Philadelphia Woman Becomes First Latina Priest in Episcopal Dioceses of Pennsylvania

A Philadelphia woman has made history as the first Latina priest in the Episcopal Dioceses of Pennsylvania. Reverend Jessie Alejandro is now the vicar of the Church of the Crucifixion in South Philadelphia.

Alejandro, known by frequent churchgoers as Mother Jessie, was ordained as a priest in 2020. She said many other women who made history have inspired her.

"We're in 2022. We have a Vice President who is a woman," said Alejandro. "There is so many things that go on with women now."

Alejandro believes that it is important that women have a role not only in politics but also in "the church and anyplace that we go," Fox News reported.

Philadelphia Woman Jessie Alejandro Opens Multicultural Church in Pennsylvania

Shortly after her ordination, Jessie Alejandro was appointed by the Bishop of the Diocese, Daniel Gutierrez, to reopen and lead the Church of the Crucifixion, which had been closed for years.

"Mother Jessie" was the Hispanic missioner for South Philadelphia, but she wanted to accomplish something unique in this historical role by having the church represent the community's diversity.

Currently, Alejandro noted that it was not just a Latino church but a multicultural church. The doors have reopened for Sunday service that will include bi-lingual masses for the diverse congregation that she has helped put up together.

According to Alejandro, serving the community and meeting people's needs is an important aspect of her mission.

Alejandro and her team started with all sorts of programs for children and adults, such as groceries, art workshops, and drumming and dancing classes.

Alejandro is embracing her role as a priest while hoping that other women will overcome their fears of rejection and follow their hearts.

The Story of Latina Jessie Alejandro's 20-Year Feeding Program in Philadelphia

On the website of Story Powered Initiative, a national movement to address stigma, Jessie Alejandro shared her life story, revealing how her past helped her develop into who she is now.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, the Latina woman came to the United States when she was five years old, together with her parents. They went back and forth a lot.

Alejandro came back to the U.S. when she reached the age of 19 and settled in Philadelphia. There, she met different people in the community using illegal drugs.

But growing up, Alejandro revealed that she and her family knew that some family members were on drugs. However, her family was not open to addressing it.

She witnessed how her uncle lost his wife and children because of drug use. Years after, some of her uncle's children began using drugs too, and still, nobody in the family ever talked about the issue.

Alejandro used to think, "Oh, my God, I want to help them," but she did not know how.

Now having a family of her own with four kids, the whole experience took her back to the memories of her family in Puerto Rico, when she found out that her husband was on heroin.

Although she left her husband, it seemed that there was always someone doing narcotics no matter where she went.

That was when Mother Jessie thought of feeding the people in the community since she wanted to talk to the drug users about how their addiction started and give them something to eat.

At the same time, Alejandro also wanted to educate her children about the effects of drugs and how it can destroy families.

As time went by, the Latina woman started to go out even more until it became a passion for serving the community. Now, Jessie Alejandro has been doing a feeding program for over 20 years since she has been in Philadelphia.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: WATCH: Philadelphia Woman Makes History as First Latina Priest in Episcopal Dioceses of Pennsylvania - From Fox 29 Philadelphia