The Very Rev. Miguelina Howell elected tenth bishop
On Saturday, November 15, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts elected the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell the tenth bishop diocesan. The election took place at UMASS Amherst as part of the annual diocesan convention immediately following the Convention Eucharist.
Howell, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, CT, was elected on the first ballot out of a field of three nominees.She received 62 votes of 99 cast in the lay order and 46 of 76 cast in the clergy order. An election on that ballot required 50 in the lay order and 39 in the clergy order. Howell shared the slate with the Rev. Susan B. Fortunato, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, New York and the Very Rev. Dr. Marcus George Halley, Chaplain to the College and Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life - Trinity College, Hartford, CT.
Howell has been dean of the cathedral since 2016. Prior to that call, she was vicar at the cathedral for two years. She holds a Theological Degree from Centros de Estudios Teológicos, Dominican Republic and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist trained at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU). Dominican Republic.
“We are in this together,” Howell said via Zoom to the delegates of the convention. “I am blessed and humbled to have been elected to serve as your tenth bishop. Thanks be to God and thanks be to you for placing your sacred trust in me through your prayerful votes. I look forward to working with Bishop Fisher, the Standing Committee and the Transition team to embrace the next steps before the consecration in April. I am excited to lead you as your new bishop. My commitment to God and to you, my new Western Mass Family, is that as we begin this mutual ministry, I will honor the deep spiritual grounding and the commitment to social justice that have shaped your past episcopates. In this new season, we will work together to reimagine and implement systems and processes that help us become nimbler in God’s mission and we are going to have fun while we are at it! I look forward to what God has in store for us. Dios les bendiga!”
Howell will succeed Bishop Doug Fisher, 70, who announced in September 2024 that he would retire in April 2026. Fisher was consecrated the ninth bishop on December 1, 2012.“We had three truly outstanding candidates on this slate. Bishop-elect Howell has deep faith and calls forth gifts in those around her,” Fisher said. “Both of these things are indispensable in the ministry of bishop. I look forward to working with her and supporting a smooth transition of leadership. In addition, I am grateful to the Rev. Susan Fortunato and the Very Rev. Marcus Halley for their willingness to put themselves forward and stand for election. The church is blessed to have them.”
We invite you to pray for our Diocese as we begin a season of transition and for our Bishop-elect Miguelina Howell, her husband Daniel, and sons Dominic, Darius, and Dorian.
The election of a bishop must receive written consent from a majority of bishops and standing committees in the Episcopal Church. Presuming consent, the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Primate, will ordain and consecrate Miguelina Howell bishop on April 25, 2026.
