM | |
Comments (3)

Bp. Duracin ought to tell us plainly what's going on, instead of engaging in this political doublespeak. Where does he think the $60 million will come from? Why does Lauren Stanley, a passionate advocate for Haiti, no longer have the right skill set?

The Presiding Bishop ought to answer as well. We aren't paying her to be anything less than frank.

Posted by Josh Thomas [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 23, 2010 9:49 PM

Doublespeak to one is straight talk to another. I am prepared to take what's been said at face value. The logistical challenges ahead require a special skill set. And if you look around few if any of the NGOs in Haiti are meeting the challenge, although I must add in haste that the church is often cited at an exception. In addition, as Lauren says, we must let the Haitians be in charge. Explanation are the least of the Haitians worries.

Another window will open for Lauren. The message she gets from me is a grateful "servant well done".

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 23, 2010 10:00 PM

John, just whom do you believe is going to leverage the $60 million that Bishop Duracin has requested for the rebuilding of the diocese? Lauren Stanley is a communicator, who has been the strongest voice for Haiti since the earthquake. God knows, TEC couldn't afford to have a journalist/advocate on staff devoted solely to Haiti advocacy. I dare say Lauren has been -- and could have remained -- the best marketing/PR/fund-raising expert possible.

And, having some sense of the paltry sums our missionaries get paid, I dare say that Lauren Stanley would have done that work for a lot less $$ than whatever bloated fee TEC may pay some "fund-raising consultant."

God knows ... and so do I ... that TEC's communications staff has been nearly decimated under the Watt regime.

Apparently, Lauren Stanley is to be replaced by some sort of architect or engineering type. No doubt, such expertise is needed. But who decided it was "either/or" rather than "both/and"? Can we really only afford one missionary to work among the ruins of (arguably) the most devasted diocese of The Episcopal Church?

I wonder when and how the Bishop of Haiti or our own folks at 815 informed her of this decision? God knows, the folks at 815 have shown ham-fisted skills in "employee relations" before. [Cleaning crew, anyone?]

Looking at past "HR" performance, John, I cannot be nearly as sanguine about this as you are.

Posted by Lisa Fox [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 26, 2010 6:33 PM

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