Diakonia Americas is a registered IRS 501(c)(3) faith-based non-profit organization dedicated to human rights, systemic advocacy, and front-line humanitarian aid across the Western Hemisphere.

Operating as the social service and justice arm rooted in the Old-Catholic Church, we translate the ancient, sacramental traditions of the undivided Church into modern, structural change. We believe that the altar does not end at the church doors,it extends into the streets, the borders, and wherever human dignity is threatened.

Our History: Rooted in Tradition, Mobilized for Today

Founded in 2017

Diakonia Americas was established in 2017 in response to the compounding humanitarian crises, forced displacements, and economic injustices impacting families throughout North, Central, and South America.

While our theological roots trace back to the early Christian church, our founders recognized a critical 21st-century need: an agile, legally recognized, and operationally sophisticated vehicle capable of executing large-scale advocacy and cross-border relief. By organizing as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, we built a professional pipeline that allows clergy, legal experts, secular partners, and everyday volunteers to pool resources and confront systemic injustice directly.

The Meaning of Diakonia

Our name comes from the ancient Greek word Διακονία (diakonia), which translates to "service" or "ministry." In the early Church, diakonia was not considered an optional charity; it was a fundamental requirement of faith. We chose this name because it defines our exact mission: a life of active, practical love that prioritizes the marginalized, the worker, and the refugee.

Priesthood Beyond the Parish Walls: Our Worker-Priests

Not all priests are called to serve behind a traditional pulpit or manage a local parish. At Diakonia Americas, our ministry team is made up of bi-vocational worker-priests, both men and women, who live out their Holy Orders through a non-parochial, missional apostolate.

Our clergy don't wait for people to walk through the doors of a church building. Instead, they are human rights attorneys, social workers, community organizers, healthcare workers, and educators who earn their living in the secular workforce. We believe that sacramental grace belongs in the public square. By carrying our priesthood directly into the marketplace, the streets, and the margins, we transform our everyday labor into a living liturgy of justice and healing.

What We Do: Our Three-Fold Approach

We bridge the gap between deep, inclusive spirituality and professional NGO operations through three essential pillars:

• Pastoral Care & Spiritual Support: We extend the radical hospitality of the altar into the community. Our diverse ministry team provides non-judgmental, trauma-informed chaplaincy and emotional grounding for families navigating the intense grief of displacement. This inclusive sacramental ministry is fully open to all people, offering comfort and spiritual solidarity without borders.

• Vital Social Services: We serve everyone Christ called us to love, protect, and lift up, without exception. Through our regional Hubs of Hospitality, we provide immediate physical relief and compassionate care to all marginalized populations, including vulnerable seniors, individuals with disabilities, orphans, and families in crisis. We operate agile, community-led sanctuaries that offer secure temporary shelter, clean hygiene facilities, nutritious hot meals, and holistic healthcare partnerships for anyone facing structural hardship or neglect.

• Fearless Advocacy: We refuse to ignore the broken political and economic systems that cause human suffering. Our Legal Advocacy Network provides pro-bono legal counsel, fights the economic exploitation of marginalized and undocumented populations, and lobbies regional governments for dignity-first policy reforms.

"Our Eucharistic ecclesiology teaches us that we cannot truly share the Holy Mysteries inside the sanctuary if we are unwilling to stand in solidarity with Christ the Wanderer on the outside." — Archpriest Justo Hurtado, Regional Director of Ministries

An Inclusive, Hemispheric Network

Spanning the entire hemisphere, from neighborhoods in South and Central America to communities across North America, Diakonia Americas operates completely without borders. Our mission is not limited to a single crisis or population; we are here for anyone pushed to the margins of society. As a synodal, fully inclusive organization, we extend our resources to local seniors, individuals with disabilities, orphans, families in crisis, and anyone facing structural neglect or injustice. Our services are unconditionally open to all people, regardless of race, nationality, gender, or creed.