Last week, Bishop Steven launched our Advent Appeal to help the people of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after Hurricane Melissa devastated the area. We are the only link diocese for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands worldwide, so your support on this is particularly welcome.
Thank you to all who have contributed to the appeal so far. We will look to share news about how our link diocese is working to engage with and help rebuild communities over the coming weeks.
Listen to Bishop Steven talk about the appeal on BBC Radio Oxford.
Phil Mercer - BBC Radio Oxford
Sunday Breakfast with Phil. Very good morning to you. You know, you could argue times are pretty tough. However, if you look over to the Caribbean and to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, things are really tough at the moment after Hurricane Melissa devastated the area. And I guess that's the reason why the Bishop of Oxford is asking for a bit of help around this one. Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft is here. So Bishop, this is your Advent Appeal. You've decided to focus in on it. I mean, I'm going to ask you why. I think I know the answer, but just explain your thinking if you can.
Bishop Steven
Thank you, Phil. Yes, well, actually it's a very rare thing for us to do, but these are very exceptional circumstances. Just last year, we formed a new link with the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the Anglican Diocese, and the then-Archbishop of the West Indies, Archbishop Howard, came to spend time with us around the anniversary of the Windrush celebrations. And so he proposed after his visit that we form a link with Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, which we were very, very pleased to do. We have three other links as a diocese in different parts of the world, but no link in the Caribbean. And Oxford is the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands' only external link across the whole Anglican Communion.
But then, of course, just a few weeks ago, Jamaica was hit by this incredibly powerful hurricane, Hurricane Melissa, and we'll have seen, all seen the pictures on the news. The western part of the island was completely devastated. Four parish churches were destroyed completely. Another 20 to 30 diocesan buildings, schools and churches have been very severely damaged. Jamaica needs partners right now, and we in the Diocese of Oxford are a key partner to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
So we are asking all our parishes if they would step up and help and perhaps give collections from one of their Christmas carol services or donations in other ways to this appeal so we can make really quite a big gesture.
Phil
This is the kind of thing we're going to see at our local Church of England church is it?
Bishop Steven
Yes, yes, I hope so, and obviously local churches have many different charities they support, both local and international, but I am hoping that in the majority of churches there'll be opportunity at least some of the carol services to give to the relief in Jamaica, and then the parishers will send the money raised into the Diocese of Oxford, and we will make a major donation as a diocese then to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to support.
Phil
We often find this with the big disasters, don't we, that it hits all the headlines when it's happening and maybe for a couple of days afterwards and very quickly drops down the news agendas. So you mentioned there the destruction and the devastation. How are they getting on now? What are they doing? How are they surviving? What kind of things are you hearing from there?
Bishop Steven
We're hearing, particularly in the western part of the island, that rebuilding is taking a long time. There were stories, weren't there, in first few days, the day took some time to arrive in the western part of the island. I think because the devastation was so complete.
I do have a sense now from correspondence and from colleagues who've spoken to people in Jamaica that the immediate relief is going better. But those communities just face a huge challenge of reconstruction in places where, not only churches, but people's homes and other community buildings have been completely destroyed. And clearly it's going to take Jamaica many, many years to recover from this disaster.
Phil
Your association with the area as a diocese means that you can continue to support them over time. It doesn't have to be a rush to do, although obviously...
Bishop Steven
That's right. And we very much conceive our partnership as a two-way process. So we have a huge amount to learn from our colleagues in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and a lot to work through together in terms of the long association between Britain and the Caribbean and the different issues that that has raised. But just at the moment it seems we have the opportunity to really help a part of the world which needs support and continued attention.
Phil
Now Bishop, this is the first time I've had a chance to chat to you. I don't want to blindside you with this, but you've announced you're retiring, and I thought it would just be quite nice to talk just a little bit on that if I might. Can I ask why?
Bishop Steven
Well, bishops have to retire at 70 and so it's just a case of decision on timing, and I've given advance notice that I'll be retiring next summer just after my 69th birthday so in my 70th year. I'll have completed ten years as Bishop of Oxford, God willing, by then, which has been an immensely fulfilling and rich ten years. It's been a privilege to do the role, but I wanted to retire at the right time for the diocese in terms of leaving the strongest possible team in place with my fellow bishops, two of whom only came into post last year. So I'll have worked with them for just over a year. And also from a family perspective, it seems the right time. So I will be sorry when the time comes, and we'll miss Oxford and Oxfordshire and Berkshire and Buckinghamshire hugely, but I'll also look forward to not working at quite the same pace.
Phil
Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft. Thank you very much. It's BBC Radio, Berkshire.