Forgiveness as a Foundation: How Latin American Youth Are Reclaiming Discipleship

In the hills of Rionegro, Colombia, a new generation of Episcopalians is not merely gathering—they are modeling a church that listens. Nearly 100 young people from across Latin America and the Caribbean have converged for Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales, a gathering that this year places forgiveness and discipleship at its center. The choice is deliberate: in a region marked by complex histories of division, these youth are choosing to build spiritual resilience through reconciliation.

Myra Garnes, The Episcopal Church’s officer for youth, young adult and campus ministries, told attendees that the church “as a whole is committed to them and loves them.” She expressed hope that the young people from Province II and Province IX would “feel the electricity of God and of the love of Jesus this week.” The gathering, styled after the triennial Episcopal Youth Event in the United States, first convened in 2019 in Panama City. Now, in its second iteration, it signals a shift: young Episcopalians are not waiting to inherit the church—they are leading now, in ministry and in their communities, with forgiveness as their first teaching.