We have new pastoral leadership coming to St. Matthew's: The Rev. Roberto Maldonado! Read on for the official announcement from St. Matthew's Bishop's Warden, Julian Sanchez, and from Fr. Roberto himself.
A Letter from our Bishop's Warden
Dear friends,
I am happy to announce that the Bishop’s Committee has called the Rev. Roberto Maldonado to serve as the next vicar of St. Matthew’s. He will begin his service with us in mid-September.
Fr. Roberto comes to us from Santa Cruz/Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Gresham, Oregon, where he has served since 2013. He has also been the Metro-East Latino Missioner for the Diocese of Oregon, and the Latino Mission Developer for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Oregon Synod.
He considers himself a bilingual and bi-cultural person and has worked in many multicultural congregations.
Thank you to the calling committee who has worked faithfully on this call. We are so pleased to welcome Fr. Roberto to our church! Look for more information and news in the weeks to come.
Blessings,
Julian Sanchez, Bishop’s Warden
A Letter from Fr. Roberto
Hello everyone,
I want to start by saying how glad we are to have been called to be your next vicar. My wife Leticia and I are very excited to be able to return to California. The call to serve a multicultural community like the community of Saint Matthew’s is extremely exciting, for me and for her. I include a brief biography with photos so you can have an idea of what we look like.
This is “my formal name” – Rev. Father Roberto Maldonado Mercado – but everybody calls me Father Roberto. I have been a minister in the Diocese of Oregon since moving to Gresham in 2013. Before this time in Oregon, I lived in Sylmar, California and was a part of the Diocese of Los Angeles. I have also lived and worked as priest in Baltimore, Maryland, Fort Pierce, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico.
I have a daughter, Lucia Isabel. In July of 2017, I married Leticia Ramirez Figueroa, and added her children Nirvana, Priscilla and Gerardo to my family. After a career in sales, I felt the call to ministry. I was ordained as a deacon in 1988 and ordained as a priest in 1989.
I am currently serving Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Episcopal Church, Cristo Rey Lutheran Church, and as the Metro-East Latino Missioner for the Diocese of Oregon. I also serve the Diocese of Oregon on the Task Force to End Racism and the Commission on Ministry for Ordination, as well as being a Clergy Deputy to the General Convention in 2022.
I enjoy walking in my spare time, recently spending time exploring new towns in Oregon with my wife Leticia. I also enjoy reading and car racing (while I formerly raced cars himself, I am now just a spectator).
When looking to the future, for the church and himself, I have a few hopes. First, that the church continues to be open and honest, doing the work of Christ. And second, that I continue to be a faithful servant to the Lord in all that I do.
Hola a todos,
Quiero comenzar diciendo lo contento que estamos de haber sido llamado hacer su próximo vicario. Mi esposa Leticia y yo estamos muy excitados de poder regresar a California. El llamado a servir a una comunidad multicultural como es la comunidad de San Mateo es sumamente excitante, para mí y para ella. Les incluyo una breve biografía con unas fotos para que puedan tener una idea como lucimos.
Este es “mi nombre formal” Rev. Padre Roberto Maldonado Mercado, casi todos me llaman Padre Roberto. He ministrado en la Diócesis de Oregón desde que se mude a Gresham en 2013. Antes de mi llegada a Oregón, viví en Sylmar, California y fui parte de la Diócesis de Los Ángeles. También he vivido y trabajado como sacerdote en Baltimore, Maryland, Fort Pierce, Florida, Filadelfia, Pensilvania y Puerto Rico.
Tengo una hija, Lucía Isabel. En julio de 2017, cuando me case con Leticia Ramírez Figueroa, sume a mi familia a los hijos de ella, Nirvana, Priscilla y Gerardo. Después de una carrera en ventas, sentí el llamado al ministerio ordenado. Fui ordenado diácono en 1988 y ordenado sacerdote en 1989.
Actualmente sirvo a la Iglesia Episcopal de Santa Cruz / Holy Cross, a la Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, y soy el misionero latino de Metro-East Portland para la Diócesis de Oregón. También me desempeño en la Diócesis de Oregón en el Grupo de Trabajo para Poner Fin al Racismo y en la Comisión del Ministerio para la Ordenación, además de ser uno de los diputados del clero a la Convención General en 2022.
A mi esposa Leticia y a mí, nos gusta caminar en nuestro tiempo libre, así como explorar nuevos pueblos en Oregón. También a mí me gusta la lectura y las carreras de autos (aunque antes yo mismo corría autos, ahora solo soy un espectador).
Al mirar hacia el futuro, para la iglesia y para mí mismo, tengo algunas esperanzas. Primero, que la iglesia continúe siendo abierta y honesta, haciendo la obra de Cristo. Y segundo, que yo sigua siendo un siervo fiel del Señor en todo lo que yo hago.