Christianity started
coming to Spain in the 1st Century, beginning with St. Paul. In Romans 15:23 –
24, Paul wrote: But now I am
finished with my work here. I have been wanting to come and visit you for many
years. hope I can now. I am making plans to go to the country of Spain.
On my way there I will stop and visit you. After I have had the joy of visiting
you for awhile, you can help me on my way again.
Pilgrimage practically started here.
In the 3rd Century, the Spanish
church was already well-established and for more then 1000 years after that it
remained utterly independent from Rome. The church had distinct laws and
liturgies, called the Mozarabic liturgy, something which is continuedin the
rite today if you come to celebrate with us on Sunday. In the 16th Century, during the Reformation, there was an attempt to
rebuild the Church of Spain again, but these efforts failed at the hand of the
Inquisition. Then something
most astonishing happened in 1868. A
group of priests from the Catholic Church decided to start an Episcopal church
here. This may have been
one of the few cases of indigenous Anglicanism, without an whiff of a colonial
implant. In 1880, Reverend
Cabrera was selected the first bishop of the Spanish Episcopal Church and was
consecrated by three bishops from the Church of Ireland.
1936. Civil War in Spain and General
Franco was not a fan of the Protestant.
Three
of our priests were immediately taken out and shot. The church essentially
shut down. In 1954, Reverend Molina was consecrated bishop by the
Archbishop of Dublin and two bishops from the United States. Franco died
in 1975 and Spain once more returned to democracy and the Church began to
breath once more. It was not until 1980 that the church was fully
integrated into the Anglican Communion.
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