Diane Wright, diocesan Global Mission Advocate and member of St. Mary’s, Arlington and St. Paul’s Memorial, Charlottesville, recently visited the Diocese of Central Tanganyika where she and her husband, Ed, spent time reconnecting with the people of Ndebwe Parish. St. Mary’s, Arlington, has a longstanding relationship with Ndebwe Parish, reaching back to 2013.
During this visit, the people of Ndebwe showed Diane and Ed the progress of a conservation and sustainable agriculture project that St. Mary’s supports. They also visited Msalato Theological College, where they enjoyed lunch with ten students sponsored by St. Mary’s.
The trip took an unexpected turn when Bishop Dickson Chilongani named Diane as an honorary canon of the Diocese of Central Tanganyika during a special service at the Cathedral in Dodoma. The Rev. Robin Newman from the Diocese of New York and a Tanzanian parliament member were also honored in the same way (the three honorary canons are pictured above).
“I was extremely touched and humbled to be named an honorary lay canon in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika by Bishop Chilongani. The partnership between St. Mary’s and Ndebwe began with the Carpenter’s Kids program over ten years ago. Now, we are witnessing the transformative change in the village stemming from the Diocese of Central Tanganyika’s conservation agriculture program and surrounding initiatives such as savings groups, kitchen gardens, improved cooking stoves, and tree planting. Together with other parishes in the Diocese of Virginia and our partners in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, we look forward to our continued work in achieving sustainable change and supporting its growing church.”
– Diane Wright