West Texas elects bilingual priest as suffragan bishop

The Diocese of West Texas has elected the associate rector of St. David’s Church in Austin, Texas – a bilingual priest who says she thrives in a team position in the “second seat” – as its seventh suffragan bishop.

Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas has served at St. David’s since 2021. She previously served as rector of St. Thomas Church, College Station, Texas, and associate priest in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Cortiñas was one of three candidates and was elected in the fifth round. Another candidate, Rev. Canon William Lee Curtis, Canon Ordinary in the Diocese of Rio Grande, also said he had “learned to love life in the second chair.” The third candidate was the Rev. Matthew Wise, associate rector of St. Mark’s Church in San Antonio, the lakeside city in West Texas.

In her profile for the election, Cortiñas described how she helped St. David discover that despite the parish’s longstanding identity as an “open and affirming congregation,” staff and leaders were surprised that Hispanic members “did not always feel welcome.”

“Changes were made to the music at services, the language of the bulletin was switched to bilingual, and we added additional events throughout the year,” she wrote. “We have partnered with other churches in Austin to host events throughout the year, such as a Los Posadas celebration and a retreat aimed at training Spanish-speaking lay leaders in and around Austin.”

She also described that she is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary starting in 2020. Through these studies, she learned that “those seeking spiritual connection through pilgrimages like the Camino de Santiago” are growing exponentially, even as church membership declines.

“We should ask ourselves; What drives people from the churches into nature and on pilgrimages?” she wrote. “Why do so many return to the old practice of fasting or intermittent fasting? What can we learn from living consciously and how can the church help these people connect to the life and teachings of Christ to help those who are searching? I see an opportunity to help those who want to make these connections. I see an opportunity to help make disciples.”

Suffragan bishops, who support the office of diocesan bishops (the word comes from a medieval Latin term meaning “supporter”), served in many dioceses of the Episcopal Church in previous generations. Over the last decade, dioceses have increasingly chosen to employ retired bishops (usually assistant bishops) to carry out necessary duties, a simpler and less expensive process.

Cortiñas is only the third suffragan bishop elected in the last decade. The others were the Rt. Rev. Kathryn Ryan, who was elected suffragan bishop of Texas in 2019, and the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, who was elected suffragan bishop of West Texas in 2017 and now serves as an associate bishop in the Diocese of North Carolina functions.

The date for the consecration and installation of Cortiñas is set for March 29, 2025.