- May 18, 2024
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Dr. Chau T. Phan, 83, a retired Rider University professor and resident of Grand Haven in Palm Coast, and a member of Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church in Flagler Beach since 2003, was the recipient of the Papal “Benemerenti” gold medal bestowed by Pope Francis and given by Bishop Felipe Estevez at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in a special ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 19. (Scroll to the end of this story for a Q+A with Dr. Phan.)
The award is a recognition of what Dr. Phan has done since 2007 to foster more cordial relations between Catholics and Protestants first in Flagler County from 2007 to 2016, and then at the diocesan level by getting Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant church leaders at the bishop level to pray together at the Ecumenical Vespers during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January each year from 2013 through 2020.
It was Rev. John Tetlow, then pastor of Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church, who allowed Chau Phan to start the Christian Unity ministry in 2007. The first ecumenical song fest was held during January 2008 to observe the 100th anniversary of The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In 2009 “Flagler Churches Together in Prayer and Song” was started by Chau Phan under the new pastor, Rev. Alberto Esposito. Esposito and Phan invited Flagler County pastors and music directors of various Christian churches to come together at Santa Maria del Mar to celebrate what Christians hold in common as followers of Jesus.
After Bishop Estevez attended one of those events, he appointed Esposito and Phan as Associate Diocesan Ecumenical Officers to initiate for the first time in the United States an annual Ecumenical Vespers, or evening prayer, at the bishop level during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to be held each year at a different denominational church in the Jacksonville area.
The first Ecumenical Vespers took place in Jan. 23, 2014, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine:
The Vespers then rotated among churches chosen by the host bishops, namely Episcopalian in 2015, ELCA Lutheran in 2016, Greek Orthodox Church in 2017, the Presbyterian Church USA in 2018, the United Methodist Church in 2019, and the African Methodist Episcopalian Church in 2020 (see photo below).
The 8th Ecumenical Vespers slated to be hosted by the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine in January 2021 was canceled due to the Covid-19 epidemic, but is again rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, at 6 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine to be presided over by retiring Bishop Felipe Estevez. It will be also Chau Phan’s final Ecumenical Vespers. All Christians of every denomination are invited to attend.
To learn more about the Benemerenti medal, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benemerenti_medal
Q. Why do you feel it's important for people of different faiths to be unified?
A. Two problems with this question. 1. Whether Catholics or Protestants or Orthodox, we Christians share the same basic beliefs as the followers of Jesus Christ as expressed in the Creed. So it is not "people of different faiths" but people who believe in Jesus Christ but who have different ways of worship. 2. "Christian unity" is a long-term goal, not a reality. It is a way of building bridges among different Christian denominations who have been estranged from each other for centuries. Catholic, Protestants and Orthodox Christians come together during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to confront the growing trends of "de-Christianization" in private lives and public life.
Q. Church membership in most denominations is on the decline. Why is that?
A. Most traditional Christian churches have been in decline since the 1960s, as the Ten Commandments are not practiced by the majority of people in private or in public life. The commandments "to love God and to love neighbors as oneself" and "do not lie, cheat or steal" make very difficult and unpopular demands. Therefore Christianity is not very popular in most societies.
Q. What can be done to reverse the trend?
A. The social downward trend is not reversible, but may be stabilized. It all starts with the family, the school, public leaders, religious leaders and the media, in particular the social media.
Q. What have you learned from serving the people of Flagler County?
A. Christian folks in Flagler County like people everywhere yearn for a stable, equitable, peaceful lives and justice in society like people everywhere. People of different Christian denominations who came together in ecumenical celebrations, to pray together, to sing together for 90 minutes once a year as we have done for 14 years, have found the experience comforting and uplifting.
