Anglican Communion News Service

[Anglican News] Monkey River Village in Belize is a very old village that has had an Anglican presence for many years. However, the congregation of St Stephen's has never had its own church building, instead they have met for worship in the school.

On 6th March 2000, the Bishop of Belize, the Rt Revd Sylvestre Romero officiated at a ground-breaking ceremony for a new St Stephen's church. The church is being built on the site of the former Anglican teacherage. Several substantial donations towards the cost of the work have already been received, but for the completion of the building project a further BZE$30,000 needs to be raised.

During the ceremony, the Bishop blessed the site, saying it was always good for there to be a place of worship in the community. He was confident that local people would take full care of the buildings on their completion.

Over one hundred people, including local parishioners, Diocesan staff, residents of Monkey River and other visitors, attended the ceremony. In a symbolic act at the end of the service, everyone stepped over the ropes that marked out the area of the church, to demonstrate their support for the project and the congregation.

Following the official service, a day of entertainment and celebration was held. Food served included the local delicacy of iguana, with hot dogs for the children! There was a walking tour along the river to see the howler monkeys that give the village its name.