.png)
Grace and Peace to you and your family during this Advent season. I pray that you find time during this Advent to pray, and reflect, and prepare your heart and soul to joyfully celebrate the miraculous birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I recently shared my hopes for our diocesan community in an Advent letter.
If you have not already had a chance to listen to the Advent study podcast, Movement and Migration, put together by our Christian Formation, Small Church, and Latino + Immigration Ministries, I encourage you to listen. This study is the result of close collaboration between our lay leaders, clergy and members of our churches across the diocese. I give thanks for their hard work in putting the study together and encourage you to listen to the podcast.
In parallel with our Advent programs, our diocesan staff and host congregations are busy planning for our annual Council meeting which will be held February 26-28 in Corpus Christi. Council is a time when we come together to learn, to elect leaders, to conduct business and to set priorities for the coming years.
As I look forward to Council 2026 and the New Year, I’ve had an opportunity to reflect on the past year and have been so heartened and proud of the way people in West Texas have responded to the call “Here Am I. Send Me.” When I selected this verse from Isaiah 6:8 as our theme for the 2025 Council, I could not have imagined the magnitude of ways this call would be answered by laity, clergy, ministries, congregations, and communities. One of the highlights of Council is hearing the wonderful ways in which our churches and ministries are making an impact, following in the path Jesus - helping individuals and communities by tangibly sharing the Gospel in word and deed. I hope that you will join us at Council to see the diocese in action. You may visit the Council 2026 website page to learn more.
In January, the Rt. Rev. Maria Angela Cortiñas joined the staff and in March was consecrated as Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of West Texas. I am grateful that she said, "Here Am I. Send Me", answering the call to serve in this role. She is doing great things overseeing, supporting, and developing Discipleship, Christian Education, Lay Ministry, Latino + Immigration Ministries, visitations, and in her pastoral work with clergy.
In 2025 I witnessed many individuals stepping forward to say “Here Am I. Send Me.” following the devastating Texas Hill Country Flood of July 4, through prayers, numerous acts of kindness, and generosity from individuals and organizations across the diocese, nation, and world. The “Help and Hope for the Hill Country” ministry of St. Peter’s Kerrville is doing amazing work in responding to the long-term needs of individuals in the Hill Country. These individuals continue to need our prayers and assistance. The pain experienced by those who have suffered unimaginable loss is great, and they need our love and support during this season when grief can be immense.
In closing, I praise God for our diocesan family - faithful, diverse, loving, and strong. I give thanks for all the many ways in which you have reflected God's love and said "Here Am I. Send Me.” I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you either at Council in February or during the year as I travel throughout the diocese.
In Peace,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. David G. Read
Bishop of West Texas
