Supporters of Venezuelan leader Nicholás Maduro gather Jan. 24 in Caracas, Venezuela’s city center to protest after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Venezuelan president had been captured and flown out of the country. Many Venezuelans are also celebrating Maduro’s removal from office. Photo: Jeampier Arguinzones/AP

[Episcopal News Service] Following last weekend’s U.S. military attack on Venezuela and the removal of President Nicholás Maduro from office, Episcopal leaders have released statements calling for prayers and peace in the South American country. They expressed both support for Venezuelans celebrating Maduro’s removal and concern over the legality of the attack. 

“The Episcopal Church’s General Convention has a long-standing policy that ‘condemn[s] in any nation the first use of armed force in the form of a preventive or pre-emptive strike that is aimed at disrupting a non-imminent, uncertain military threat,’” The Episcopal Church said in a Jan. 3 Action Alert released by the Episcopal Public Policy Network. “Even as we recognize that intervention in sovereign states can sometimes be necessary to prevent atrocities, we discourage ‘the abuse of this norm to rationalize military actions in sovereign states for political ends.’”

In the early hours of Jan. 3, the U.S. military attacked Venezuela, taking Maduro and his wife into custody. The attack followed months of strikes against so-called drug-carrying boats, the seizure of two oil tankers and a massive buildup of U.S. forces off Venezuela’s coast.

Before the attack, the Trump administration did not seek congressional approval, as required by the U.S. Constitution; legal experts suggest the strike also violated international law.

Maduro, an authoritarian ruler who has been accused of human rights abuses and other violations, has led Venezuela since the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013. In 2024, Maduro was declared the winner of an election declared fraudulent by independent monitors. He and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, have been charged by the United States with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. They both pleaded not guilty during their federal court appearance on Jan. 5 in New York.

The Episcopal Diocese of Venezuela, based in the capital, Caracas, has 10 parishes, 14 missions and four preaching stations. Ecuador Litoral Bishop Cristóbal Olmedo León Lozana is the provisional bishop of the diocese, which is part of the church’s Province IX.

“Episcopalians in Venezuela carry out vital ministries in increasingly challenging conditions, and we fear for their well-being and their church community if these military interventions, and any form of U.S. occupation, lead to more instability and violence,” The Episcopal Church’s statement said.

Church leaders have been communicating with Lozano, standing committee leadership and Honduras Bishop Lloyd Allen, who serves as president of Province IX, according to the statement.

Los Angeles Bishop-elect Antonio Gallardo, who continues to serve as rector of St. Luke’s/San Lucas Episcopal Church in Long Beach, California, is from Venezuela and has family living there, including his mother, siblings and cousins. He said in a Jan. 3 Facebook post in English and Spanish that his “heart is experiencing mixed emotions” after Maduro’s capture.

“When the Venezuelan people celebrate the extraction of Maduro, they get a renewed sense of hope, a sense that they almost lost after these many years of trying to elect other leaders in elections that [were] very likely rigged,” Gallardo said in his Facebook post.

While Gallardo’s “heart is full of joy” for Venezuelans, his “heart is also afraid of what may come to them.” After Maduro’s capture, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a Jan. 3 news conference that the United States will “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition” to new leadership. Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who has served since 2018, was sworn in Jan. 5 as the country’s interim president.

“When the U.S. government says within a few hours of the operations, words like ‘We are going to run the country,’ and ‘We will rebuild the oil infrastructure before a transition,’ it makes me fear that the Venezuelan people may have shifted from one form of oppression to another,” Gallardo said. “I don’t think this military operation was about the people in Venezuela, when here in the U.S., we treat Venezuelans and other immigrants of color with cruelty.”

In its statement, The Episcopal Church urges Congress to call for an investigation of recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela, and for support of a “peaceful transition that respects the rule of law and the will of the Venezuelan people.”

El Camino Real Bishop Lucinda Ashby concurred. “As a church that spans many nations and cultures, we are mindful that decisions made by governments can have profound consequences far beyond their borders,” Ashby said in a Jan. 3 statement to the Salinas, California-based diocese. “Our faith calls us to witness to the dignity of every person and to seek paths that lead toward peace rather than further harm.”

When former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was primate of The Episcopal Church from 2015-2024, he visited every diocese except Venezuela over safety concerns due to violence and civil unrest under the Maduro regime.

Following U.S. military operations and Maduro’s removal, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona, hosted a prayer vigil for Venezuela on Jan. 3.

“I bid your prayers for our nation, for the people of Venezuela, for the members of our military, for those who were killed or captured, for the Congress and for the uncertain future before us,” Arizona Bishop Jennifer Reddall said in a Facebook statement announcing the prayer vigil. “We pray for those good things which Jesus has taught us to pray for: for peace, for justice, for righteousness and mercy and for the healing of the world and the children of God.”

New York Bishop Matthew Heyd, in his Jan. 5 email newsletter, also called for prayers for Venezuela and for Venezuelans living in the Diocese of New York, as well as for members of the U.S. armed forces.

“As Christians, we proclaim an incarnational faith. We believe in human dignity and human possibility,” he said. “That’s the bright thread that we follow through disorienting times. We can at once denounce despots and affirm the rule of law.”

As of June 2025, roughly 1.1 million of the nearly 8 million forcibly displaced Venezuelan migrants have fled to the United States. About 600,000 of them legally entered the United States through a humanitarian program known as Temporary Protected Status. Tens of thousands of them have settled in New York, according to New York Times analysis.

Indianapolis Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows has been communicating with several diocesan members with family living in Venezuela, she said in a Jan. 4 statement.

“There is no question that we are living in turbulent times that will demand much of us as people of faith,” Baskerville-Burrows said. Regarding Venezuela, “there is a sense of both optimism and fear for the future.”

Gallardo, who is scheduled to be ordained and consecrated as Los Angeles bishop diocesan on July 11 at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, expressed gratitude for the support and prayers offered to Venezuelans after Maduro’s removal.

“I give thanks to God for giving me a heart capable of holding multiple, and at times conflicting, feelings, and more than anything, I give thanks for all the prayers that the people are offering to sustain the people of Venezuela during this time of transition,” Gallardo said.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Episcopal bishops pose for a group photo at the House of Bishops’ Sept. 10-15 meeting at the Coral Costa Caribe Beach Resort in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. Photo: Frank Logue

[Episcopal News Service — Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic] After visiting several mission sites in the Santo Domingo-based Diocese of the Dominican Republic, engaging in conversations on The Episcopal Church’s role in today’s society and worshiping alongside some 800 Dominican Episcopalians, Episcopal bishops and their spouses are leaving their fall gathering with a “sense of what the expressions of the local church are.”

“We have a lot to learn from dioceses that are part of The Episcopal Church but are outside the context of the United States,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe told Episcopal News Service in a Sept. 14 interview. “I think there’s a lot for us to learn from the Dominican Republic, which has a tremendous ministry of schools and churches and hospitals. This is instructive for us. I think it’s been a surprise to people the level to which the church is relevant to the culture of the Dominican Republic.”

This Sept. 10-15 meeting was one of two biannual in-person House of Bishops gatherings. The fall meetings typically occur during non-General Convention years and, as was the case this year, usually include bishops’ spouses

This gathering of 82 bishops and 38 spouses was notably the first time the House of Bishops had gathered in the Province IX diocese, which has about 5,000 members and 67 missions.

Alaska Bishop Mark Lattime told ENS that he always looks forward to the House of Bishops gatherings, and meeting in the Dominican Republic this time provided “another context for the church that many of us have never experienced.”

“When I think about the [Sept. 13] worship service, I didn’t expect to see so much joy for one service,” Lattime said. “The joy that everybody experienced – the music, and the dancing during worship is ubiquitous here. Everybody here’s doing it all the time, and that’s great joy that I really appreciated.”

During the House of Bishops’ fall 2025 gathering in the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic, some bishops and their spouses visited historic places in Santo Domingo Sept. 13 on a tour led by the Dominican Development Group. Here the bishops pose for a group photo while visiting the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest colonial fortress in the Americas overlooking the Ozama River. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

Some bishops and spouses further experienced Dominican culture and history with a Sept. 13 tour of Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, led by Christy Wallace and Miquea Saintivil, executive director and director of field operations of the Dominican Development Group. The Evans, Georgia-based nonprofit supports the Diocese of the Dominican Republic’s ministries through project planning, fundraising and other development initiatives.

While in Santo Domingo, the bishops and spouses visited the Colonial City, the first permanent European settlement in the Americas that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While in the Colonial City, they toured the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest colonial fortress in the Americas overlooking the Ozama River, and the Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor, the archiepiscopal see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Santo Domingo and the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Both structures were built in the early 16th century.

Rochester Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer and her husband, John W. W. Sherer, were part of the Santo Domingo tour. Wagner Sherer told ENS that the tour and other times they left the Coral Costa Caribe Beach Resort to explore the Dominican Republic, where most House of Bishops meetings took place, were “invaluable.”

“The worship service and the cultural tour with the Dominican Development Group gave us a taste of the history and the culture and present-day issues,” she said.

The poverty rate in the Dominican Republic, with a population of about 11 million people, is at 22.8%, according to the World Food Programme. Food insecurity affects about 14% of the population. The Dominican Republic, located east of Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, also is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with frequent threats of floods, droughts and other natural disasters.

On the first day of the gathering, Rowe gave a report updating bishops on structural changes in The Episcopal Church and the challenges many church leaders say they are facing today, including the polarized political environment; humanitarian crises and conflicts worldwide; the church’s decline in membership, and the troubles facing the U.S. economy and fewer congregational pledges; and difficulty in managing canonical processes, maintaining generative relationships and handling conflict.

Rowe told the bishops, “Our objective is always to ensure that The Episcopal Church can make a strong, sound and effective witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by supporting ministry on the ground.”

In his sermon during the Sept. 13 worship service with local clergy and lay Episcopalians, Rowe said the Diocese of the Dominican Republic is doing just that, with its ministries based on what he and the bishops saw during their Sept. 11 visit to different diocesan missions, calling its members “living examples of the Kingdom of God.”

Wagner Sherer also said that she “appreciated” visiting the diocesan missions and worshiping with local Episcopalians outside the resort.

“It was clear that [Dominican Episcopalians] had been excited and preparing for our arrival for several years,” she said. “It’s also clear that they have a lot to teach all the dioceses about being a community proclaiming the message of Jesus through their worship, through their schools, through their clinic, and that is inspiring and helpful for my own people to hear about and imitate at home.”

Rowe echoed a similar sentiment, noting that Episcopal churches are “not monolithic culturally or otherwise.”

“To come and see [the Diocese of the Dominican Republic], this is a gift of The Episcopal Church,” Rowe said. “To come and see it – not just to hear about it or watch it, but to experience it – it’s been a learning experience for us and, for me, a real inspiration.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

The Gospel procession during the Sept. 13 Eucharist at the Coop Marena Beach Resort in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. Episcopal bishops and about 800 Dominican Episcopalians worshiped together as part of the House of Bishops’ Sept. 10-15 gathering. Photo: Courtesy of Frank Logue

[Episcopal News Service — Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic] Episcopal bishops, their spouses and about 800 local clergy and lay Episcopalians worshiped together Sept. 13 here at the Coop Marena Beach Resort as part of the House of Bishops’ fall gathering in the Santo Domingo-based Diocese of the Dominican Republic. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe preached, and Dominican Republic Bishop Moisés Quezada Mota celebrated.

“At this time, the bishops are here with us, the priests and lay people – I am thankful to God,” Grecia Bodre told Episcopal News Service. Her husband, the Rev. Isaac Pringle, is a priest serving parishes in Boca Chica.

The special Eucharist, mostly in Spanish with some English, included Spanish-language worship music and Dominican Episcopalians, many dressed in traditional Dominican folk costumes, sharing their excitement with the bishops and their spouses.

In his sermon, Rowe reflected on the 82 bishops and 38 spouses’ visits to different diocesan missions, including the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Santo Domingo, and nearby schools. “After seeing the ministries of your diocese over the course of the last week, it’s clear to me that you have taken this Great Commission to heart. You are living examples of the Kingdom of God,” he said.

Grecia Christian Reynoso, the Diocese of the Dominican Republic’s chancellor and a member of Executive Council, told ENS that she “loved” Rowe’s sermon and was “very proud and grateful” to worship with the bishops.

“I pray for Bishop Sean Rowe because I understand what he wants to accomplish to move the church forward,” Christian Reynoso, a cradle Episcopalian, said. “We feel the bishops’ love in being here in the Dominican Republic.”

Episcopal bishops, their spouses and about 800 local clergy and lay Episcopalians worshiped together Sept. 13 at the Coop Marena Beach Resort as part of the House of Bishops’ fall gathering in the Santo Domingo-based Diocese of the Dominican Republic. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, left, preached, and Dominican Republic Bishop Moisés Quezada Mota, right, celebrated. Photo: Courtesy of Frank Logue

Quezada Mota told ENS in a Sept. 14 interview that he believes more Episcopalians from the diocese, which has about 5,000 members and 67 missions, would have attended the worship service if more space had been available.

“The key to their passion is that they are convinced in their faith in Jesus Christ,” he said. “They worship with their heart. They want to adore and serve God, and that enthusiasm to become witnesses to others with their testimonies will help The Episcopal Church grow.”

This Sept. 10-15 meeting is one of two biannual in-person House of Bishops gatherings. The fall meetings typically occur during non-General Convention years and, as is the case this year, usually include bishops’ spouses.

This is the first time the House of Bishops has gathered in the Dominican Republic and Rowe’s second meeting as primate of The Episcopal Church. The bishops were originally scheduled to gather in the Province IX diocese in September 2023, but instead met on Zoom to allow then-Presiding Bishop Michael Curry – who was scheduled to undergo surgery halfway through the meeting’s dates – to participate.

Rowe told ENS in a Sept. 14 interview that the House of Bishops “felt really, really bad” about delaying the gathering in the Dominican Republic for two years, but pointed out that, since 2023, the diocese has launched and continued an evangelism initiative. The diocese is also in the process of building new churches and ministries throughout the country.

“I think God’s timing is a blessing. …It was clearly important for [the House of Bishops] to be here,” Rowe said. “I think it’s a statement to the church that the Dominican Republic – this land and the people here – is also a part of The Episcopal Church, and an important part of it.”

Christian Reynoso and Quezada Mota both said the two-year delay, based on the worship service’s large attendance and “enthusiasm,” was “worth the wait.”

“Waiting and preparing for the gathering became a source of motivation and strength for us in the diocese in that we continued the labor to show who we are as Episcopalians – Dominican night on the beach, organizing trips to show our different missions and planning the Holy Eucharist with everyone,” Quezada Mota said. “God gave us this time of reflection, enthusiasm and hope.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

On the second day of the Sept. 10-15 House of Bishops gathering in the Dominican Republic, bishops and their spouses split into groups to visit local diocesan ministry sites. Some bishops visited the Iglesia Episcopal San Andrés in Santo Domingo, which also houses an early childhood and elementary school. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

[Episcopal News Service — Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic] Episcopal bishops and their spouses spent the second day of their fall gathering visiting different missions operated by the Santo Domingo-based Diocese of the Dominican Republic, including its cathedral and nearby schools.

The missions visited by the 82 bishops and 38 spouses on Sept. 11 are among the Province IX diocese’s 67 missions serving 5,000 Episcopalians and the local communities.

“We feel highly rejoiced with the bishops’ visit here in the Dominican Republic,” the Rev. P. Obispo Encarnación, vicar of Iglesia Episcopal San Andrés in Santo Domingo, told Episcopal News Service.

San Andrés is connected to the Colegio Episcopal San Andrés, an early childhood and elementary school. The bishops who visited San Andrés were greeted by students dancing in school uniforms and Dominican folk dresses. While they toured the school, students in one classroom sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and welcomed them in Spanish and English. Outside, more students assembled for a special dance performance for the bishops. Some students gave presentations on what they’re learning in school, such as Dominican history and music.

Lexington Bishop Mark Van Koevering says hello to students at the Colegio Episcopal San Andrés Sept. 11 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The students greeted visiting bishops with song and dance. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

Also in Santo Domingo, the capital, some bishops visited the Catedral Episcopal de la Epifanía – Cathedral of the Epiphany – where they were greeted with live clarinet, violin and organ performances. Chicago Bishop Paula Clark and Arkansas Bishop John Harmon told ENS that they were impressed by the cathedral’s community outreach despite its small size.

“[The congregation is] meeting the needs of the people according to the Gospel,” Clark said.

Harmon said he was surprised to learn that Epiphany had a woman dean “long before” any Episcopal seminary in the United States had a woman dean.

“It shows that they have been committed to theological education for a very long time in the Caribbean despite limited resources,” he said. “They’re doing great work – doing a lot with a little.”

In San Pedro de Marcorís, some bishops visited the Iglesia Episcopal San Esteban, which also has an elementary school and the Clínica Esperanza y Caridad, a medical center.

The Rt. Rev. Austin Rios, the San Francisco-based Diocese of California’s first Latino bishop, told ENS that visiting San Esteban reminded him of his experience with ministries when he lived in Rome, Italy, for 12 years as rector of St. Paul’s Within-the-Walls Episcopal Church. He said San Esteban’s ministry “feels very similar” to the ministerial work being done in Italy. 

“I felt a lot of resonance … I am so thankful to see the joy and also the resilience that comes with doing this kind of ministry and seeing how it’s affecting people’s lives,” Rios said. “The great people we encountered at St. Esteban and in the Dominican Republic have been incredibly hospitable. It’s a wonderful gift to be here with the rest of the House of Bishops.”

Students at the Colegio Episcopal San Andrés in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, greet visiting bishops Sept. 11 with posters, live musical performances and presentations. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

This Sept. 10-15 meeting is one of two annual in-person House of Bishops gatherings. The fall meetings occur during non-General Convention years and, as is the case this year, usually include bishops’ spouses. The fall 2025 meeting is also notably the Most Rev. Sean Rowe’s second House of Bishops as presiding bishop.

In Boca Chica, a popular beach town for tourists, students at Colegio Episcopal San José also greeted visiting bishops with live musical performances. The elementary school is part of the Iglesia Episcopal San José, which also operates a retirement home for the community.

While touring the San José church, retirement home and school, the bishops listened to a priest preach about diversity in the global church and being “united in we all share the same blood in Jesus Christ.”

Minnesota Bishop Craig Loya described his experience visiting San José to ENS as “nourishing.”

“I think one of the advantages and the gifts of convening the House of Bishops in [the Dominican Republic] is it’s a way of reminding us all that we really do have this global, diverse church, and that is really part of our great gift as a church,” Loya said. “We’re grateful to be here.”

The House of Bishops gathering is underway through Sept. 15. The bishops will continue business and affinity group meetings and discussions, plenaries and other listening sessions. On Sept. 13, the Diocese of the Dominican Republic will host a special Eucharist with Dominican Republic Bishop Moisés Quezada Mota celebrating and Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe preaching. The local Episcopalians and bishops will engage in fellowship following the worship service.

Encarnación said the bishops interacting with local Episcopalians while in the Dominican Republic will further increase global unity in The Episcopal Church. “For us here in the Dominican Republic, this is very important because we feel supported by all the bishops worldwide.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

The first night of the House of Bishops’ Sept. 10-15 gathering at the Coral Costa Caribe Beach Resort in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic, included a beachfront dinner featuring live folk music and dance. Sept. 10, 2025. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

[Episcopal News Service — Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic] Episcopal bishops and their spouses are here at the Coral Costa Caribe Beach Resort for their fall gathering, presenting an opportunity for the Santo Domingo-based Diocese of the Dominican Republic to shine in the spotlight.

Showcasing the Province IX diocese, which includes 5,000 members and 67 missions, and Dominican culture to his colleagues and their spouses is a “special occasion,” Dominican Republic Bishop Moisés Quezada Mota told Episcopal News Service on Sept. 10, the first day of the gathering. He said Dominican Episcopalians are excited for their diocese to host the House of Bishops’ fall gathering and have been “praying for the bishops every day.”

“We feel honored to have the bishops and their spouses here,” Quezada Mota said. “This week, the bishops are going to see Dominican culture and see the people worship with joy.”

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe leads prayer Sept. 10 before a beachfront dinner on the first night of the House of Bishops’ fall 2025 gathering at the Coral Costa Caribe Beach Resort in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

This Sept. 10-15 meeting is one of two annual in-person House of Bishops gatherings. The fall meetings occur during non-General Convention years and, as is the case this year, usually include bishops’ spouses. 

The gathering of 82 bishops and 38 spouses opened with a Eucharist. Texas Assistant Bishop Hector Monterroso celebrated, and West Texas Bishop Suffragan Angela Maria Cortiñas, the second Latina elected as bishop in The Episcopal Church, preached. Following the Eucharist, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe greeted the bishops and their spouses.

Later in the afternoon, Rowe gave a report updating bishops on structural changes in The Episcopal Church and the challenges many church leaders say they are facing today, including the polarized political environment; humanitarian crises and conflicts worldwide; the church’s decline in membership and the troubles facing the U.S. economy and fewer congregational pledges; and difficulty in managing canonical processes, maintaining generative relationships and handling conflict.

“We try to stay focused on those things that only can be done, or can be done best, at the churchwide level,” Rowe said. “Our objective is always to ensure that The Episcopal Church can make a strong, sound and effective witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by supporting ministry on the ground.”

Initiatives to address these issues included resisting growing authoritarianism in the United States through legal avenues and “strategic engagement in public discourse.” Rowe also spoke of building capacity for ministry through collaboration with partners, such as the Episcopal Parish Network, the Episcopal Church Building Fund and others. Other initiatives included developing long-term financial strategies; reforming the church’s governance and structures at churchwide and diocesan levels; investing in initiatives that support “innovation” through church planting and other ministry models; building a welcoming Episcopal Church website; working to develop church leaders; realigning the church’s work in global partnerships; and investing in deescalating conflicts before they become Title IV disciplinary matters.

On Sept. 11, the bishops and their spouses will split into groups to visit four local diocesan ministry sites, including two schools, a medical center and the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Santo Domingo, the capital. Later this week, they will meet for theological reflections and discussions, and listen to various presentations, including one by Chris Lacovara, The Episcopal Church’s chief financial officer, on the stewardship of church properties.

Dominican Republic Bishop Moisés Quezada Mota, right, poses in front of an informational booth Sept. 10 on the first evening of the House of Bishops’ fall 2025 gathering at the Coral Costa Caribe Beach Resort in Juan Dolio. Photo: Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

On Sept. 13, a special Eucharist will take place at a nearby beach resort. Quezada Mota will celebrate and Rowe will preach. Episcopalians from throughout the Dominican Republic will also be in attendance.

“It’s going to be a great party, Quezada Mota said. “It will be a great event for everyone.”

Quezada Mota said he prays that his fellow bishops and their spouses will see that “our church is a dynamic church with many different ministries and theological programs.”

“My prayers are that the Holy Spirit continues guiding The Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic and to continue renewing the church more and more so it can follow its mission – the mission that Jesus Christ reaches more and more people,” Quezada Mota said. “I hope the bishops encountering our country gives my diocese energy and joy so it can continue doing its good work. I am hopeful.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Demonstrators held a banner reading “Let’s go with the truth and without violence,” as they gathered in Caracas July 30 to protest election results that awarded Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro a third term. Photo: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/REUTERS

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church pledged its support for Venezuelans following the disputed reelection of President Nicolás Maduro as the international community condemned the results and nationwide protests turned violent.

“The Episcopal Church stands in solidarity with the people of Venezuela following the presidential election. We believe that governments function best when they are responsive, participatory, and transparent, and ensure adequate protection for minorities,” read the July 30 statement released by the church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations.

“It is our duty to support the people of Venezuela in their efforts to protect democracy and the rule of law. We encourage Episcopalians to stay informed about the situation and pray for our fellow Episcopalians and all Venezuelans.”

Despite widespread accusations of fraud and a refusal to release the full vote count, the government-controlled election authority declared Maduro the winner on July 29, one day after the election. That same day thousands of demonstrators took to the streets nationwide in protest of the election, leading to violent clashes with the police and the death of at least six people. The demonstrations are ongoing, with over 700 arrests. 

Maduro’s opposition claims that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won the election in a landslide. The Biden administration is now considering imposing sanctions against the Venezuelan government, which could include U.S. travel bans on Venezuelan officials.

Maduro has been president of Venezuela since his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, died in 2013. He has been accused of corruption and authoritarianism, resulting in the isolation of Venezuela from the rest of the world. Millions of Venezuelan citizens have fled the country, which is also experiencing a decade-long economic crisis despite being rich in oil and other natural resources. 

The Episcopal Diocese of Venezuela, based in the capital, Caracas, has 10 parishes, 14 missions and four preaching stations. Ecuador Litoral Bishop Cristóbal Olmedo León Lozana is the provisional bishop of the diocese, which is part of Province IX.

“Let us continue to pray regularly and advocate for a peaceful resolution of the crisis facing our siblings in Venezuela, and urge continued support for all Venezuelans, including those who have migrated to other countries,” the statement said.

Since Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras in 1998, Diocese of West Texas-affiliated Texas Water Mission has been helping Hondurans access safe drinking water by funding well drilling projects and providing classes on health, sanitation and water hygiene. Photo: Linda Stone

[Episcopal News Service] Honduras Bishop Lloyd Allen was a dean and a priest in Tegucigalpa, the capital, in 1998 when Hurricane Mitch killed at least 7,000 people in the country. In response to the hurricane, which also triggered deadly landslides, Allen and his diocesan colleagues spent several months tending to 23 shelters around the city and providing hot meals for survivors.

“The devastation was such that people didn’t really know what was going to happen and where their next meal was coming from,” Allen told Episcopal News Service. “And the water situation is still a problem because of the lack of resources and a lack of education.”

Hurricane Mitch left 75% of Hondurans without access to potable water, and Honduras is still dealing with unrepaired infrastructure damage more than 25 years later. As a result, waterborne diseases, including cholera, are still rampant throughout the country, especially in rural areas.

After Hurricane Mitch, members of nonprofit organizations and religious institutions visited Honduras to assess what they could do to help, including Episcopalians sponsored by the San Antonio-based Diocese of West Texas. An initial mission trip and additional follow-up visits led to a partnership with the Diocese of Honduras and the development of the Honduras Water Ministry.

With financial support from Episcopal Relief & Development and Living Water International, the ministry purchased a drilling rig and other tools to dig wells in underserved villages. The first three wells were drilled in 2003, and in 2005 the Honduras Water Ministry became the Texas Water Mission, a ministry of the Diocese of West Texas.

Nearly 100 wells have been drilled since 2003, including 30 that are still operational, according to Linda Stone, executive director of Texas Water Mission. It’s now an independent agency but still has an office at the Diocese of West Texas’s Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio and receives diocesan support. Honduras is divided into 18 jurisdictions, called departments, and most of the wells have been drilled in the country’s southeast El Paraíso department. Allen said Texas Water Mission notifies the Diocese of Honduras whenever volunteers, interns or board members plan to visit, or when a new well drilling project has been established.

“Water is the source of life, and so many people don’t have access to safe drinking water,” Stone told ENS. “It’s shocking how many people, children, die of waterborne diseases every year, and how many people have to walk in excess of a mile every day to get their water. It’s huge.”

About 1.4 million people – some 400,000 children under age 5 – die from waterborne diseases annually, according to a 2023 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

In Honduras, a rapidly growing population, a lack of basic health care and climate change have slowed down progress. In 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota contaminated most water resources in the country’s northwest Santa Bárbara department. Climate scientists attributed the two hurricanes’ volatility to climate change.

“Global warming has had a major effect here because the rivers are drying and whatever water that is running is polluted,” Allen said. “Therefore, we need to not only knock on the doors of the Diocese of West Texas but any other organization who wants to come in and help us, because this is a major undertaking.”

Today, all drilling and maintenance work is completed locally, with Texas Water Mission providing support to its Honduran partners and staying in touch through regular communication via WhatsApp.

Stone is Texas Water Mission’s only staff person; the organization is run by board members, volunteers and interns. The board members meet at least four times a year to evaluate and approve projects, strategize fundraising and distribute funds. Each well costs between $20,000 and $30,000 to install.

When a new well is drilled, local women trained by Texas Water Mission volunteers teach a weeklong class on health, sanitation and water hygiene for the community. Roxana Menes, a native Spanish speaker who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, has helped facilitate class discussions in person since she started volunteering in 2014. While the classes are in session, Texas Water Mission runs a childcare center so that women in the villages can participate.

“Keeping the water safe helps save a lot of people, and it also helps children not be sick all the time,” Stone said. “Not being sick all the time allows the children to go to school, and it allows their mothers to be able to do something out of the house and earn money.”

Allen said he was pleasantly surprised to learn about Texas Water Mission’s water hygiene education component. As someone with a background in pedagogy, education is important to Allen, who is regularly involved with finding scholarships for students to attend any of the seven grade schools operated by the Diocese of Honduras.

“As an educator, I think that education can change the world. Yes, we can feed the people and give them clean water, but all that means nothing if we don’t provide the sanitary education component,” he said.  

Texas Water Mission has also assisted with home filter distribution, rainwater harvesting, collecting water testing kits, spring conservation and other methods to provide access to safe drinking water in the villages. The organization also has a partnership with the Honduran Coffee Alliance and the San Antonio-based Volunteer Coffee micro roaster to sell coffee, with proceeds supporting Texas Water Mission’s projects in Honduras.

For Menes, helping Hondurans access potable water is “active Christian practice.”

“We need to say prayers for one another and for people who are struggling to get water,” she told ENS. “Those people need prayers, but they need more than that. They also need action.”

Outside of Honduras, Texas Water Mission has also worked with the Charleston, South Carolina-based Water Mission nonprofit to install a solar-powered rainwater catchment system at St. Benoit Episcopal Church and School in Mombin Crochu, Haiti. In 2019, Texas Water Mission began collaborating with the three Episcopal churches in Navajoland to address the region’s ongoing fight for water access.

“In the United States, with the exception of some communities, we don’t think about water scarcity,” Menes said. “Having access to clean water is not shared by most of humankind.”

Allen said he’s grateful for organizations like Texas Water Mission responding to the needs of his fellow Hondurans.

“The Texas Water Mission team is doing a great job, and my heart goes out to them for responding to the needs of my fellow brothers and sisters,” he said. “They’re complying with the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service based in northern Indiana. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Cristóbal León Lozano was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ecuador Litoral on August 4, 2018. Photo: Glenda McQueen

[Episcopal News Service] Ecuador Litoral Bishop Cristóbal Olmedo León Lozano was installed as the provisional bishop of the Diocese of Venezuela on Sept. 29 at the Church of the Reconciliation in Caracas, the country’s capital.

León was elected during a special, online convention on Aug. 19.  He succeeds the Rt. Rev. Orlando Guerrero Torres, who retired in 2017. León previously served as the diocese’s visiting bishop after Guerrero retired.

One day prior, the Rev. Glenda McQueen, The Episcopal Church’s staff officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Rev. Anthony Guillén, missioner for Latino ministries, hosted a hybrid, all-day workshop for the Diocese of Venezuela’s leaders. Workshop topics included asset-based community development, evangelism, theological formation and Christian formation for laity.

The Diocese of Venezuela has 10 parishes, 14 missions, four preaching stations, nine priests, three deacons and 17 lay ministers. The diocese is part of Province IX.

The Rt. Rev. Francisco José Duque-Gómez, bishop of Colombia, shakes hands with bishop-elect Elias Garcia Cardenas. Photo: LinkedIn

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Diocese of Colombia elected the Rev. Elias Garcia Cardenas its fifth bishop.

Garcia was elected on the first ballot with 25 clergy and 22 lay votes, in a special electing convention held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Bogotá on Oct. 1. The convention was a reconvening of the first electing convention held on Aug. 13, which after three ballots did not result in the election of a bishop, recessed.

The canons of the Diocese of Colombia require a two-thirds majority in both clerical and lay orders for a successful election. The other candidate, the Rev. Carlos Eduardo Guevara Rodriquez, received 12 clergy votes and eight lay votes.

The Diocese of Colombia is part of Province IX. Garcia will succeed the Rt. Rev. Francisco José Duque-Gómez, who has served as bishop since 2001. The bishop consecration is scheduled to take place on Feb. 18, 2023.

Puerto Rico Bishop Rafael Morales and seminarians at a Eucharist for the beginning of classes at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in August 2021. Photo: Diocese of Puerto Rico

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Puerto Rico is set to switch from Province IX to Province II after Province II’s synod unanimously voted to accept its request on Sept. 9. The change will go before the 80th General Convention in July 2022 for final approval.

The Diocese of Puerto Rico has been in Province IX – which currently consists of seven dioceses in Latin America and the Caribbean – since it was readmitted to The Episcopal Church in 2003. In April, the diocese presented a resolution to the Province IX synod stating its desire to change provinces, which the synod approved unanimously. The diocese then convened a special convention in July to determine which new province it would join, choosing among Provinces II, III and IV, according to Province II Council lay representative Yvonne O’Neal, who represented her province at the convention. Bishops William Klusmeyer of West Virginia and Gregory Brewer of Central Florida represented Provinces III and IV, respectively.

After presentations from the provinces, the diocesan convention voted to join Province II on the sixth ballot. Province II – “the international Atlantic province,” as it calls itself – consists of the dioceses in the states of New York and New Jersey, Haiti, Cuba, the Virgin Islands and the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe.

Before the Province II synod’s September vote to accept the diocese, Acting President Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe, bishop of Central New York, invited Puerto Rico Bishop Rafael Morales to address the synod. In his overview of the diocese’s work, Morales “highlighted the diocesan seminary, the funeral and grief counseling program, the new radio station with its many programs … and how this all feeds into social media,” O’Neal wrote. “One of the most notable achievements of the Diocese of Puerto Rico is the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, the biggest on the island, [which] has been in operation for more than 100 years.”

In presenting the resolution, O’Neal noted connections between the Dioceses of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti and the Virgin Islands, including the fact that the Virgin Islands were in the Diocese of Puerto Rico until 1962. O’Neal also told the synod “that Puerto Rico was not coming to Province II seeking financial assistance.”

“The diocese has income-producing enterprises such as the St. Luke’s Health System,” O’Neal wrote. “Eight years ago, the Diocese of Puerto Rico had an endowment of $26 million amassed by the retiring bishop, an endowment that has grown substantially since then.”

The Diocese of Puerto Rico will present a resolution approving the switch at General Convention scheduled to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, next July. The diocese also plans to celebrate 150 years of Anglicanism on the island next year.