BROWNSVILLE, Texas--Richard Aguilar serves as the first Hispanic rector of Church of the Advent Episcopal, according to The Brownsville Herald.

Aguilar said he feels like he's back home at the church where he once served as a priest.

Aguilar, 47, returned in February to the church that was built in 1927 and is today a part of the city's rich history.

Aguilar is also the first Hispanic to serve as rector of the 152-year-old church, which is the second oldest Episcopal church in the Diocese of West Texas and the oldest in the Rio Grande Valley.

"In many respects, my coming here permits the Church of the Advent to live into a new chapter in its history," Aguilar said. "There are Latino leaders everywhere now in the United States."

Born and raised in San Antonio, Aguilar joined the church as a teenager after being invited by a friend when he was 14.

From 1988 to 1993, Aguilar served as the priest of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Brownsville, a predominantly Hispanic congregation. Before coming to Brownsville, Aguilar served as a Hispanic missioner in southern Ohio.

While attendance on an average Sunday is 200 people, Aguilar hopes to expand the church in Brownsville. The church is planning to build a new facility in North Brownsville to better serve its changing congregation.

"We want to grow not only numerically, but also grow in spirit and how we serve our community," Aguilar said.

Despite the long-range plan to build a new church, Aguilar said they hope to keep the historical church at 104 W. Elizabeth St.

"There is a long history with this location and the opportunities for ministry continues on this part of town," Aguilar said.

Chula Griffin, 75, a fourth-generation church member and avid historian, said she would like to see the church on Elizabeth Street stay within the Episcopalian family.

"I'm very attached to that church," Griffin said. "It brings a lot of memories."

Griffin said Aguilar brings a lot of enthusiasm and strong leadership to the church.

"We're so glad to have him back," Griffin said. "He has so many good qualities, including leadership and guidance (skills). He brings the two cultures together."

Tracy Wickett, another member of the church and the executive director for United Way of Southern Cameron County, said she was thrilled when she heard Aguilar was chosen to lead the church.

"It's different in our church because we get to select our own priests," Wickett said "He's the right person at the right time. He can help us to outreach to a part of the community we haven't been able to reach before. He's the first Hispanic rector in our history."

Before taking the commitment to be a priest, Aguilar said he thought of a career in law or business. He worked as a banker after he graduated from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and Spanish literature.

But often Aguilar dreamed of the priesthood.

"For me it happened gradually," Aguilar said about becoming an Episcopalian priest. "There were times when I was a youth that it seemed to me that God was calling me to be a priest. I saw that a relationship with God was most important."

Although he was a Catholic first, Aguilar said he was attracted to the Episcopal Church because he felt welcomed while being familiar with its Catholic history. The church is a member of the Anglican Communion. In the United States, the church has about 3 million members and there are more than 70 million members worldwide.

Like the Catholic Church, Aguilar said the Advent Church has priests, bishops, and perform the sacraments. However, bishops are elected rather than appointed by the head of the church.

In contrast to Catholicism, Aguilar said the Advent Church adheres to the ministry of the laity and the clergy marries.

"The Episcopal Church has the best of two worlds," Aguilar said. "We have protestant roots yet we are part of the Catholic history."