[Episcopal News Service] Angel Rivera was ordained and consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Cuba Sept. 18 at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Havana.
Rivera’s ordination marks a significant step toward self-determination for the Havana-based church in Cuba, which formally reunified with The Episcopal Church in 2020 after five years of efforts that included approval by the 79th General Convention in 2018 in Austin, Texas. The diocese is now part of Province II, which also includes the Spanish-speaking Diocese of Puerto Rico.
In a Sept. 14 interview with Episcopal News Service, Rivera, who’d previously served as a priest in Puerto Rico, described the Diocese of Cuba as “very special.”
“This diocese is like none other. The people are beautiful and happy with a lot of energy, lots of charisma, many gifts,” Rivera said. “The people sing with such immense joy and live their experiences through Christ despite the difficult economic situation in the country.”
As bishop, Rivera succeeds Puerto Rico Bishop Rafael Morales Maldonado, who had been serving as bishop provisional since 2023 following the resignation of former Cuba Bishop Griselda del Carpio. She had served as bishop diocesan since 2010, including during the diocese’s reunification with The Episcopal Church.
Rivera – who previously served as rector of Parroquia Ayudada San José in the Rio Piedras district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, said he estimates that at least 2,000 Episcopalians live in Cuba as of 2025 – with some congregations reporting hundreds of members. The diocese has 47 churches and more than 30 missions.
“If it is also God’s plan, my goal as bishop is to help double or triple the number of churches,” Rivera said. “Cubans share a great love and commitment to God, and they have faith that everything will work out.”
The service took place three days after the House of Bishops concluded its Sept. 10-15 meeting in the Diocese of the Dominican Republic, where Rivera also was present.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe was the chief consecrator for Rivera’s ordination service.
“The ordination of Angel Rivera is another milestone in our journey to strengthen the Anglican presence in Cuba that began in 1871,” Rowe told ENS in a Sept. 15 written statement. “Together, we are witnessing to the world that divisions among governments mean nothing to citizens of God’s kingdom who follow the Risen Christ.”
The church in Cuba became a missionary district of The Episcopal Church in 1901, but the two churches separated in the 1960s, after Fidel Castro seized power and diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States disintegrated.
For much of that time, Cuban bishops were appointed by a church body known as the Metropolitan Council of Cuba, which allowed the diocese to remain connected to the wider Anglican Communion. Rivera is the first bishop of Cuba in more than four decades to be chosen by election rather than by appointment.
“I feel so honored that I get to serve the Episcopalians in Cuba,” Rivera said.
-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.