By Maria Luisa Torres

“We are here together on a mission.”

Video: The delegates introduce themselves country by country. On March 5 Trinity Church welcomed 96 Anglican Women's Empowerment (AWE) delegates from across the Anglican Communion for a special luncheon gathering. Trinity's vicar, the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee (center), and parish guests, including Bishop Frank T. Griswold (top, right) bow their heads in prayer at the start of the luncheon. The parish dining room was filled to capacity for the gathering, with an estimated 225 parishioners, clergy members and AWE delegates in attendance.

Rania Riah Abu El-Assal Kandalft, daughter of the Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, shared this message with more than 200 parishioners, clergy members, and fellow Anglican Women’s Empowerment (AWE) delegates from across the Anglican Communion during a recent luncheon at Trinity.

The delegates were in New York City February 24 through March 8 for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). During their stay, they attended UN conferences addressing gender equity; the advancement of women in the fields of health, education and employment; and increased participation of women in governmental and cultural arenas.

On March 5, the 96 AWE delegates attended the 11:15 am Eucharist at Trinity Church. Special guests included AWE founder Phoebe Griswold, wife of the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, who was the celebrant for the service.

During the luncheon that followed, three delegates – representing the Middle East, Latin America and Africa – each shared personal accounts of the struggles and successes they have experienced in their own communities.

Arriving in Bethlehem this past Christmas Eve, Kandalft found herself confronted by the new Wall of Separation that has been erected to separate Israel from Palestinian territories. She believes the concrete wall, which is about 30-feet tall and covered in barbed wire and security devices, “imprisons, separates and pulls apart” families.

“All of us know that not all people behind that wall are dead, but the question is: Are they really alive?” she said. “Needless to say, your support and prayers are very much desired and greatly appreciated. However, as one friend told me recently, prayer does not change things; prayer changes people, and people change the world.

“As sisters and brothers in the ongoing struggle for peace, reconciliation and justice, we must appeal to the world to stop all forms of oppression, humiliation and terror imposed on our Palestinian Christian families,” she continued. “Together we can break new ground… I continue to pray that the good dreams of all peace-loving people will come true as we walk through the journey of life, hand-in-hand and heart-to-heart.”

For Priscilla Philomena Morinda Julie from the Indian Ocean, by sharing their distinct stories “we are learning from each other – and the learning process never stops.”

“We have come here from different corners of the world and we all have different issues – poverty, HIV/AIDS, lack of education, environmental problems – but somehow we all have the same vision: to create a fair and just world, filled with love and compassion for each other,” she said.

After the luncheon, the group visited St. Paul’s Chapel, where they learned about the history of St. Paul’s and its ministry to Ground Zero volunteers in the aftermath of 9/11 from Alessandra Peña, program associate for the chapel.

In a thank-you note to Trinity following the day’s events, Phoebe Griswold expressed her appreciation for the parish’s hospitality, which “showed so much love to our guests.”

“Your invitation to the delegates to witness to their lives was another way of opening Trinity’s arms,” she wrote. “One of the most fascinating conversations I have had was sharing different experiences and thoughts about suffering from different global contexts. It is the mix of that kind of sharing…that means so much and makes friends for life.”