Anglican Communion News Service
SAN SALVADOR
Episcopal News Service
The Revd Juan David Alvarado was elected bishop of the Anglican-Episcopal Church in El Salvador on August 23 at St John the Evangelist Church in San Salvador. His consecration/installation is scheduled for January 24, 2015.
Alvarado, 52, will succeed the Rt Revd Martín Barahona who is retiring.
It was the second time that the Anglican-Episcopal Church in El Salvador elected a bishop in its 84-year history, according to news reports. During El Salvador’s 12-year civil war that ended in 1992, then Bishop of Panama James H. Ottley oversaw the church from Panama. Long considered a missionary diocese, prior to Ottley, El Salvador was overseen by bishops from Northern Mexico and Nicaragua back to 1969.
Elected in 1992, Barahona became the first Salvadoran to serve as bishop.
Alvarado was elected from a slate of five candidates, including two North Americans.
The other candidates were:
- The Revd Ricardo Bernal, Diocese of El Salvador;
- The Revd Juan Antonio Méndez, Diocese of El Salvador;
- The Revd Vidal Rivas, senior priest, St. Matthew’s/San Mateo Parish, Hyattsville, Maryland, Diocese of Washington; and
- The Revd Lee Alison Crawford, vicar, Church of Our Saviour at Mission Farm and canon missioner to El Salvador, Diocese of Vermont.
Alvarado was elected on the second ballot with 35 of 50 lay votes and 8 of 14 clergy votes.
The bishop-elect is married to the Revd Irma Alvarado; the couple has two children.
The Anglican-Episcopal Church of El Salvador, along with the Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua, make of the Anglican Church in Central America, or IARCA, as it is known by its Spanish Acronym.
Photo: Bishop-elect of El Salvador Juan David Alvarado will, in January of 2015, replace Bishop of El Salvador Martin Barahona who will retire (Anglican Episcopal Church of El Salvador)
Source: Anglican Communion News Service, ACNS: http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2014/08/juan-david-alvarado-elected-bishop-of-el-salvador.aspx
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