José Antonio McLoughlin (born May 21, 1969) is the seventh and current bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, United States. After studies at Virginia Theological Seminary, he was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 2005. He was elected bishop on June 25, 2016, at special electing convention of the diocese at Trinity Church in Asheville. On October 1, 2016, Bishop McLoughlin was consecrated bishop by The Most Reverend Michael Curry (bishop), 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, becoming the first bishop in Western North Carolina of Hispanic descent. The consecration was conducted at the

Kimmel Arena Kimmel Arena is the home of the UNC Asheville Bulldogs basketball programs, both men and women's. It is a 3,200-seat arena located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. Kimmel Arena, named fo ...

located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Early life

Bishop José was born May 21, 1969, in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

. When he was young, his family, including José, his brother and parents moved to

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. José's father, William Alexander McLoughlin, was born and raised in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. His mother, Caridad Navarrete was born in Santiago de Cuba and left

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in 1961.

Law enforcement career

After graduating from

Oviedo High School Oviedo High School is a grade 9–12 public secondary school set on a campus in Oviedo, Florida, a community situated in southeastern Seminole County operated by Seminole County Public Schools. Academics Oviedo High School has been rated an ...

, McLoughlin attended the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

where he received a BA degree in Criminal Justice. After graduating, McLoughlin worked as a Sheriff's Deputy in

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central county ...

. After a few years in Florida, McLoughlin moved to Northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

where he worked for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

Religious career

After 13 years in criminal justice, McLoughlin enrolled at Virginia Theological Seminary. There he earned a Master of Divinity degree, and was ordained as a priest and a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 2005. After graduating, McLoughlin served the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the

Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida The Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) which extends from Key West, Florida on the south, to Jensen Beach on the north and inland to Clewiston on the west. Major ci ...

before becoming the Canon to the Ordinary & Chief of Staff for The Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny in the

Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma dates back to 1837 as a Missionary District of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church recognized the Diocese of Oklahoma in 1937. The diocese consist ...

in 2008."The Rt Revd José Antonio McLoughlin"
''World Anglican''. Retrieved on 31 July 2020.

Election as bishop

On June 25, 2016, Canon McLoughlin was elected as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. The diocese contains 63

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es, 6 summer chapels, a Diocesan School -

Christ School (North Carolina) Christ School is a private college preparatory boarding and day school for boys in Arden, North Carolina, a suburb of Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While affiliated with the Episcopal school, it is open to students of all faiths and b ...

in Asheville; A retirement community, Deerfield, Asheville; 2 conference centers - Lake Logan, and Valle Crucis; a thriving summer camp, Camp Henry, and over 15,000 members. The diocese is divided into six deaneries.Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina Website Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is the

Cathedral of All Souls The Cathedral of All Souls, also referred to as All Souls Cathedral, is an Episcopal cathedral located in Asheville, North Carolina, United States of America. All Souls was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II, the grandson of the famous ...

in Asheville, located in

Biltmore Village Biltmore Village, formerly Best, is a small village that is now entirely in the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina and near the town of Biltmore Forest. It is adjacent to the main entrance of the Biltmore Estate, built by George W. Vande ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLoughlin, Jose 1969 births Living people Puerto Rican Episcopalians People from San Juan, Puerto Rico University of Central Florida alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Western North Carolina