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News about the
Coalition of Episcopal Latinos
(CEL)

During its June 16-18 meeting in Maryland, the Episcopal Church's Executive Council adopted several resolutions, two of which referred to SB 1070 in Arizona.

Committee on Advocacy and Networking for Mission of Executive Council

  • Stated that the language, intent and enforcement of Arizona Statute Senate Bill 1070 "poses a challenge to our fundamental Christian responsibility to respect the dignity of every human being"; directed the secretary of Executive Council to communicate this resolution to the governor of Arizona, the majority leaders of their legislative houses and the congressional delegation from Arizona; called upon the federal government to swiftly and urgently enact comprehensive immigration reform (A&N012).

  • ·Acknowledged that there are various forms of "thoughtful engagement" that many Episcopalians have taken to stand in solidarity with those affected by Arizona Statute SB 1070 and those working to overturn it; urged Episcopalians to participate in activities which support those that are affected by the statute, work for comprehensive immigration reform, including becoming informed on immigration issues, developing and strengthening local partnerships, visiting border communities or engaging in economic boycotts (A&N014).

Maryland Bishops issue Pastoral Letter Addressing Migration and Immigration

As our nation continues its troubled and hesitant course toward addressing the challenge of immigration, we are moved to write to remind you of the biblical values and imperatives that should guide our treatment of newcomers and sojourners... (This thoughtful letter is subdivided into sections on: 1 - A world on the move; 2 - Biblical resources for understanding the issues; 3 - Other resources from church teaching and tradition; and 4 - Moral issues in migration and immigration) Read More...

Coalition of Episcopal Latinos gathering focuses on unity, mission

By Pat McCaughan, September 20, 2010

[Episcopal News Service] The Coalition of Episcopal Latinos -- la Coalición de Episcopales Latinos -- cast a vision of advocacy, formation, education, inclusion, activism and unity at its historic inaugural gathering Sept. 15-18 near Phoenix, Arizona.

At least 70 participants -- lay and ordained of all ages, some from as far away as El Salvador -- attended plenary and workshop sessions focused on immigration, evangelism, congregational development, communications and social media, and organizational structure at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

CEL President Rev. Carmen Guerrero addressing the CEL Conference

Panel Discussion at CEL Conference

"Our vision is to bring together Latino people in the Episcopal Church," said the Rev. Floyd Naters "Butch" Gamarra, assisting priest at St. Mary's Church in Los Angeles and a CEL board member.

That vision includes reconciliation, unity, advocacy and evangelism, as well as serving as "catalysts for change" with issues of concern to Latinos, including immigration, leadership development and equity involving clergy deployment, benefits and salaries, he said. ...Read More...

House of Bishops Meets with CEL Panel, Receives Declaration

Following presentations by the Revs. Enrique Cadena and Carmen Guerrero, the House of Bishops heard from an eight member panel about the uniqueness of doing ministry within a Latino context.  One of the items presented to the House of Bishops was a Declaration from the Coalition of Episcopal Latinos in which we challenged the Episcopal Church to stop discussing Hispanic/Latino ministry and begin to take our obvious presence seriously.  The full declaration can also be accessed via the Documents page of the CEL website.

The CEL Panel

Left to Right: Isaías Rodriguez, Bishop Francisco Duque, Manny Mesa, Bishop Leo Frade, Carmen Guerrero, Nicholas Knisely, Dulce Carmona, and Miguel Carmona