Brief historical review of the Episcopal Church of Corn Island
This is a copy of an original document provided by the Saint James Episcopal Church of Corn Island.
The Saint James Episcopal Church of Corn Island was founded on the first of May 1901 by a North American deacon and teacher, who after visiting the island on numerous occasions noticed that the only church present was the Ebenezer Baptist in North End. The first Anglican or Episcopal Mass held on the Corn Islands was under an orange tree in the South End neighborhood.
According to historical records, this North American deacon was incarcerated by some members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and was set free after Ms. Victoria Ellis paid 40 dollars for his liberation. After his liberation, he continued preaching the gospel on the islands until his return to the United States.
Since then, yearly a deacon or bishop would visit the church from the United States delivering the sacrament of Confirmation to those islanders that wanted to take this step in their Christian life.
The Panamanian bishop Reginald Heber Gooden sent to Corn Island Reverend Trot to take charge of the Anglican congregation that was growing on the island. After him, Reverend Edward Stanley Hawkings from Panama took over the church, he was Moravian and was converted to the Episcopal faith. After a few years leading the church, he passed away due to old age and asthma.
In 1954, the Panamanian Reverend Charles E. Davis visited the Corn Islands and returned a year after in 1955, along with his wife Eugenia Davis, to take charge of the church.
Reverend Davis constituted on the 20 of January 1955 the W.A. or the Women Auxiliary. On the 4th of February 1956, the Girl Friendly Society Group was formed in the church. This group of women contributed to the construction of the Saint James Clinic, where young people learned to sew, bake, and dress the altar of the church.
Reverend David had only one licensed lay minister who was his most trustworthy, this was Frank Campbell. Mr. Campbell died from a heart attack in 1975.
Years after, 21-year-old Allan Taylor, who wasn’t licensed to be a minister, remained the door of the church open after years when there was no reverend or minister on the island, leading evening prayer daily with members of the church.
In 1977, Mr. Allan Taylor received his license as a minister and in 1982 as deacon by the Costa Rican Bishop Cornelius Joshua Wilson. In 1984, he was named an Anglican or Episcopal priest, serving the church for 38 years. Pastor Allan Taylor also helped out in the Catholic Church when there was no priest on the island and used to hold Mass along with Father Camilo Doerfler at the Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Brig Bay. He also officiated yearly on the Sunday of Resurrection service in the cemetery in South End, this service was called Sunrise, and it was to pray for all the deceased for them to rise with Christ.
On the 18 of February 2012, Adrian Benedict was named deacon and on the 18 of August of that same year as priest, serving the church for nine years.
