Por LUC\u00cdA VITI | Noticias de la zona alta<\/p>\n
The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook is now serving as the first female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego in its 45-year history.<\/p>\n
June 2019\u2019s landmark recognition has landed Bishop Brown Snook in the forefront of a new wave of women leaders appointed into the governing bodies of the Episcopal Church nationwide.<\/p>\n
At the top of her agenda is evangelizing audiences by \u201cproclaiming the good news of Jesus\u201d and \u201csharing God\u2019s love through ministries of service and social justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the ecclesiastical authority of the Episcopal churches within her jurisdiction, \u201cformulating the business of the diocese,\u201d also remains a top priority.<\/p>\n
Devoted to a life of prayer, the Episcopal Church is a communal worship ministry defined by the work of its people. Touting almost two million members from 7,500 congregations within the U.S., the Virgin Islands, Haiti, and Europe, the Episcopal Church has five dioceses in California. San Diego consists of 44 churches and 20,000 members across San Diego County, Imperial County, southern Riverside County and Yuma County, Arizona.<\/p>\n
The liberal denomination with Anglican roots is governed by bishops tasked with guarding the faith, unity and discipline of its members.<\/p>\n
Among her many responsibilities as both a spiritual and temporal leader, Brown Snook ordains priests and deacons, appoints leaders and supervises staffs. She is seated at St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral in Bankers Hill while the diocese offices are in Ocean Beach. Along with leading Sunday church services \u2013 in a different church within the diocese every Sunday \u2013 she performs baptisms and confirmations; work she describes as a \u201cjoyful and wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love all of the busy and exciting work,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, I love San Diego. Honestly, at times I take a step back and remind myself how privileged I am to serve San Diegans and even more so, as a pioneer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The self-described \u201cvision caster\u201d is determined to increase the diversity of her discipleship \u2013 including the LGBTQ community \u2013 while encouraging \u201cyouth investment to grow as disciples of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Episcopal Church supports a diversity of ages and genders equally \u2013 as we should,\u201d she said. \u201cOur church is loving, accepting and non-judgmental. We are a missionary community that follows Jesus Christ in his life of fearless love for the world. God loves every human-being, so everyone, yes, everyone is invited to be a part of our multicultural and diverse community.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to fostering evangelism, church growth, church planting, and new mission development and planning, the good bishop highlighted service as an integral part of the church\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cService is a huge part of our mission,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe serve those in need \u2014 the lonely, sick, hungry and homeless. We advocate for this world to become a more loving and just place for all people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Episcopalian church offers counseling and yoga classes as well as a variety of services to the underprivileged. In addition to feeding the homeless and their pets, The Episcopal Ecumenical provides hygiene services through Showers of Blessings, a mobile shower facility that offers the simplicity of cleansing to those who don\u2019t have the proper means to do so.<\/p>\n
Working in tandem with Carlsbad\u2019s St. Patrick Church, the Ecumenical Showers of Blessings program offers hot showers, haircuts and beard trims, breakfast and clean clothes \u2013 including new underwear and socks \u2013 at designated locations throughout San Diego County.<\/p>\n
Brown Snook also works with settling immigrants into the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur refugee net consists of case workers, food services and tutoring for children,\u201d she said. \u201cOften people arrive with nothing and are released with nothing. So we\u2019re there to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown Snook admits that as \u201cthrilled\u201d as she is to serve greater San Diego, there are days when she feels like the \u201cRed Queen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlice in Wonderland\u2019s Red Queen says you have to run as hard as you can to stay in the same place and if you want to get anywhere you have to run twice as fast,\u201d she chuckled. \u201cMy work is exciting but busy. I\u2019m grateful to be supported by a solid staff and an even wider group of people in our governing body.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former accountant has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Managerial Studies, plus an MBA in Accounting from Rice University. While serving as a volunteer in an Episcopal Church in Phoenix, Brown Snook found \u201cpurpose and meaning,\u201d so much so she reversed her career vocation.<\/p>\n
In 2003, she graduated with a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, located in Berkeley, California. Ordained a priest in the Diocese of Arizona, she served the Dioceses of Oklahoma and Arizona until she was elected bishop in San Diego County.<\/p>\n
The maverick remains excited about \u201cguiding the dioceses into the future that\u2019s in front of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that God has called us to not only transform each other, but to transform the world,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n