The Ninth Bishop of Texas

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

All Are Welcome At The Table

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, “All Are Welcome At The Table” held at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Grandbury, TX.

Feast Day of Theodore of Tarsus and Celebration of Rev. Amanda Kotval

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, “Feast Day of Theodore of Tarsus and Celebration of Rev. Amanda Kotval” held at All Saint's, Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, TX.

More at www.texasbishop.com

Check out this episode!

Monday, September 21, 2026

A Statement from the Diocese of Texas Bishops on the Shooting in North Austin

On Cain, Abel, and the Blood That Cries out

"What have you done?" God said, "For your brother's blood is speaking to me from the ground."

So, we know this passage from Genesis as the first murder committed between humans. But we don't often dwell on what happens next. God doesn't kill Cain. The Lord puts a mark on him. A sign. This is not shameful. This is protection. God will allow even those who take a life to be kept under his protection. The one who is killed and the one who kills are both protected by God. Both bodies are important to God.

God's Kingdom works in this way. It acknowledges blood crying from the ground and the person who spilled it.

This summer in Houston, father and an important member of our Houston community Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed.

This past Sunday, a Venezuelan man was shot in North Austin. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28 years old. He was delivering something. An agent fired a gun at him. His blood has cried from the ground. He was wounded in the flesh of his body with the intention to take his life. But so is the man who shot him. His blood is also marked. These two people have been separated from the natural world they once inhabited.

We have seen this continue to happen since January 2025. There have been at least 22 people shot by agents working under DHS. At least 6 have died. Keith Porter Jr. was killed in Los Angeles. Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis; she was a U.S. citizen. Ruben Ray Martinez was killed in South Padre Island. Alex Pretti was shot 10 times in less than 5 seconds; he was an ICU nurse. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed in Houston. Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was killed in Maine. Now Wilber Rafael Garces Perez has been shot in Austin.

Blood is crying from the ground, and we as a nation have turned a deaf ear.

What we believe about Incarnation

Why did God ask this question to Cain? There is only one answer in Christian Theology. Yes. We are each other’s keepers; this is very hard for most folks. Yet Scripture is clear on this one. Everyone is made in the image of God; and we are bound to protect human beings.

When you and I look at someone, you are looking at Jesus. There is no distinction between illegal aliens and removal targets. They are all made in the image of God; each is God’s personal concern. Through the Incarnation, God became flesh. We are to look at every human being and recognize them as such.

Taking a life has consequences

I am not sure, sociologically, what has happened to change the fact that killing someone does, in fact, create a moral injury in the human heart of the shooter; regardless of whether it is recognized now or later. Today we treat such people as heroes, deny that they have done something terrible, and deny our guilt in their action too (having elected, supported policy, and turned our face away). We see the repercussions of unanswered death and moral injury in the suicides and mental health of our combat vets. Whenever and wherever we kill someone (regardless of why), the ground cries out.

There are few words I can find that adequately describe what someone feels after taking a life. Even if that life was taken in self-defense. We know that sometimes we use deadly force to protect others from death. But that should never be celebrated. And, more importantly, what we know is that across 2025 and into 2026, roughly 65 to 73 percent of the people ICE has taken into custody or removed had no criminal conviction at all, and only about 5 to 8 percent had a conviction for a violent crime. Overwhelmingly, ICE agents are killing fathers, daughters, sons, and mothers who are not violent, have no record of being so, and are not criminals.

When someone says most of those being removed are criminals or illegal, the true statement underneath is that about a quarter of them have a conviction; most of those convictions are for things like driving to work without a license, and the great majority of the remainder have committed no crime at all, including the visa overstayers whose only offense is a status issue and is not criminal.

Regardless, the realities never remove the Christian Church’s requirement that when someone takes a life, they need to be held accountable for their actions, to repent, and go through the healing process that we currently don't allow for. We need to show mercy to those who have taken a life just as God showed mercy to Cain. Mercy, though, only comes after accountability to the facts and the clarity and honesty of repentance.

What Austin Needs

Mayor Kirk Watson is correct that we, as citizens of Texas and Austin, deserve to know what happened. We need the following from those in power.

All footage and information to be released to the public regarding this incident.

Texas Rangers and the FBI to work with Austin PD special investigations to scrutinize this incident.

ICE needs to stop sending armed officers to our neighborhoods.

I have called for immigration reform, accountability, and truth-telling with transparency, and I continue to do so. The ground cries out.

As in Houston, when this has happened in the Diocese of Texas, let our churches open their doors to anyone who wants to grieve this incident.

Prayer and Fasting

We must pray for those affected by this incident and call for repentance from both authorities and the officer. We as a Church need to gather around our altars and bring the one who bled and the one who took the life to God and present them to God in our prayers. We cannot allow them to fall outside of God’s grace.

We stand with those who are grieving for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. You are not alone. Your grief is valid and justified.

We stand with those who have taken a life. There is blood on your hands, but there is blood on all of our hands because we allow this to happen day after day.

Let us remember the names of those who have lost their lives to immigration officers.

The Names (As of 9/21/2026):

1. Keith Porter Jr., 43, Los Angeles 12/31/2025

2. Renee Nicole Good, 37, Minneapolis 1/7/2026

3. Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, South Padre Island March 2025

4. Ryan Luis Mosqueda, 27, Texas 7/7/2025

5. Alex Pretti, 37, Minneapolis 1/24/2026

6. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, Houston 7/7/2026

7. Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, Biddeford Maine 7/2026

At least 32 people have died while in ICE custody this past year, and 6 more in the first 5 days of 2026. The ground cries out.

Pray

Lord, we have failed to see you in those we have hurt. Please help us to see you in everyone we encounter. Help us to show mercy to those who have taken a life and help those who have lost loved ones to grieve. May we learn from these events and change the systems that have allowed this to happen. In Jesus ' name we pray. Amen.

C. Andrew Doyle, D.D.

IX Bishop of Texas

Jeff W. Fisher, D.D.

Bishop Suffragan

Kathryn M. Ryan

Bishop Suffragan

Brian R. Seage

Assisting Bishop

Declaración del obispo C. Andrew Doyle sobre el tiroteo ocurrido en el norte de Austin

Sobre Caín, Abel y la sangre que clama desde la tierra

«¿Qué has hecho? —dijo Dios—. La sangre de tu hermano clama a mí desde la tierra».

Conocemos este pasaje del Génesis como el relato del primer asesinato entre seres humanos. Sin embargo, pocas veces nos detenemos a considerar lo que sucede después. Dios no mata a Caín. El Señor pone una señal sobre él. Esa señal no es una marca de vergüenza, sino de protección. Dios permite que incluso quien ha quitado una vida permanezca bajo su protección. Tanto quien muere como quien mata están bajo el cuidado de Dios. Ambas vidas, ambos cuerpos, son importantes para Dios.

Así obra el Reino de Dios: escucha la sangre que clama desde la tierra y también reconoce a la persona que la derramó.

El domingo pasado, un hombre venezolano recibió un disparo en el norte de Austin. Su nombre es Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez y tiene 28 años. Wilber estaba cumpliendo con su trabajo, realizando una entrega, cuando un agente le disparó. Su sangre clama desde la tierra. Su cuerpo fue herido y su vida estuvo a punto de serle arrebatada. Pero nuestra mirada no puede detenerse solamente en Wilber. También debemos mirar al hombre que disparó. Él también ha quedado marcado por ese momento. No de la misma manera, no con la misma herida, pero sí marcado. Ambos han sido arrancados del mundo cotidiano que habitaban antes de aquel instante. Después de un hecho como este, ninguno puede simplemente regresar a la vida que tenía antes.

Hemos visto cómo esto continúa sucediendo desde enero de 2025. Al menos 22 personas han recibido disparos de agentes que trabajan bajo la autoridad del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos (DHS), y al menos seis han muerto. Keith Porter Jr. murió en Los Ángeles. Renee Nicole Good, ciudadana estadounidense, murió en Minneapolis. Ruben Ray Martinez murió en South Padre Island. Alex Pretti, enfermero de cuidados intensivos, recibió diez disparos en menos de cinco segundos. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo murió en Houston. Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero murió en Maine. Y ahora Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez ha recibido un disparo en Austin.

La sangre clama desde la tierra, y nosotros, como nación, hemos cerrado nuestros oídos.

Lo que creemos acerca de la Encarnación

¿Por qué interpela Dios a Caín acerca de su hermano? Desde la teología cristiana, solo hay una respuesta: sí, somos responsables los unos de los otros. Para muchas personas, esta es una verdad difícil de aceptar. Sin embargo, las Escrituras son claras: toda persona ha sido creada a imagen de Dios y, por lo tanto, estamos llamados a proteger la vida humana.

Cuando tú o yo miramos a otro ser humano, estamos llamados a reconocer en él el rostro de Jesús. Ante Dios, etiquetas como extranjeros ilegales u objetivos de deportación no establecen diferencias en la dignidad de las personas. Todos han sido creados a imagen de Dios y cada uno de ellos es objeto del cuidado personal de Dios. Por medio de la Encarnación, Dios se hizo carne. Por eso estamos llamados a mirar a cada ser humano y a reconocer en él esa dignidad.

Quitar una vida tiene consecuencias

No estoy seguro de qué ha sucedido en nuestra sociedad para que hayamos dejado de reconocer que matar a una persona produce una herida moral en el corazón de quien dispara, independientemente de que esa herida sea reconocida inmediatamente o mucho tiempo después.

Hoy tratamos como héroes a quienes quitan una vida en nombre de la autoridad. Negamos que hayan hecho algo terrible y también negamos nuestra propia responsabilidad en sus acciones: hemos elegido autoridades, hemos apoyado políticas y hemos apartado la mirada.

Podemos ver el peso que dejan las experiencias de violencia y las heridas morales en los graves problemas de salud mental que enfrentan muchos de nuestros veteranos de guerra, incluido el suicidio. Siempre que quitamos una vida, dondequiera que suceda e independientemente de las razones, la sangre clama desde la tierra.

Pocas palabras pueden describir adecuadamente lo que siente una persona después de quitarle la vida a alguien, incluso cuando lo ha hecho en defensa propia. Sabemos que algunas veces se emplea la fuerza letal para proteger a otras personas de la muerte. Pero eso nunca debería celebrarse.

Más aún, sabemos que, durante 2025 y lo que va de 2026, aproximadamente entre el 65 y el 73 por ciento de las personas detenidas o deportadas por ICE no tenían ninguna condena penal. Solamente entre el 5 y el 8 por ciento había sido condenado por un delito violento.

En su inmensa mayoría, las personas que están siendo asesinadas por agentes de ICE son padres, madres, hijas e hijos que no son violentos, no tienen antecedentes de violencia y no son criminales.

Cuando alguien afirma que la mayoría de las personas deportadas son criminales o están aquí ilegalmente, los datos muestran que aproximadamente una cuarta parte tiene alguna condena. Muchas de esas condenas corresponden a infracciones como conducir al trabajo sin licencia. La gran mayoría de las personas restantes no ha cometido delito alguno. Esto incluye a personas que permanecieron en el país después del vencimiento de sus visas, una infracción de carácter migratorio que, por sí sola, no constituye un delito penal.

Aun así, ninguna de estas realidades elimina la responsabilidad de la Iglesia cristiana de afirmar que, cuando una persona le quita la vida a otra, debe rendir cuentas por sus acciones, arrepentirse y atravesar un proceso de sanación que actualmente no le estamos permitiendo vivir.

Debemos mostrar misericordia a quienes han quitado una vida, así como Dios mostró misericordia a Caín. Pero la misericordia solamente puede llegar después de asumir responsabilidad por los hechos y de vivir un arrepentimiento claro, sincero y honesto.

Lo que Austin necesita

El alcalde Kirk Watson tiene razón: como ciudadanos de Texas y de Austin, merecemos saber lo que sucedió.

Necesitamos que quienes ejercen el poder hagan lo siguiente:Que se hagan públicas todas las grabaciones y toda la información relacionada con este incidente.

Que los Rangers de Texas y el FBI trabajen conjuntamente con la unidad de investigaciones especiales del Departamento de Policía de Austin para investigar rigurosamente este incidente.

Que ICE deje de enviar agentes armados a nuestros vecindarios.

He pedido una reforma migratoria, rendición de cuentas y que se diga la verdad con plena transparencia. Hoy continúo haciendo ese llamado.

La sangre clama desde la tierra.

Así como hemos hecho en Houston cuando han ocurrido hechos semejantes dentro de la Diócesis de Texas, pido que nuestras iglesias abran sus puertas a todas las personas que necesiten reunirse para llorar y lamentar lo sucedido.

Oración y ayuno

Debemos orar por todas las personas afectadas por este incidente y hacer un llamado al arrepentimiento, tanto de las autoridades como del agente involucrado.

Como Iglesia, necesitamos reunirnos alrededor de nuestros altares y presentar ante Dios, en nuestras oraciones, tanto a quien derramó su sangre como a quien disparó. No podemos permitir que ninguno de ellos quede fuera de la gracia de Dios.

Acompañamos a Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a su familia y a todos aquellos que sufren a causa de lo ocurrido. Ustedes no están solos. Su dolor es real, válido y justificado.

También nos dirigimos a quienes le han quitado la vida a otra persona. Hay sangre en sus manos, pero también hay sangre en las manos de todos nosotros, porque permitimos que esto continúe sucediendo día tras día.

Recordemos los nombres de quienes han perdido la vida a manos de agentes de inmigración.

Estos son los nombres

Al 21 de septiembre de 2026:

Keith Porter Jr., 43 años, Los Ángeles — 31 de diciembre de 2025

Renee Nicole Good, 37 años, Minneapolis — 7 de enero de 2026

Ruben Ray Martinez, 23 años, South Padre Island — marzo de 2025

Ryan Luis Mosqueda, 27 años, Texas — 7 de julio de 2025

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are not a callous people. We cannot put off feelings of sadness because they make us uncomfortable, nor can we wrap ourselves in the blanket of anger because we feel pain. Instead, as Christians we must feel them, and feel them as Christ did from the vantage point of his cross; not from the vantage point of our own concerns.

Episcopal Anglicans often awake before dawn to say these words: “The dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

We sing Zechariah’s song while it is still dark outside because we believe the light coming over the horizon is not just the sun rising on another day, but God’s mercy rising to meet us, and because we believe that the first work of our day ought to be with feet turned toward peace.

Tuesday morning, that light rose on Canal Street in Houston’s Magnolia Park neighborhood at around seven o’clock. It rose on Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, riding to the homebuilding company that had employed him for most of the last thirty-five years. He was shot, dead at Ben Taub Hospital by sunrise. The dayspring visited him, and he received a mercy that ensured in a certain hope that he rose to his savior’s arms.

His sons are American citizens. Lorenzo brought them through college on the wages of his early mornings. Now they sit in grief. And because they are our brothers, we cannot say we have not been wounded: If one member suffers, all suffer together. Moreover, they are our brothers and our fathers; they share with us our humanity and God’s provision of dignity in all that this means.

I do not presume to speak conclusively on this matter. Judgments are for courts and officers of the government, charged as they are with finding the truth. I do join The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and all those concerned that this be reviewed and investigated. People in our country should not be shot for a civil immigration infraction. This is similar to being hunted, pursued, and shot for a misdemeanor. Particularly when Mr. Araujo had been attempting to receive legal status, and our U.S. Government had not kept their promise of due process. This does not make Araujo's situation unique; in fact, it is normal. What makes it unique is that he was killed for a minor civil infraction.

The government’s officers tell one story: that Mr. Salgado Araujo tried to evade arrest and turned his vehicle toward an agent, who shot him in self-defense. His family and neighbors tell another story: that this longtime employee, a man with no criminal record who has been working toward citizenship his entire life, was scared by the appearance of unmarked cars at dawn. Mr. Salgado Araujo’s son has filed a complaint and requests not only that justice be served but that we see all the evidence: the dash cam footage, the arrest reports, an accounting that shrinks from nothing.

But before this happens, before we sort out custody and commands, we must deal with scripture because that is our part. I wish to say what we have nearly forgotten how to say: this was a man. “The stranger that dwelleth with you.” Immigration status, legal definitions, and enforcement priorities, all of these may be true, but they are not the first words to be spoken about a person from our perspective. The first word said over Lorenzo was that he was made in God’s image.

Scripture will not allow us the convenience of dehumanizing an other human being; for any reason. The bible says, “The stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” The God who spoke that truth against the Egyptian custom binds our treatment of immigrants to the memory of our own history. Egypt, Babylon, Rome, and all governments are all powers. And, in scripture and for ages these words have addressed them. And, lest we forget running from the powers that wished to kill him the Lord rode into Egypt as a refugee, in his mother’s arms. When we look on this man on Canal Street we see one whom Christ would not be ashamed to call His brother.

Let us pray, then, as the Church has learned to pray when nothing else can be done:

O God, whose Son had no place to lay His head and was numbered with the transgressors: receive Lorenzo Salgado Araujo into the arms of Thy mercy, and let light perpetual shine upon him. Comfort his sons in their fatherlessness, and be Thou the Father of the fatherless. Bring every hidden thing to light, that justice be neither counterfeit nor delayed. And give us grace to behold in our brothers what we had trained ourselves to see as a case. Through Jesus Christ our peace, who is Himself the Dayspring from on high. Amen.

Notice what we have prayed for: we have asked the Dayspring to visit us. Not Lorenzo only, but us. And we have asked to be led into peace.

There is no abbreviated version of that, and there is no escaping it. If you want to care for human beings, that means we care for immigrants, and we welcome refugees to your parish. Sit with the grieving; accompany the fearful. We are forever invited to sit with this family and all families like it. You will tell the truth about what happened, demand the truth from officials, and reject sterile polemics about which side is tougher on crime.

As followers of Jesus, we bring our brothers’ death to the altar, where another Man’s dying was made into our life, and there you will receive that life again. We do not know yet how this went according to God’s will. But we do know how to walk into His presence.

It will remain dark on Canal Street, and weeping endures for the night. But we say the Benedictus in the dark so that we will remember to say it when the sun comes up. The dayspring from on high hath visited us, us, and Lorenzo and his sons. Let us go. Let our feet be guided into the way of peace.

Your brother in Christ,

C. Andrew Doyle

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Sermón - Proper 8A (En español)

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, " Serón - Proper 8A (En español)" held at Iglesia Episcopal Esperanza in Houston, TX.

More at www.texasbishop.com

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Monday, June 29, 2026

The Ordination of a Deacon

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, "The Ordination of a Deacon" held at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, TX.

Hey friends and followers,

This is a critical time to look from the future back to the present. The present is noisy, uncertain, and often overwhelming.

As the world has become more turbulent, the demand for Institute for the Future's foresight work has only grown. In response to this moment, we are excited to announce that our new book, Disciplines of Hope: Generating Faith in the Future for an Anxious Age, is now available for pre-order.

Amazon pre-orders have become one of the most important factors in a book's success, helping increase visibility, reach new readers, and amplify its impact. If our work has been meaningful to you, we would be grateful if you would pre-order a copy today.

Pre-order now

Disciplines of Hope: Generating Faith in the Future for an Anxious Age

Below is a taste of the new book, which explores deeply the themes coming out of our latest forecasts. In such a troubling time, positive futures will be so important.

To make better futures, we need new disciplines for hope in action that you perform, repeatedly, together—not hope or faith that you simply have or don’t have. This book shows you how to generate your own discipline of hope and grow your faith in the future.

Introduction: Hope Is Something You Must Generate—and Here’s How

Chapter 1: A New Compass for Seeding Hope

Chapter 2: The Future Terrain We Must Navigate

Chapter 3: Faith Traditions—Gifts and Harm

Chapter 4: Varieties of Faith and Hope—Keep the Gifts; Refuse the Harm

Chapter 5: A Surprising New Use for the Generative AI Medium

Chapter 6: Human Generativity Augmented by Generative AI

Chapter 7: The Wisdom of Leadership with Hope

Chapter 8: Personal Coping, Meaning, and Resilience

Conclusion: A Call for New Disciplines of Hope

Discussion Guide

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Let Them Be One

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, "Let Them Be One - Easter 7A" held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, West Columbia, TX.

More at www.texasbishop.com

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Tuesday, June 2, 2026

To Go As Jesus

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, "To Go As Jesus" held at St. John's Episcopal Church, Carthage, TX for Trinity Sunday.

5A - Easter

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, "5A - Easter" held at Camp Allen, Nacogdoches, TX.

More at www.texasbishop.com

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James, Doc, Ely, Matthew

Listen to Bishop Doyle's sermon, "James, Doc, Ely, Matthew" held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Bay, TX.

More at www.texasbishop.com

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Friday, May 1, 2026

Sunday Easter

Listen to Bishop Doyle's Easter sermon, "5A - Sunday Easter" held at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Marlin, TX.

More at www.texasbishop.com

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Quotes

"Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a life and a living process." Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer." Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to give ourselves to others." Kathleen Norris
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." John Wesley
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." G. K. Chesterton
"One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans." C. S. Lewis
"When we say, 'I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,' we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the church seldom asks us for forgiveness." Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey
"Christians are hard to tolerate; I don't know how Jesus does it." Bono
"It's too easy to get caught in our little church subcultures, and the result is that the only younger people we might know are Christians who are already inside the church." Dan Kimball

Blog Autobiography

Husband, Father, Bishop, Author, Friend

As the son of an Episcopal priest, I grew up in churches around Houston. I have lived and worked for the Church in Austin, Temple, Houston and College Station. At Camp Allen, some of you were my counselors and some of you were my campers and now several of you serve as priests in the diocese. It was here among you, that I first heard a call to ministry. I pursued a degree in fine arts and then with the support of St. Paul's, Freeport and All Saints, Austin, I attended Virginia Theological Seminary and graduated in 1995. I was ordained at Christ Church, Temple. I have served the Diocese of Texas for more than thirty five years as a youth minister, camp counselor, priest, consultant, workshop leader, Canon to the Ordinary, and Coadjutor and Diocesan Bishop (2008).

JoAnne and I met at Camp Allen and were married in 1990. Our two beautiful girls, Caisa and Zoë, are the delight of our lives.

I am the author of Church, Unabashedly Episcopalian, Generous Community, Small Batch, and The Jesus Heist.