SPRINGFIELD — The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts elected the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell as the 10th bishop on Saturday, Nov. 15. The election took place at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as part of the annual diocesan convention.
Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut, Howell was elected 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. Election required 50 votes in the lay order and 39 votes in the clergy order.
Howell shared the slate with the Rev. Susan Fortunato, rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, New York, and the Very Rev. Marcus George Halley, chaplain to the college and dean of spiritual and religious life at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Howell has been dean of the cathedral since 2016. Before that, she was the cathedral’s vicar for two years. She holds a theological degree from Centros de Estudios Teológicos and is a licensed clinical psychologist trained at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña.
“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 10th bishop. Thanks be to God and thanks be to you for placing your sacred trust in me through your prayerful votes.
“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,” she continued. “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.”
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 Dec. 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. “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.”
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, will ordain and consecrate Howell as bishop on April 25, 2026.
Howell noted that she looks forward to working with Fisher, the Standing Committee and the transition team to “embrace the next steps before the consecration in April.”
Western Massachusetts, established as a diocese in 1901, has 50-plus congregations and community-based ministries that span from the Berkshires, through the Connecticut River Valley, to Worcester County. There are more than 10,000 baptized Episcopalians in western Massachusetts. The bishop is the chief pastor in this region.
To learn more about Howell, visit diocesewma.org/bp10-candidates/howell.