236th Convention – Bishop’s Crosses
The following are the texts of the citations for the Bishop’s Crosses awarded at the 236th Convention of the Diocese, held on November 17, 2012 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, to the Reverend Bertram Bennett, Jr. and the Rev. Canon Petero A. N. Sabune.
BERTRAM BENNETT, Jr.
The Prophet Isaiah tells us to, “Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear…”(Isaiah 58.6-7). In the life and ministry of The Reverend Bertram Bennett, Jr. we see the Church responding to this scriptural mandate with admirable and impressive dedication. Father Bennett has deep roots in this Diocese. Having been Baptized at The Church of the Crucifixion and raised at The Church of St. Edward the Martyr, after Ordination he served at St. Margaret’s Church in the Bronx, and then as the Curate at The Church of St. Matthew & St. Timothy in Manhattan, before becoming the Priest-in-Charge of St. David’s Church in the Bronx, where he has worked tirelessly since 1980. He has been a leader in the South Bronx Inter-parish Council, particularly as the Chair of the South Bronx Church’s Housing Task Force. Among his notable achievements are the creation of a Nehemiah Housing unit, two alternative public high schools and eighty housing units at a neighboring senior center. In fulfillment of the call to the Priesthood that he heard when he was only 10 years old, he has been a beacon of pastoral care, community organizing and relief to those in dire need, and in this he has been an effective example of proclaiming the Gospel in deed, as well as Word.
Therefore, in recognition and gratitude for his service to his community, his diocese and the larger Church offered to the glory of God, we, on this 17th day of November 2012, in the fifteenth year of our consecration, do award him
THE BISHOP’S CROSS
The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk
Fifteenth Bishop of New York
PETERO A. N. SABUNE
In the Book of Proverbs (31.8-9) we learn that we are to “Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless….Protect the rights of the poor and needy.” God has blessed the Church with the voice and witness of The Reverend Canon Petero Sabune, who has displayed stunning consistency in his advocacy of the helpless, the persecuted, the marginalized and the forgotten. His rich ministry has stretched from parish priesthood to prison chaplaincy, and has included service on the diocesan, national and international levels. He has toiled diligently in his pastoral duties, balancing these with praiseworthy leadership in the mission of the New York State Council of Churches, the Religion Labor Coalition, the Business and Technology Institute of Haiti, and as a Trustee of Union Theological Seminary. He has spoken for the powerless to the powerful and been an instrument of peace and compassion. He bears, in his life, the marks of the Crucifixion but has transformed those he has worked with, and for, by a life of peace, justice and joy.
Therefore, in recognition and gratitude for his service to his community, his diocese and the larger Church offered to the glory of God, we, on this 17th day of November 2012, in the fifteenth year of our consecration, do award him
THE BISHOP’S CROSS
The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk
Fifteenth Bishop of New York