The Reverend Leonardo Cespedes, D.D.
Assistant Rector

Father Leonardo Cespedes was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico and subsequently lived and began his education in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. He then moved to Guadalajara, where he attended St. Andrews school for boys, an Episcopal institution, for five years. There he received the foundation which would eventually lead to his theological education.

He was granted a scholarship to Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, and was ordained a Deacon at the chapel of the seminary in 1946 by Rt. Rev. Karl Morgan Black, Bishop of California.
In 1947, he was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Cathedral in Mexico City by the Rt. Rev> Efrain Salinas Velasco, Bishop of Mexico. On April 17, 1955, Father Cespedes married Romy Pizana, who has been his faithful companion, sharing the joys and pains of a ministry of serving the Lord. They were blessed with a son, who is now a medical doctor in Matamoros, and two grandchildren.

Father Cespedes was deputy to six General Conventions of the Episcopal Church. Also, he was a member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, representing the Ninth Province from 1976-1979.
In 1986, he retired as priest in charge of La Ascension in Matamoros. At the invitation of the Rev. James E. Folts (now retired bishop of the Diocese of West Texas), Father Cespedes joined the staff of Church of the Advent in Brownsville to assist in this parish and serve the Hispanic community. Leonardo and Romy remain here today, by the grace of God.
 

Mark Rentfro, son of Anne and Daniel Rentfro, Jr. was born in Brownsville on December 31, 1985. He attended Episcopal Day School and St. Joseph’s Academy, lettering in track, cross country, basketball, baseball, was a peer mentor, a Christian Life Community leader, and a member of the National Honor Society. A life-long active member of the Church of the Advent, Mark attended the diocesan Camp Capers, was an acolyte, and regularly attended Sunday school and youth group functions. During the summer of 2005, he was a counselor at Camp Capers. In 2006, Mark spent a semester at the University of London, Queen Mary College. During the summer of 2007 and 2008, he was on staff at Camp Capers as Lead Counselor. During his senior year at Trinity University in San Antonio, Mark volunteered at St. David’s Episcopal Church as a leader for their junior high youth group. Mark received his B.A. degree in English from Trinity University in May 2008, where he was member of the varsity baseball team and Sports Editor of the campus newspaper. He joined the staff at Church of the Advent on September 1, 2008 as the Family and Youth Minister.

Ann Buchanan
Music Director

Vicky Conner
Parish Secretary

Jack Fullerton
Sexton