A church in the heart of the city, with a heart for the city

Miguelina Howell consecrated 10th bishop of Western Massachusetts

April 27, 2026

[Diocese of Western Massachusetts] The Diocese of Western Massachusetts ordained and consecrated the Rt. Rev. Miguelina Howell as its 10th bishop on April 25 at Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield, Massachusetts. Howell, who formerly was dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut, succeeds Bishop Doug Fisher. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe was the chief consecrator. He was joined by the Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, former presiding bishop, Chicago Bishop Paula E. Clark, former Connecticut Bishop Ian T. Douglas, Newark Bishop Carlye Hughes, former Dominican Republic Bishop Julio C. Holguin Khoury,  Dominican Republic Bishop Moisés Quezada Mota, former El Camino Real Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, and the Rev. Nathan D. Pipho, bishop of the New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Indianapolis Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows preached. Her sermon began with “Dark Testament: verse 8” – a poem by the Rev. Pauli Murray. Hope is a song in a weary throat. Give me a song of hope And a world where I can sing it. Give me a song of faith And a people to believe in it. Give me a song of kindliness And a country where I can live it. Give me a song of hope and love And a brown girl’s heart to hear it. Baskerville-Burrows, a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, offered a personal witness of how The Episcopal Church in Western Massachusetts shaped her journey of faith. With gratitude for the ministry of Bishop Doug Fisher, Baskerville-Burrows held up the hope and joy embodied in Howell. “Her love language is strategy and mission and planning,” Baskerville-Burrows noted. “But her heart language is Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and her family, and now you, the beloved of God in Western Massachusetts.” Fisher handed the crozier to Howell with these words. “On behalf of the people and clergy of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, I give into your hands this pastoral staff. May Christ the good Shepherd uphold you and sustain you as you carry it in his name. Amen.” In the week before her ordination and consecration, Howell joined Rowe for an online Spanish-language vigil in solidarity with Latino communities and immigrants. In her sermon, Howell called The Episcopal Church to be alert, even as the focus of the media has shifted. “Even though the world is advancing and the news headlines change daily … human rights are being violated daily, often away from the cameras. Suffering hasn’t changed; the only change that’s happened is how much we’re talking about that suffering.” Howell was elected on the first ballot during the 124th diocesan convention on Nov. 15, 2025, from a field of three nominees. Howell had been dean of the cathedral in Hartford since 2016. Before that call, she served on the presiding bishop’s staff, rector of a parish in the Diocese of Newark and priest of various congregations in the Dominican Republic. She holds a theological degree from Centros de Estudios Teológicos in the Dominican Republic, and is a licensed clinical psychologist trained at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña in the Dominican Republic. Howell is married to Daniel M. Howell. They are the parents of three sons, Dominic, Darius and Dorian. The family is moving from West Hartford to Massachusetts in time for the new school year. As bishop, Howell now leads more than 50 congregations and community-based ministries that span from the Berkshires, through the Connecticut River Valley, to Worcester. Concluding her sermon, Baskerville-Burrows said this. “Western Massachusetts, with your new bishop, you can trust that you have a song of good news and faith and hope and love to offer this world.”