Revision Date: 15 January 2004
Origins:
The origins of the Anglican Church of Mexico date from the 19th Century.
During the Colonial Period, the Roman Catholic Church completely controlled the social, political, economic, and religious life of the people of Mexico. Later, beginning with the Independence Movement (c. 1821) the hegemony of the Catholic Church began to be challenged.
The roots of the Episcopal Church in Mexico appear in the 1850s when the country underwent a sweeping political reform which included a new Constitution. The Constitution of 1857 was quite anticlerical; it drastically restricted the power and perogatives of the Roman Catholic Church. Also, during this period, Roman Catholic clergy and laity began to gather for the purpose of studying and discussing Holy Scripture. Finally, during the presidency of Benito Juárez, the “Founding Fathers” (Sp: “Padres Constitusionalistas”) undertook to establish a Mexican church which would be authentically One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
Under the leadership of Father Manuel Aguas the “Iglesia de Jesús Militante en la Tierra” (Church of Jesus Militant on Earth) was established; it would be known by the abbreviated name “Iglesia de Jesús” (Church of Jesus) for many years.
The Episcopal Church in Mexico
During this same period, citizens of the U.S.A and Europeans living in Mexico began to receive a sacramental ministry provided by the Episcopal Church (USA). To consolidate this work, the Rev. Henry Riley was consecrated a Missionary Bishop for Mexico. In 1904 the General Convention of the Episcopal Church created the Missionary District of Mexico and named the Rt. Rev. Henry Dameral Aves as its Bishop.
In 1906 the Synod of the “Mexican Episcopal Church” (Sp: Iglesia Episcopal Mexicana), formerly the Church of Jesus, requested and received inclusion in the Missionary District of Mexico of the Episcopal Church in the USA.
Following the Revolution of 1917, a new Constitution was put into effect; under it the Church could not own property, it could not operate religious schools, clergy had to be native born Mexicans, and even then their civil rights were extremely limited.
Still, the Roman Catholic Church remained more powerful than other religious groups. During the decade of the 1940s, Mexican Episcopalians suffered attacks and persecutions at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church which enjoyed the protection of the civil authorities.
In 1931 the Missionary District of Mexico elected the Rev. Efrain Salinas y Velasco as Sufrigan Bishop; he was consecrated in Denver, Colorado on September 29, 1931. Three years later, Bishop Salinas y Velasco became the first Mexican diocesan bishop when he was elected to the vacancy caused by his predesesor’s resignation.
The second Mexican bishop was José Guadalupe Saucedo Mendoza, consecrated in 1958. At that time the Mexican church consisted of one Diocese. In 1964, two sufrigan bishops were elected to serve in the northern and western parts of the country.
New Diocesis Are Formed:
In 1973 the Diocese of Mexico split into three parts:
a) Central and Southern Mexico
-- -- the Rt. Rev. José G. Saucedo Mendoza, bishop
b) Western Mexico
-- -- the Rt. Rev. Melchor Saucedo Mendoza, bishop
c) Northern Mexico
-- -- the Rt. Rev. Leonardo Romero, bishop.
In 1989 the Diocese of Central and Southern Mexico divided again to form three dioceses:
a) Diocese of Cuernavaca
-- -- the Rt. Rev. José G. Saucedo Mendoza, bishop
b) Diocese of Mexico
-- -- the Rt. Rev. Sergio Carranza Gomez, bishop
c) Diocese of Southeastern Mexico
-- -- the Rt. Rev. Claro Huerta Ramos, bishop.
Constitutional reforms of 1993 removed many restrictions placed upon churches and new horizons opened for the life and mission of our Church. At this time the Church acquired the legal status of a Religious Association (Sp: “Asociación Religiosa”, abbreviated “A.R.”). It was also required to change its name to prevent confusion between the name “Episcopal Church” and the “Episcopal Conference” of the Roman Catholic Church; we adopted the name “Anglican Church of Mexico, A.R.” (Sp.: Iglesia Anglicana de México, A.R.”).
On January 1, 1995 the Anglican Church of Mexico became an autonomous Province within the Anglican Communion. Bishop Jose G. Saucedo M. became the first Primate.
The Diocese of Southeastern Mexico
As indicated above, the Diocese of Southeastern Mexico came into existance in 1989 when one of its six clergy, the Rev. Claro Huerta R., was elected Bishop. The remaining 5 clergy were responsible for 17 missions and 3 preaching stations.
From its birth, the Diocese of Southeastern Mexico has been the weakest and numerically smallest of the
five Mexican dioceses. Especially notable is the lack of infraestructure required for effective development. As late as 1999 the
Church was present in only three states (Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo) although its territorial jurisdiction includes seven
states. Most of the Diocesan work was concentrated in a small area of southern Veracruz state and northeastern Oaxaca state.
The Diocese is nominally Spanish-speaking and we use the Book of Common Prayer 1979 in both English
and Spanish versions but we actually operate in five (5) languages. In addition to Spanish and English, our diocese includes
congregations that speak three indiginous languages: Chapoteco, Chinoteco, and Mixteco.
On November 13, 1999 the Rt. Rev. Benito Juárez Martínez was consecrated the second Bishop of Southeastern Mexico. At this time there were 13 Organised Missions and 3 Preaching Stations; diocesan clergy consisted of 5 full time priests, 1 non-remunerated priest, and two non-remunerated deacons. (The last three serve our English-speaking
congregation in Cancún.) Subsequently, the Year 2000 Synod received an Organized Mission in Mérida, Yucatán and another Preaching Station.
In June of 2000 the two deacons in Cancún became the first women priests to be ordained in the Diocese;
one served as a non-remunerated priest until leaving the Diocese in December of 2003 while the second continues as a non-remunerated
priest. The Cancún congregation, a self-supporting associate parish, is now responsable for our work
there and in Progreso, Yucatán (25 miles north of Mérida) - some 250 miles away.
The first two Spanish speaking women ordained in the Diocese were ordained as deacons in December of 2001 and priests approximately one year later.
As of January 2004 our active clergy include: 1 Bishop, 8 full time salaried priests, 2 non-salaried priests, one deacon (still in seminary),
one non-salaried full-time Lay Reader who is a Candidate for ordination to Holy Orders and one seminarian who is studying at the Seminary of St. Andrew located in Mexico City.
The Diocese has recently acquired a rural property near Tuxtepec, Oaxaca; we see three rather distinct yet compatible uses for this land. A cook house and meeting area are in use as a convention facility, several
clergy residences have been constructed, and the greater proportion will be used for a
self-support project. We have begun to buy heifers to form a diocesan cattle herd. Several of the missions of the Diocese are located
in cattle producing country; in the future, congregations will receive cattle to raise and the profits will be utilized to sustain the
local Church.
New work includes a training program for lay readers who will work using their indiginous languages,
and two new congregations in Oaxaca City begun in 2003, one serving Spanish-speaking members and the other operating in English. Other new work
planned for the future include new missions in Villahermosa, Tabasco and Coatzacualcos, Veracruz