THE VERY REV. TROY MENDEZ
Dean, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix, Arizona
THE VERY REV. TROY MENDEZ
The Very Rev. Troy Mendez serves as dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, a historic and vibrant downtown Phoenix congregation. Prior to his arrival in Phoenix in 2014, Dean Mendez served at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, CA, and previously at the historic Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel, CA.
A native of Houston, Dean Mendez moved to Los Angeles in 1994 after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, and held positions in sales and marketing with Delta Air Lines and General Mills. He became active at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, which led to a call to ordained ministry. His focus was engaging the wider Los Angeles community around issues of God’s radical welcome, mercy, and justice. For his efforts, he was recognized in 2001 and 2002 by Delta Air Lines as a “Heart of Delta” honoree.
Dean Mendez attended Virginia Theological Seminary and graduated Cum Laude in 2009. In 2013, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the seminary and continues to serve as Chair of the Trustees Committee. He was also a key part of the Dean’s Task Force on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, which designed the first program by an academic institution to pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved peoples.
While at Trinity Cathedral, Dean Mendez has overseen development of partnerships between the cathedral and local public schools. He fosters a collaborative spirit of ministry that has championed the gifts and talents of cathedral members. The music and arts programs at Trinity Cathedral are unmatched in the city of Phoenix. Dean Mendez is also a recipient of grants from the Forum for Theological Exploration to craft ministries to call young adults into active ministry, as well as programs to curate safe and nurturing spaces for young adults who identify as gender-expansive, so that all may find a welcoming home in the Episcopal Church. He has served as the deputation head of his diocese at the last two General Conventions, where he served on the Cuba Committee in 2018 and the Social Justice and International Policy Committee in 2022. He also has served as Treasurer on the board of St. George’s College, Jerusalem, and on the board of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union, an economic justice ministry in Los Angeles.
Dean Mendez’s main call to ministry centers on guiding people through a life-long journey of partnering with the Living God. He approaches ministry with tremendous joy and is widely respected as a pastor, teacher and preacher. He often contributes to stories about faith for Spanish-language television (Univision/Telemundo). He is passionate about seeing the Church offer all people a sense of belonging, dignity, community and the grace of new life given to us in Jesus Christ. The work of encouraging society to achieve full-inclusion for all people, of practicing radical hospitality, and of proclaiming unconditional love to the world – this work is at the heart and center of Dean Troy Mendez’s call in his vocation.