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The Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, has recently appointed the Rt. Rev. María Griselda Delgado del Carpio, retired bishop of Cuba, as assisting bishop for Latino Ministries. The first woman to serve as a diocesan bishop in Cuba and in Latin America, she was one of the co-consecrating bishops in Holcomb’s June 10, 2023, consecration.
After leading the Diocese of Cuba for more than 10 years, she retired in 2010 and now lives in Fort Myers. This year, she also has begun serving as assisting bishop in residence alongside the Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, where she is working to unify and expand Hispanic ministry efforts amid growing challenges for immigrant communities.
Bishop Griselda Delgado distributes Holy Communion as Mother Sara Oxley looks on. | Photo: ROXANA DE LA RIVA
“This is the first time the diocese has had an assisting bishop dedicated specifically to the Hispanic community,” Delgado said of her role in Southwest Florida. “It creates a new opportunity to provide pastoral support and strengthen the Episcopal presence among Latinos.” As assisting bishop in residence, she will oversee pastoral visits, Spanish-language confirmations and leadership development programs for Latino clergy and laity, carrying out similar functions in Central Florida, where she will be available for five visitations per year and also serve the Latino Ministries Commission with regard to ministry and leadership development.
“The new presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe, is reorienting the churchwide structure to support dioceses and congregations on the ground where ministry happens, and that’s exactly what’s happening with the Diocese of Southwest Florida and the Diocese of Central Florida,” Holcomb said. “Bishop Doug Scharf and I have been exploring what it would look like for Bishop Griselda to have shared episcopal ministry in two dioceses – Southwest Florida, where she lives, and Central Florida, where she has good relationships and connections. We’re both heartened by the ministry opportunities Bishop Griselda will provide for our dioceses, and we’re thankful for the vision of our presiding bishop.”
Delgado emphasized the importance of providing faith spaces for Latino immigrants. “Even if they live in a different country and speak a different language, Latinos need a place where they can nurture their faith in their native tongue,” she said.
Misa de Sanación: Día de la Anunciación
As a part of her new role in Central Florida, Delgado preached and presided at a bilingual healing service, Misa de Sanación: Día de la Anunciación (Healing Mass: Annunciation Day) held on March 25 at Jesús de Nazaret Episcopal Church, Orlando. The service, planned, led and attended only by women, brought together diverse communities to celebrate Episcopal Women’s Day and the Feast of the Annunciation, highlighting the power of women’s faith and leadership in The Episcopal Church.
The service also honored the Virgin Mary’s “yes” to God, connecting it to the spiritual and emotional healing of women today. “It was a moment of hope and comfort, an opportunity to remember that God calls us to commit and move forward,” Delgado said.
L-R Archdeacon Julie Altenbach, Bishop Griselda Delgado, and the Revs. Sara Oxley and Maytée de la Torre all participated in the special service. | Photo: ROXANA DE LA RIVA
The Rev. Maytée de la Torre, co-chair of the Latino Ministries Commission of the Diocese of Central Florida, assistant vicar of Jesús de Nazaret and associate rector of Christ the King Episcopal Church, Orlando, initiated, organized and helped lead the healing service. She also chose its symbolic date, intentionally set nine months before Christmas. “When we say yes like Mary, we become messengers of hope,” she said.
The Ven. Julie Altenbach, co-archdeacon for the Diocese of Central Florida, served as deacon of the table. During Communion, she joined the Daughters of the King in the Mary Chapel to minister to those who came for intercessory prayer.
“Serving alongside faithful women leaders like Bishop Griselda, Mother Maytée and Mother Sara at a service for the Annunciation was an incredible honor and experience,” Altenbach said. “There was something profoundly powerful about gathering together in worship and sisterhood. One especially moving moment for me came during the Peace, when we took turns placing a scarf around each other, affirming that we are seen and loved by God.”
“It was an honor and a privilege to be part of this,” said the Rev. Sara Oxley, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Maitland, who led prayers in English, including the Eucharistic prayer, as a part of the service. “I have been friends with Rev. Maytée de la Torre for several years, and it is so good to see friends come together. Even with language barriers, we are united in Christ. Our goal is to love and serve God, and that goes beyond cultural or language differences.”
“I found the healing Mass to be very beautiful,” said Ms. Josefa Matos Rivera, a member of St. John’s, Kissimmee, who is originally from Puerto Rico. “The entrance of the female clergy and Bishop Griselda filled us with hope and comfort as women and mothers. The homily, which spoke of Mary as a woman who commits herself and accepts God’s will, was a wonderful example of her faithfulness to God.”
Central Florida’s Commitment to Latino Ministries
Delgado’s participation in the healing service reflected the deeper message that healing, like faith, transcends language and life transitions. The day before the service, at de la Torre’s invitation, she also celebrated Holy Eucharist at Magnolia Towers, an Orlando retirement facility to which members of Jesús de Nazaret regularly bring Communion. Her connection with Central Florida dates back to the Aug. 2, 2019, ordination service for the Rev. Dr. Richard Gonzalez, a Cuban immigrant, in which she assisted the Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, then diocesan bishop, who preached and presided.
“I first met Bishop Griselda when she visited the Diocese of Central Florida in 2019,” Holcomb said. “Since then, I have held her in great esteem, and I was honored by her serving as a co-consecrator at my consecration service in 2023. I continue to enjoy her dynamic personality, faithfulness to the gospel and the clarity of her strategic thinking – especially her deep commitment to cultivating leadership and strengthening the church’s ministry.”
L-R Archdeacon Julie Altenbach and Mother Maytée de la Torre speak with Mrs. Irais Murphy of the Latino Ministries Commission. | Photo: ROXANA DE LA RIVA
Mrs. Irais Murphy, a member of the Executive Committee of the Diocesan Board, member of the Latino Ministries Commission and member of the Commission on Ministry from St. John’s, Kissimmee, who recently served as Holcomb’s translator at the Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras, had an integral role in planning for the healing service. She stressed the importance of the Diocese of Central Florida’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Latino ministry.
“I serve on the Latino Ministries Commission established by the bishop, where we work in Spanish language and collaborate with the Rev. Maytée, who is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese,” Murphy said. “We have come together to promote leadership within the Latino community in Central Florida.” As a part of its efforts and as a response to the growing Latino population in Florida, the Diocese of Central Florida is expanding its programs and prioritizing Spanish-language training for emerging leaders, introducing both online and in-person classes with interpretation services to help prepare Spanish-speaking deacons, priests and catechists.
“Bishop Holcomb’s vision is clear: more Latino leaders and equip them with the tools to grow within The Episcopal Church,” Delgado said. “It’s an important step for the future of our community.”
“Community, language and cultural understanding are not optional extras – they are significant features of how Jesus gathers people to himself, nurtures them in the church and then sends his people into the world,” Holcomb said. “Because the church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, our ministry must reflect both the unity and diversity of the body of Christ, where multitudes from every tribe, language and people are drawn together by the good news of reconciliation with God in Christ and then sent out to share that good news with their neighbors. Ministry in a diverse setting such as Central Florida means grounding our shared identity in Christ while honoring the particular stories, languages and cultures through which God makes his love known and calls his people to himself.”