Our Team

Bishop Carlos Lopez Lozano is the leader of the Spanish Episcopal Church and he is based in the Cathedral in Madrid. He was educated at the Autonomous University in Madrid and received his higher degrees in theology at the United Seminary in Madrid and the University of Salamanca. Ordained a priest in 1985 in Madrid, ten years later, in 1995, he was consecrated the bishop. He serves on the Executive Committee for our project. In his time as bishop he has been responsible for doubling the amount of churches as it slowly recovered from the Franco dictatorship where Protestants were ostracized and many schools and churches closed and confiscated, never to be returned to the church. One of the hallmarks of his career has been opening food distribution programs throughout Spain where thousands of Spain´s unemployed and marginalized are fed every week. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles published in ecclesiastical journals. Since 1985, he has been married to Ana Rodriguez Domingo. He believes the Anglican Pilgrim Center is an important and necessary gift to the world, a pilgrim welcome center, where ordained women can celebrate the Eucharist, where a hospitality center can be created to support sustainability for the Spanish Episcopal Church and a home for the world where Episcopal leaders can be nurtured and sent out into the world.

Nancy Mead lives in Narragansett, Rhode Island. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with degrees in French and Art. Married to an Episcopal priest for forty-five years, she is the mother of two children and the doting grandmother of four. After two careers in the fashion industry and florist business, Nancy took up trekking at age 50. She has walked four different routes of the El Camino and has walked the Via Francigina from Canterbury to Rome amongst many other routes - over 6000 miles in total. She is also a keen gardner!

Nancy Wallis Weidinger is a philanthropist, artist and interior designer who has a great passion for the Camino de Santiago. A devout Christian, she shares the mission of the Friends of the Anglican Centre in Santiago to open a gathering place in Santiago de Compostela where pilgrims of all faiths are welcome. A lover of Spain, she has come on every tour sponsored by the Friends organization and has walked portions of The Way. Nancy was a behind-the-scenes partner with her late husband Hugh J. Weidinger III (known as Jake) at Jaguar of Great Neck on Long Island, New York, the oldest Jaguar dealer in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Mother of three and grandmother of eight, Nancy has been recognized by the Garden Club of America for her horticultural and floral skills. Nancy has renovated numerous gardens and properties throughout the East Coast and looks forward to bringing her enthusiasm and many talents to the Friends of the Anglican Centre Board.

Edith is treasurer of The Friends of the Anglican Centre in Santiago de Compostela, Inc.She recently retired as Manager of Enterprise Risk Management at General Motors Asset Management after 17 years of service including management positions in operations, and investment accounting. Prior to joining General Motors she was the Director of Development for the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, worked for Habitat for Humanity International and held management positions in two NY architectural firms, The Institute for Architecture and Urban Development and at MoMA.

She is a member of the vestry of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York and is President of the Washington Square Fund, a small NYC foundation.

She grew up in Oregon and received a BS and an MPA degree from Portland State University.

She is an enthusiastic traveler and has walked pilgrimages in England, walked the Camino as well as participating in pilgrimages in Greece, Italy and Israel.

The Rev. Canon Spencer Reece, is Priest In Charge at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Jackson Heights, New York. Rev. Reece is the former canon to the ordinary and national secretary for the Bishop of Spain and currently serves on the Friends of the Anglican Centre Board as the Communications Officer for our team. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he was educated at Wesleyan, Harvard and Yale Berkeley. Ordained in 2011 by the diocese of Southeast Florida, his home diocese, he served first as a chaplain to Bishop Carlos Lopez-Lozano from 2011 to 2012, from 2012 to 2013, he served as the chaplain at Our Little Roses, the only all-girl orphanage in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Since 2014, he was asked to return and serve the Spanish Episcopal Church as national secretary. The church is Spain is a uniquely indigenous form of Anglicanism, not a colonial implant, and thus its members are almost entirely Spanish speaking. Reece serves as a bridge to the English speaking worlds. He´s helped to establish a seminarian internship program with Yale Berkeley, which we hope to expand with the Anglican Pilgrim Centre, bringing seminarians over each year to help them be more comfortable in a Spanish context.

The Rev. Canon Greg Foraker, Canon for Formation, The Episcopal Church in Colorado, leads the Formation Team in the office of Bishop Kimberly Lucas, Greg is responsible for providing resources and implementing ministries and programs that effectively equip church leaders across the diocese and the wider church for the work of evangelism, faith formation, and discipleship for people of all ages. A spiritual director, teacher, and pilgrim, Greg has a passion for leading diverse groups in walking the Camino de Santiago, and for helping parishes across Colorado experience firsthand the transformative spiritual potential of the Camino for individuals and parishes. Greg has led diocesan and parish pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Canterbury, Taizé, Chartres, Lindisfarne, Iona and five times on the Caminos Francés and Portugués. In partnership with the Friends of the Anglican Centre in Santiago, Greg’s team has created an innovative and popular Hybrid Camino Pilgrimage, inviting pilgrims to virtually walk the Camino Francés from their own homes during the time of pandemic, effectively building community through technology and welcoming pilgrims from across Colorado, the US, and in Spain.

Carl has been Rector of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, since 2014.Saint Thomas is world-renowned for its liturgical and musical program and its unique Choir School where all the students are choristers and one of only three such schools left in the world.Open to the public 365 days a year in the middle of midtown Manhattan, the church is an oasis of prayer with a global reach.Two blocks from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, ecumenical relationships are strong and supports an ecumenical social work project helping the homeless in the local area.

Prior to coming to Saint Thomas, Fr. Turner was Canon Precentor of Exeter Cathedral for thirteen years. He led the Department of Liturgy and Music and worked with the 850-year-old Cathedral School. Canon Turner was responsible for all the Cathedral’s worship and music, including Diocesan liturgy, and advised the Bishop and clergy in many areas of pastoral liturgy.

Carl is actively involved with three American seminaries - Berkeley School of Divinity at Yale, the General Theological Seminary, and Nashotah House.He has also encouraged a partnership with Oxford University through St. Stephens’s House to provide exchange opportunities in New York and visiting faculty from the University to lecture in New York.

Canon Turner is a Fellow of Woodard Schools, a member of the Venerable Order of Saint John, a Chaplain to the Order of St Lazarus, and a Priest Associate of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham. He has cordial relationships with the Anglican Center, Rome, and is committed to fostering greater cooperation between the churches.Recently, the Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta in Rome awarded him the Cross of the Order Pro Piis Merito in recognition of his commitment to ecumenical relations particularly between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church; he is only the second Anglican priest to receive that honor.

Canon Turner was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom in 1960. By happy coincidence, this was also the hometown of the XI Rector of Saint Thomas Church.

Henry R. Garner, Jr. was born and raised in the United States Panama Canal Zone territory. He first heard of the Camino in the early 1960's from his parish priest who had visited Santiago de Compostela. Henry gained inspiration from the stories of the challenging and at times difficult journey that included walking long distances, and the joy of meeting hundreds of pilgrims from different countries and cultures who spoke numerous languages. To imagine the millions who journeyed on these same pilgrimage routes since the Middle Ages – pilgrims who paid homage to Saint James, prayed, and felt cleansed and rejuvenated in their faith! Henry often reflects on how remarkable it is that pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela continues to this day and firmly believes in supporting and preserving the Camino for future generations. Henry has traveled to Santiago de Compostela and he has experienced the energy from the crowds and the spirit of Saint James. Following a 33-year career with a global textile manufacturing and sourcing company where he led teams responsible for strategic planning, business development, sourcing, supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution; Henry is a retired executive vice president for sales and marketing. Henry holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In addition to serving on the Friends of the Anglican Centre Board, Henry is a member of the board for the House of the Redeemer in New York, NY where he serves on the Personnel and Executive Committees and as Chair of the Property Committee. Henry also serves on the board of the New York Altar Guild, as a member of the Reserve Closet and Bylaws Committees. As a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jackson Heights, NY, Henry is the congregation’s current senior warden, and he serves as the Chair of the Finance/Budget Committee, Interim Chair of the Stewardship Committee, and Chair of Building and Grounds Committee. Henry’s direct, decisive enthusiasm for people is contagious and he will be a welcomed addition as a member of the Friends Advisory Board.