On Thursday, March 23, 2023, Bishop Griselda Delgado Del Carpio retired as Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Cuba. The day marks an important date in the history of the Episcopal Church in Cuba – with her retirement after 12 transformative years as the Bishop of Cuba and as the first woman to serve in the role of Diocesan Bishop both in Cuba and in Latin America.

Bishop Griselda was born in 1955 in La Paz, Bolivia and graduated from the Universidad Mayor de San Andres in La Paz in 1981 with a degree in sociology. In 1982, she moved to Cuba to enter the Evangelical Seminary of Theology in Matanzas, Cuba.

Bishop Griselda remained in Cuba after seminary and was ordained as a Deacon in 1986. Shortly thereafter, she arrived in Itabo, Cuba, a small town with little knowledge of Jesus Christ, to serve at a church property with crumbling walls and no roof, known as Santa Maria Virgen. She served as rector there for 20 years, was consecrated as Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of Cuba in 2010 and installed later that year as Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Cuba at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Havana.

In 2018, Bishop Griselda successfully led the reunification and reconciliation of The Episcopal Church in Cuba with the U.S. Episcopal Church - after almost 60 years of isolation. The reunification ceremonies held in March of 2020 will forever be remembered as a pivotal event in the history of both the Cuban and U.S. churches.

Bishop Griselda has been a tireless leader, traveling many miles across Cuba, managing a team of 20 or more clergy, 51 communities, and continuing to serve as parish priest whenever the need arose. In addition, she has been a strong voice for the Cuban church in the U.S., seeking out new partners and supporters.

The Episcopal Diocese of Florida has an ongoing commitment to help support the Diocese of Cuba. Bishop Howard shares his sincere remarks and wishes to Bishop Griesla and the Diocese of Cuba below.

“It was my privilege in 2010 to be present at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Havana for the consecration of Bishop Griesla Delgado,” said Bishop Howard.

“Now it is also my privilege and honor to commend and thank her and the Diocese of Cuba for her service to the church and to the Lord. May she enjoy a fruitful and contented retirement and may our partnership move ahead as the diocese selects a new bishop to guard its faith and proclaim the gospel.”

Congratulations to the Rev. Deacon Sara Rich on ordination to the Priesthood on Thursday, March 23 at San Jose Episcopal Church, Jacksonville.

Ministry Exploration Day took place at Christ Church, Ponte Vedra Beach on Saturday, March 4. The day consisted of joining friends from around the Diocese of Florida and exploring what a calling to ordained ministry looks like in the Episcopal Church.

Small-town churches can’t escape the genuine and painful problems that face rural North America. At the same time, many Jesus’ followers across rural regions are uncovering exciting possibilities as they explore creative and practical approaches to loving their neighbors.

On April 21-22, Fresh Expressions is putting on a unique training experience tailored to the needs of rural church leaders called Rural Revival Summit. The two-day digital event will introduce you to other ministry leaders serving in small-town and rural contexts to provide examples and inspiration for being the Church and addressing the needs within your community. This is a unique opportunity for Rural Church Leaders to explore new ways of being church, for and with people who have no church.

At the Rural Revival Summit, you will:

• Meet other small-town church leaders who understand the struggles you are facing.
• Hear stories from real-life practitioners who are forming new and different expressions of church that uniquely connect with their rural settings.
• Explore practical approaches to church leadership and discipleship developed by fellow rural ministry leaders.

Register today and use code DIOFL10 to get 10% off. For more information and to register, click the button below.

Organ Recital and Art Reception at St. John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville

On March 19, there was an organ recital and art reception at St. John's Cathedral, Jacksonville. Timothy Tuller played works by Bach, Dupré, and Wagner on the Great Organ. A reception in Taliaferro Hall followed to honor artist Raquel Carerras Rodriguez.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Tallahassee Youth Group: Messy Games

"Messy Games" Youth Night lived up to its name at St. John's Episcopal Church, Tallahassee. On the first Sunday of every month, the youth group gathers for a night of games, food and fellowship!

The next gathering will be on April 2. Check out a few photos from game night on March 5.

Summer Positions Available at Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center

Camp Weed Cerveny & Conference Center is looking for nurses and deans for the summer! Information regarding both positions are below.

Camp Weed Nurse Information:

Camp nurses are licensed and are volunteers that come and stay for one (or more if you should choose) session. You’ll stay in your own private room/bathroom in the infirmary and will be responsible for handling and distributing all medications as well as managing campers and staff coming through the infirmary. You’ll have the opportunity to be a part of the day to day camp life and may even be asked to participate as a judge for an activity!

Available weeks for nurses:

Senior Session: June 11-16

Middler Session: June 25-30

Kid Camp 1: July 9-14

Final Session: July 23-28

Camp Weed Dean Information:

For each session, there will be one clergy and one youth leader, or lay person involved with youth programs of some sort, that serve as a dean for Camp Weed. You’ll stay in a hotel room in the Conference Center and will be responsible for our Morning Worship time, Closing Eucharist, and for creating Dean’s Program, which is an hour long formation time each day. Think VBS, but in a much more condensed way. You’ll also be asked to be around as a support for both staff and campers throughout the day and will be able to immerse yourself in daily camp life!

Available weeks for deans:

Junior Session: June 18-23: In need of a Clergy Dean

Kid Camp 2: July 16-21: In need of both a Lay and a Clergy Dean

Interested in Spending a Week at Camp Weed?

If you or someone you know is a licensed nurse, member of the clergy, or works with youth and might be interested in spending a week at camp this summer, reach out to Summer Camp Director Sam Marxsen at sam@campweed.org or by calling 386-364-5250.

Happening #147: April 28-30: Register Today!

Happening is a weekend renewal retreat for led by youth for youth that takes place at Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center. 10-12th graders are invited to attend any of our three annual Happenings, and 9th graders are invited to join the Happening in April.

High school students put together an incredibly moving weekend filled with learning, sharing, and building relationships. Through videos, skits, talks, and more, candidates see how God and their faith fit in with the ups and downs of high school life. Happening is designed to help youth feel the love of God and their Christian community. We hope, at the end of the weekend, everyone goes home knowing how to continue growing a relationship with God and having a group of fellow believers to rely on. It's a weekend full of fun, games, sharing, surprises, and most of all, spiritual renewal and empowerment.

Rector: Norah Minton (St. Mary's Green Cove Springs)

Lay Director: Keith Daw

Spiritual Director: Rev. Christopher Dell

Candidate Application Deadline: April 17, 2023

ECW & DOK Annual Spring Retreat



The Episcopal Church Woman (ECW) and the Daughters of the King (DOK) Annual Spring Retreat will take place on Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30 at Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center. The guest speaker for the retreat will be the Rev. Deacon Marsha Holmes who will be speaking on the topic of: Spiritual Oxygen: Are you getting enough? Through this lecture, you will learn how prayer, music and routine can help us breath Spiritual Oxygen.

The Rev. Deacon Holmes who is the spiritual advisor for Diocese of Florida chapter of Daughters of the King, worships at Christ Church Ponte Vedra where she is the pastoral care director. She offers prayerful encouragement and support regardless of where an individual is on their sacred journey. Her vision is to encourage and support individuals on their journey to awaken to GOD in their lives and assist them in responding to their discoveries.

Items to bring to the retreat:

• Journal or Spiral Notebook and Pen
• Mask
• Comfortable Shoes (for nature walk)
• Rain Apparel (just in case)
• An Open Mind and Loving Spirit

Summer Camp: Registration is Open!

As a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, Camp Weed provides summer camp experiences for over 500 campers every summer. It's convenient, central location allows Camp Weed to serve youth from many areas.

Camp Weed has awesome camp sessions planned for 2023! Click the button below to view summer camp dates and fees. To register, click here.

Diocesan Youth News

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and information about youth events going on throughout the Diocese through the Camp Weed Diocesan Youth Newsletter. You may view the newsletter by clicking the button below.

If you have an event that you'd like to include in the youth newsletter, please reach out to Sam Marxsen: sam@campweed.org or call 386-364-5250.

Coming Up:

April 2 @ 10 a.m.: Bishop Howard to visit Grace Episcopal Church, Orange Park

April 2 @ 9:30 a.m.: Bishop Lambert to visit St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Jacksonville

April 9 @ 10:00 a.m.: Bishop Lambert to visit St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, St. Augustine

April 16 @ 10:30 a.m.: Bishop Howard to visit Chapel of the Incarnation, Gainesville

April 20 @ 6 p.m.: Bishop Lambert to visit St. Francis In-the-Field, Ponte Vedra Beach

April 23 @ 9 a.m.: Bishop Howard to visit St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Jacksonville

April 23 @ 9 a.m.: Bishop Lambert to visit St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Fernandina Beach

April 30 @ 9:30 a.m.: Bishop Howard to visit San Jose Episcopal Church, Jacksonville