St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral Tallahassee

Photo of the St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee, Florida, USA; a friend to South Rwenzori Diocese

St Peter’s Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, is an Anglican cathedral in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, dedicated to Saint Peter and seat of the Bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. It was built in 2012–2014 to provide a home for the young parish of St Peter’s Anglican Church, and was made the cathedral of its diocese at the Diocesan Synod on 11 November 2017. From 2018 – 2020, Archbishop Emeritus Robert Duncan served as Bishop-in-Residence and interim rector of the cathedral.

Shared History:

St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee, Florida, and the Diocese of South Rwenzori in Uganda have a long-standing relationship, characterized by mutual support and shared mission efforts. The Diocese of South Rwenzori has been the jurisdiction for St. Peter’s Anglican Church, later becoming the St. Peter’s Cathedral, until the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. This close connection has led to ongoing collaboration, including mission trips and resource sharing, to serve the people of South Rwenzori. 

St. Peter’s Anglican Church, now St. Peter’s Cathedral, was initially under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of South Rwenzori. This historical connection fostered a deep sense of connection and mutual support.

In the year 1998, St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral USA became a partner to South Rwenzori Diocese. This followed a controversial debate on Homosexuality in the Lambeth conference that led to a fall out of some Dioceses and Congregations in the US and Africa from the Canterbury Church leadership. Having fallen out from the Canterbury Leadership, some congregations remained with a leadership gap, and to cub this, Dioceses in Africa and Uganda in particular were assigned a role to over sea these congregations and prepare them to be independent Dioceses.  To that effect the Bishop South Rwenzori Diocese was mandated to conduct periodical episcopal duties in the Anglican Church in Florida Tallahassee until it gained a diocesan status.

In return, the St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral as a seat of the Bishop of Florida/Tallahassee, established close relationship with South Rwenzori Diocese through a number of programs and projects. These can be highlighted below:

HEALTH:     

Under this sector, St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral has been supporting:

  1. Training of Midwives

This was done through payment of full fees amount to student midwives until they have been able to complete their courses. Annually they could support four (4) students and after competition of their courses, these trained midwives would then be posted in the diocesan health facilities to offer services to the mothers through the antenatal care clinics.

  • Health Camps

To have these done, St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral would periodically send a team of Nurses and Doctors who would then offer free screening and treatment of different diseases to the people in Kasese through the various health facilities as identified by the diocesan health directorate.

EDUCATION:

The St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral supports the Diocesan Education department through:

  1. Payment of school fees to over 144 students in both secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

   Some of the students supported by St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral

Some of the students supported by St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral with Bishop Nason, Fr. Herb and other Members of St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral.

  • Support to the construction of hostels at the St. Paul’s Vocational Secondary school so that the school is able to offer quality accommodation that prepares well the minds of the learners for effective learning. 

  Some of the Hostel Buildings at St. Paul’s Voc. Sec. Supported by St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral

MISSION:

St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral has been very instrumental in to support of mission in the low land s and in the hard-to-reach areas of the Diocese. They supported in the procurement of Bicycles to the Lay Readers in the low lands and Motorcycles for priests in the hard-to-reach areas. This aimed at boosting evangelism.

     Donated Bicycles and Motorcycles 

The motorcycles and bicycles given to Lay Readers and Priests under the support of St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral  

RELIEF:

St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral has made significant contributions and support to the Diocese in times of Disasters that affect some of the areas where our Christians live.

Mission Trips:

St. Peter’s Cathedral regularly sends mission teams to the Diocese of South Rwenzori to assist with various needs and to strengthen the relationship

Resource Sharing:

St. Peter’s has provided resources, including motorcycles for priests to use in their ministry. They also support educational programs, such as the “Wings for Change” project, which teaches about reproductive health and discourages disrespectful attitudes toward menstruation. 

Ongoing Collaboration:

St. Peter’s and the Diocese of South Rwenzori continue to work together on various projects, including supporting Bwera Secondary School, which is operated by the Diocese.

Shared Vision:

Both St. Peter’s and the Diocese of South Rwenzori share a common vision of serving God through mission and evangelism, fostering a spirit of partnership and support.