Bishop Ed has appointed Fr. Moreno to become the Vicar of the newest congregation in the Diocese, Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit) Church, Tulsa. This new congregation will offer services in Spanish.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth”.
It
is not every day that one can witness the birth of a new church, but through a
confluence of events, the generosity of two Tulsa congregations, and the work
of the Holy Spirit, we in the Diocese of Oklahoma are doing just that! Five
years ago, St. Dunstan’s embarked on an adventure to offer Sunday afternoon
worship in Spanish. After gaining some footing, a Mission Development Grant was
secured from The Episcopal Church to bring a Latino priest to Tulsa.
Subsequently, in May of 2018, Bishop Konieczny appointed the Rev. Alberto
Moreno to be a diocesan “Hispanic Missioner” who would explore the
possibilities of church planting in the Tulsa area while serving St. Dunstan’s
Spanish-speaking community.
However,
the path was not always straight, nor were the decisions always
easy. Demographic analysis indicated that the three-mile area surrounding
St. Peter’s, Tulsa is comprised of over 20,000 Spanish speakers. After much conversation
and deliberation with the Bishop’s Committee and people of St. Peter’s, a
decision was reached to repurpose St. Peter’s as a Spanish-speaking
congregation. Recognizing a vast potential for growth, Bishop Ed appointed Fr.
Moreno as the Vicar of this newest congregation in the Diocese. After even more
dialogue with Fr. Moreno and his congregation, it was decided that the name “Holy
Spirit” or Espíritu Santo was a better reflection of the new
congregation’s evangelical mission.
The first public worship is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Sunday, December 8th. The
new congregation will celebrate First Holy Communion with children
who have prepared over this past year. On this occasion, the congregation
will also celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, “Patroness of the
Americas”. While essentially a Mexican festival, the power and meaning of
this event are deeply honored and cherished by millions in the Spanish-speaking
world.
Let
us hold not only this new mission, its priest and people in our prayers, but
also the people, priests and all leaders of the two congregations of St.
Peter’s and St. Dunstan’s in prayerful thanksgiving for opening the way for
this work of the Holy Spirit to find form among us.
La Misión Latina Episcopal en la Iglesia del Espíritu santo es: transformar vidas en el amor de Jesucristo a través del evangelismo, el discipulado, la vida de comunidad y el servicio.
Espíritu Santo Episcopal Church
Address: 9100 E 21st St, Tulsa, OK 74129
Phone: (918) 627-2713
Estudio biblico dominical: 10:00 am
Misa dominical: 11:00 am