Join us for an engaging conversation with the Ninth Bishop of California, The Rt. Rev. Austin Keith Rios, who was installed on August 11 (watch the installation here).

As the chief pastor of the diocese, Bishop Rios is entrusted with leading, supervising, and uniting our congregations, ministries, and diocesan institutions. Notably, he is the first Latino bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. Discover more about his journey from his birthplace in Texas to the other places he has called home: Rome, Italy; North Carolina; Wisconsin; Louisiana; and now, the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn about his previous role as the rector of St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome — a vibrant, multilingual community that supports The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. Find out what Bishop Rios is looking forward to as he becomes part of the region’s fabric and discovers how its many wonderful people and places will shape the trajectory of his life.

Bring your questions and join in the conversation, guided by Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean of Grace Cathedral.

The Forum will be posted on our Youtube and Apple Podcast channels.   

About the Guest

The Rt. Rev. Austin Keith Rios was ordained and consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of California on May 4, 2024. He served in the coadjutor role until after the retirement of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Marc Handley Andrus on July 31, 2024. Following Bishop Marc’s retirement Bishop Rios assumed the role of Ninth Bishop of California, becoming the diocese’s chief pastor. He is responsible for leading, supervising, and uniting our congregations, ministries, and diocesan institutions. Bishop Rios is the first Latino to be elected as a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. His heritage includes Mexican American ancestry from his father’s side and Scottish and English ancestry from his mother’s side. Although English was spoken at home, Bishop Rios decided to embrace his Latino heritage at an early age by learning Spanish, which he now speaks fluently along with Italian. Before joining the Diocese of California, Bishop Rios served for 12 years as the rector of St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Italy, a multilingual and multicultural community that houses and offers The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center as its primary outreach. Additionally, he spent five years as the Rector of La Capilla de Santa Maria, a Spanish-speaking congregation in Hendersonville, North Carolina, while also serving as the Canon for Spanish-Speaking Ministries in the Diocese of Western North Carolina. Bishop Rios has served the wider Episcopal Church in various capacities, including multiple terms as a deputy to the General Convention. In 2018, he was elected to a six-year term as a trustee of the Church Pension Fund and served as Vice Chair of its Investment Committee. In 2024, he was elected Vice Chair of the Church Pension Fund and re-elected as a trustee. Bishop Rios calls several places home, including Texas, where he was born; Rome, Italy; North Carolina; Wisconsin; Louisiana; and now, the San Francisco Bay Area. With its distinct character and tremendous diversity, Bishop Rios looks forward to becoming part of the region’s fabric and discovering how its many wonderful people and places will shape the trajectory of his life. Bishop Rios holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and a Master of Divinity degree from The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. He was ordained as a priest in 2005. He is married to Maleah Rios and has one child.

About the Moderator 

The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young is the dean of Grace Cathedral. He is the author of The Spiritual Journal of Henry David Thoreau and The Invisible Hand in Wilderness: Economics, Ecology, and God, and is a regular contributor on religion to the Huffington Post and San Francisco Examiner.

About The Forum

The Forum is a series of stimulating conversations about faith and ethics in relation to the important issues of our day. We invite inspiring and illustrious people to sit down for a real conversation with the Forum’s host and with you. Our guests range from artists, inventors, and philosophers to pop culturists and elected officials, but the point of The Forum is singular: civil, sophisticated discourse that engages minds and hearts to think in new ways about the world.  More about Grace Forum Online.

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