The Cathedral of St. Luke in Ancon is an old Canal Zone institution, but as La Catedral de San Lucas it's one of Panama's Episcopalian churches. These days it's a multi-national, multi-racial congregation that looks an awful lot like a cross-section of Panama, save that it's a religious minority in this mostly-Catholic country.

There's still a lot of English spoken at St. Luke, with both North American and Caribbean accents. The church offers services in English and in Spanish, and from time to time bilingual services.

On June 30 it was a bilingual service, with about 120 people in the pews. Father Seth Polley, who had been serving as the church's rector since 1999, preached his last sermon in Panama, as he will be moving to Roanoke, Virginia to work at St. John's Church while his wife Lori Keane assumes a music professorship at nearby Hollins University. (That, by the way, is the University of Panama's loss --- in addition to making St. Luke one of the principal religious music centers in the country, she also directed the university's excellent chamber musicians and will be hard to replace.)

The principal Bible lesson of the day, upon which Father Seth's sermon was based, came from Matthew 10: 34-42. It's a passage about how Jesus Christ did not necessarily come to promote peace, but to deliver a message that would in some cases bitterly divide households between the faithful and unbelievers.

The sermon, delivered in both English and Spanish, began with a nod toward the beauty of the Spanish language and of Latin American family values.

However, in the context of today's Panama, all manner of corruption is justified in the name of family values, from President Moscoso's forthright defense of nepotism to embezzlers in the private and public sector alike who say they do it for their families.

Polley didn't point the finger at anyone in particular, or refer to contemporary headlines. He did, however, present a Christian counterpoint to the culture of juega vivo and the more extreme assertions of family values.

"Family, with all its blessings, is not enough," Father Seth preached, arguing that God is more important.

"Some face the dilemma of choosing between the bond of blood and the bond of faith," he noted. "Remember who we are, and whose we are," he exhorted.

"We have one allegiance: to God. We have one responsibility: to welcome the least among us. We have one duty: to love peace and justice.... God will strengthen us to choose the good and the right."

I didn't notice any politicians in attendance --- they missed a sermon that it would have been good for them to hear. However, there were people from many walks of life, affluent and not, in the pews, and it wasn't just a lesson for somebody else.

After the service people gathered downstairs for a sendoff that included lunch, music and friendship.

Panama's Episcopalian bishop has not yet appointed a regular replacement for Father Seth, but services at St. Luke continue in both languages in the meantime.

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