The Diocese of North Carolina Announces Departure of the Rev. Daniel Robayo

The Diocese of North Carolina announces today that the Rev. Daniel Robayo, missioner for Latino/Hispanic ministries, is departing the diocesan staff to begin a new chapter. He has accepted a call to serve as vicar of St. Mary Magdalene/Sta. María Magdalena (SMM), a bilingual, multicultural community in Manor, Texas in the Diocese of Texas.

“Being part of the Diocese of North Carolina has been a great blessing, a privilege and ineffable joy,” said Robayo. “I have no words that can express my profound gratitude to Bishop Sam Rodman and Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple for calling me to serve as missioner for Latino/Hispanic ministries. I have been blessed with great colleagues on the diocesan team and across the diocese, both lay and ordained, who have welcomed and encouraged me, and from whom I have learned a great deal about following Jesus.

I am sad to leave, but St. Mary Magdalene/Sta. María Magdalena is a dream come true for me. I have long desired to serve in a multicultural community that is bilingual and diverse in every way, where I could more fully live into my Anglophone and Spanish-speaking cultures. SMM is one such grand experiment in Building Beloved Community, a recent church plant that, in its own words, ‘aspires to be a multiethnic, multigenerational community of people that are being transformed by God’s generosity…and is inspired to share this generosity with others.’ I have a very strong and joy-filled sense of call to work with SMM and to grow with them by the power of the Holy Spirit so that others may come to know God’s transforming love in Christ.”

Robayo joined the diocesan staff in 2018. He was the first to serve in the role of missioner for Latino/Hispanic ministries, as the position was created that year to serve better the work of more than a dozen existing worship communities and outreach ministries addressing the needs of North Carolina’s burgeoning Latino/Hispanic population. The expectation was that among his many duties, Robayo would help guide the Diocese in advancing the cultural competency needed to be the Body of Christ in North Carolina’s multicultural state.

He did that and more. In addition to his work with and contributions to diocesan staff, Robayo was a constant presence in the Diocese’s predominantly Hispanic/Latino congregations. During the pandemic, he provided every Sunday via livestream, Spanish-language worship services from la Iglesia Episcopal San Jose, Smithfield, that reached as far away as Venezuela. He was the creator and driving force behind “Caminando with Jesus,” a weekly bilingual reflection series featuring voices from around the Diocese. He forged relationships with those in similar ministry in the Diocese of East Carolina, offering workshops to help clergy learn how to provide Eucharist services in Spanish. And during most of his tenure, he served on the board of directors of the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, most recently in the role of board chair.

“Daniel has been a wonderful and effective leader on our team of canons and missioners,” said the Rt. Rev. Sam Rodman, bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina. “He has helped deepen our relationships with our existing Latino congregations, as well envision our future strategy for partnering with these congregations and planning for new church plants. His passion for justice, coupled with his quick wit and pastor's heart, have inspired the trust of the people of our diocese.”

The move to Texas brings one additional blessing, as it takes Robayo and his wife, Nancy Urrecheaga-Robayo, closer to their three children and their families, all of whom live in the Austin area, where Nancy will also begin a new call teaching Spanish.

The Robayos leave the Diocese of North Carolina having made a tremendous and lasting impact for which the Diocese is grateful. “In the years ahead, we will build on all that he has accomplished as we live into the goals of our mission strategy,” said Rodman. “We are grateful to Daniel and Nancy, and we send our love and prayers with them as he begins his new position in Texas, and as they are reunited with family in the Austin area.”

Robayo’s last day is August 19, 2022.