Karla Sikaffy duPlantier, who joined The Episcopal Church as interim missioner of Latino Ministries in August 2025, has been named permanent missioner.
The Rev. Lester Mackenzie, chief of mission program for the church, announced duPlantier’s appointment, explaining that Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe invited duPlantier to serve as missioner.
“Over months, we have watched her build trust across dioceses, form leaders, and gather the church in prayer and in formation,” he said, noting that he changed course about conducting a search for the position. “The work itself showed us who should carry it forward, and I would rather honor what we saw than run a process to confirm it.”
A seven-member search committee—comprising Episcopal Church leaders in the U.S. and Dominican Republic—was chosen to help with the interim selection that resulted in duPlantier’s hire.
During the past 14 months, duPlantier has moderated a churchwide Spanish prayer vigil, accompanied young people at Event de Jóvenes Episcopales in Colombia, stood with congregations where fear of enforcement kept people away, and helped fill this year’s Nuevo Amanecer event to capacity at Kanuga conference center, Mackenzie said.
In addition, she has overseen distribution of the “El Librito de la Misa Episcopal” missalette for Pentecost and Advent to 50 and 89 parishes, respectively; secured a five-year memorandum of understanding for the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency course at Sewanee, The University of the South; and is building relationships and offering support for Latino leaders and congregations in multiple dioceses.
“Karla is a strong layperson,” Mackenzie said. “Baptism is where all ministry begins, and she has done this work faithfully and well. …Karla has stood through hard weather in this church, and the fruit is plain to see.”
Prior to joining the Church Center staff, duPlantier served as the Latino/Hispanic ministries coordinator in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana; cofounder and facilitator of the Louisiana Language Access Coalition; and a lead consultant with Crescent City Strategies LLC, a business consulting firm. She holds a master’s degree in bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural education from the University of New Orleans.
Learn more about the church’s ethnic ministries.
