Nerva Cot Aguilera (1938/1939 – July 10, 2010) was a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop. From 2007 to 2010, she was a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the

Episcopal Church of Cuba The Episcopal Church of Cuba ( es, Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba) is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States (ECUSA or TEC). The diocese consists of the entire country of Cuba. From 1966 to 2020, it was an extra-provincial diocese unde ...

. Upon her

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

, she became the first female Anglican bishop in a

developing country A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

and in the whole of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, and the first female bishop in the Caribbean.

Ordained ministry

Cot was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in the

as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1987. This made her one of the first three women ordained to the priesthood in

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 February 2007, it was announced that Cot was to become a bishop, as one of the newly created

suffragan bishops A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictio ...

of the Episcopal Church of Cuba; the other was

Ulises Mario Aguero Prendes Ulises is a Spanish-language given name. It is the Spanish form of the English name Ulysses, which itself derives from a Latin form of Odysseus (a legendary Greek king). People with the name * Ulises Adame de León (born 1959), Mexican politician ...

. On June 10, 2007, she was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

a bishop during a service at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity,

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. This made her the first woman to become an Anglican bishop in the whole of

and in a

. She was also the first female bishop in the Caribbean. As one of two suffragan bishop, she responsible for the churches in western Cuba. She retired from full-time ministry in 2008. On July 10, 2010, Cot died at the age of 71; she had been suffering from severe anemia. Her funeral was held the following day (on July 11) in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Havana.

Personal life

Cot was married to Juan Ramon de la Paz Cerezo. He is an Episcopalian priest and is the Dean (Christianity), Dean of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Havana. Together, they had three children. One daughter and their son are Episcopalian priests, the other daughter is a church administrator.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cot Aguilera, Nerva 2010 deaths Cuban Episcopalians Women Anglican bishops 21st-century Anglican bishops in the Caribbean Episcopal bishops of Cuba