My Story

Fr Mike in the Army Reserve; his family has served in every war since the Civil War — when his 4-greats grandfather fought after being emancipated in the Battle of Port Royal and Confederate abandonment of the Sea Islands in South Carolina

Fr Mike as a church organist

Fr Mike as a school bus driver: proud working class roots

Fr Mike and husband Gio

The Molinas, Est. 2012

I grew up in Pennsylvania in the Greater Reading area. My grandmother was my primary parent, nurturing me and bringing me up in the Christian faith. I went to a great suburban public school where I excelled in music.

I had sensed a call to ministry from a young age, but then I realized in adolescence that I was queer. I knew that the denomination of Christianity to which we belonged was anti-Queer, and feared that this meant I might never get to answer my call to ministry.

Later, I learned that some Christian denominations were pushing back against heterosexism and declaring that God made Queer people and loves Queer people as they are. I felt the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the Anglican Communion, was the best fit for me — not only because of its inclusivity, but also because of its catholicity, its liturgy , and its theology.

When I was old enough to drive, I stopped going to the Church my family attended and started attending an Episcopal parish. My family soon joined me there. Understanding the Christian faith in this new way helped prepare them for my coming out.

I joined the Army Reserve at 17 and served as a Chaplain Assistant. I am just old enough that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was still on the books when I joined, but was repealed a year and a half after I enlisted.

In 2012, I fell in love with the man who would become my husband. We married in 2018 and are celebrating 12 years as a couple.

I continued to serve the Epicsopal Church as a vestry member and an organist. At the same time, I began undergraduate studies with the intentions of later going to seminary. I worked two jobs throughout most of my time in university and seminary — usually as a school bus driver and later a bureaucrat in the federal government — while also taking care of my aging grandmother until her death in 2021. A pandemic and the deaths of parents and grandparents slowed me down, but they did not stop me. I was determined to reach my goals and realize the sacrifices that my ancestors had made for me to get to where I knew I could be.

I finished an undergraduate degree in Human Services, a graduate Certificate of Theological Studies, and a Master of Divinity within a period of two years. I was then ordained a deacon in June 2023, began ongoing studies toward a Doctor of Ministry degree, and was ordained a priest in January of 2024, a mere three days before my 32nd birthday.

I am excited to see where God leads me next, and I am committed to fostering Christian discipleship and building up the Episcopal Church and the Anglican faith.

CV | The Reverend Michael Angel Molina

SECULAR EXPERIENCE

Co-County Wellness Services, Reading, PA — Board of Directors

2022 - PRESENT

Stewards and safeguards the organization's resources. Uses community connections to further the mission and reputation of the organization. Secured substantial donations to support specific programs.

Penn State Health, St. Joseph Medical Center — Chaplain

MARCH 2022 - PRESENT

Ministers to the spiritual, psychological and emotional needs of patients, their families and staff. Participates in the healing process of the whole person as a member of a multidisciplinary team.  Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center is a 204-bed acute care hospital serving the Berks region. It was founded in 1873 by the Fransiscan Sisters and joined the Penn State Health group in 2015.

LGBT Center of Greater Reading, Reading, PA — Board of Directors

2020 - 2023

Supported the organization in its infancy and helped establish new programming such as ‘Out In The Park’ and the ‘LGBT Gala.’ Secured substantial donations to support youth programming and food pantry.

US Census Bureau, Reading, PA — Recruiting Manager

AUGUST 2019 - SEPTEMBER 2020

Train staff, liaise with civic leaders, manage a staff of approximately 20 individuals, oversee recruiting efforts for decennial Census operations in four counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF BETHLEHEM

  • Assistant Priest, Trinity Church Easton, 2023: Part time, sharing in teaching, preaching, and some administrative responsibilities.

  • Member, Diocesan Council 2023-Present: Elected in a competitive race for a term on Diocesan Council, the fiduciary trustees for the Diocese of Bethlehem.

  • Member, Diocesan Racial Justice and Reconciliation Task Force: Helped to craft and propose a resolution at diocesan convention for the creation of a full-time Hispanic Missioner and a resolution for the Task Force to work on identifying and eliminating overt and covert systemic racism in our diocese. Crafted the current land acknowledgement for the Diocese. 

  • Field Education Seminarian, Trinity Church Easton 2022-23: Shared preaching responsibilities and supported outreach efforts

  • Seminarian & Candidate for Priesthood, Christ Church Reading 2018-2022: Worked with rector parish leadership  to create innovative ministries such as a Pop Music Evensong and the diocese’s first permanent weekly Spanish-speaking congregation, which has become a model for church planting in the diocese.

  • Member of Vestry, St. Mary's Parish, Reading 2009-13: Led major building renovation projects. Led Hispanic outreach and membership growth initiatives.

  • Music Director, St. Mary's Parish, Reading 2009-13: Planned and provided liturgy and music for worship services as a music director.

MILITARY SERVICE

US Army Reserve, Bethlehem, PA — Chaplain Assistant 2010-18

  • Administrative Assistant and force protection agent to chaplain. Assists in ensuring the mental and spiritual well-being of soldiers.

EDUCATION

Lancaster Theological Seminary (a division of Moravian University) — Doctor of Ministry

Currently Enrolled. Fall 2023-present.

Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA  — Master of Divinity

Class of 2023, HYBRID, BERKELEY, CA

Elizabethtown College — Associate of Science in Human Services                                                                                          

Class of 2021,  ELIZABETHTOWN, PA

Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA  — Graduate Certificate of Theological Studies

Class of 2019, HYBRID, BERKELEY, CA

Clinical Pastoral Education

1 unit, 6 credits

MAY 2021. EASTERN MENNONITE SEMINARY, HYBRID, LANCASTER, PA