Canon Woodward and the Ministry of Fun
There’s a new Canon in town, but you won’t find him in a colonial museum. “Canon” is an honorific title given by a high-ranking Bishop in the Anglican Church. San Miguel welcomed Canon George F. Woodward III this past June. But he doesn’t “stand on his title” – around here he’s known as Father George, Canon Woodward, Padre, or “just call me George”.
Father George was born in Pennsylvania and after growing up in Ohio, started quite the adventure. He studied in Ohio, then Chicago, headed to Santa Barbara and found his way over to Turkey, always taking on new challenges with a smile. While spending quite a number of years in Los Angeles and San Marino, he had done sabbaticals in Argentina and Spain but longed to serve more in Latin America. So he called up the Bishop of Mexico and threw his hat in the ring for an open role in a place called “San Miguel de Allende.” After a lengthy selection process, Canon Woodward was selected from a group of 26 and, as so many do, he picked up everything, left behind “dear friends and a great role” in the States and headed on down to San Miguel de Allende.
“I had more of a life before,” devoting his time to outdoor activities, studying Spanish and traveling. His steady stream of house guests here has allowed him to learn about the city and he practices his Spanish daily. “It’s lots of work, but work is fun.” While he thought he’d have time to catch up on his writing, he hit the ground running and has been staying quite busy at St. Paul’s.
St. Paul’s Anglican Church, San Miguel de Allende, known locally as Iglesia de San Pablo, was founded 50+ years ago in SMA. The congregation is composed of English speakers from various backgrounds, with a healthy mix of full and part-time residents, retirees and an increasing number of younger families. The Church, rooted in a broad sense of Catholic tradition, is sacramentally oriented with a broad-minded group and inclusive with a welcoming attitude. People feel comfortable gathering in this place. It’s a place where politics doesn’t get center stage; where people listen and really pitch in to better their community.
Members from St. Paul’s have been quite active, founding separate groups like Feed the Hungry San Miguel and Centro Infantil de los Ángeles. This engagement has been “exciting and encouraging” for Father Woodward to see. Another group started by members is Pro Musica, which brings extraordinary classical music to San Miguel de Allende and is regularly hosted at St. Paul’s. There’s always something happening and, as Canon Woodward says, “the ministry of fun is underrated.”
“We try and serve a need, rather than to poach.” Father Woodward explained more about the upcoming events, his goals and the progressive direction he’d like to continue moving the church in. He’d like to see “us engage the Roman Catholic Church. It would be an opportunity to collaborate across spiritualities in a fraternal manner.” The church will be holding a Holocaust observance in May. He would also like to develop cooking classes, create some travel opportunities, and hold regular cultural awareness and sensitivity events. This will help create a stronger center for the expat community, help people on a regular basis, ease the transition into expat life, and share information on topics like healthcare. All of this will deepen the vital expression of Anglicanism.
Services are held at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays with a 9:15 a.m. Anglican Mass on Wednesdays and morning prayer Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. In addition, Lent is being observed, Holy Week and Easter are coming up as are Friday Stations of the Cross.
We welcome George to San Miguel. If you see him at a Pro Musica event, around the church, or in town, give a wave or flash him a smile.
