For the first time, a Latino woman has been elected a bishop in the Episcopal Church, leaders of the Diocese of Olympia have announced.
The Rev. Bavi Edna "Nedi" Rivera, rector of St. Aiden's Episcopal Church in San Francisco, was elected Saturday at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle as bishop suffragan, making her the No. 2 official overseeing 102 congregations and 33,000 members in Western Washington.
Choosing a Latino bishop in the diocese, which is headed by Bishop Vincent Warner, was important to the church's efforts to expand its base west of the Cascade Range, spokesman Peter Strimer said.
"We're being very intentional about the inclusion of women and people of color," Strimer said.
Rivera, ordained in 1979, is known for youth work and is a member of the clergy of color in the Diocese of California. She has done advanced study in parish revitalization at the Vancouver School of Theology in British Columbia.
Her father, Victor Manuel Rivera, was the bishop of San Joaquin, Calif., from 1968 to 1988.