05/21/2026
Thank you to our Bishop and his family for sharing their difficult story so publicly. "Part of me being able to share my story and being able to say this is who I am is to demystify all of those stereotypes that people have as much as I can. But also to remind people that when you hear the word immigrant, we're not just talking about some nameless, faceless, group of people. When you hear a gay person, you're not talking about just some nameless, faceless, you're talking about actual people who have lives. Who deserve the same dignity, the same aspirations that you have. We're all desiring that same thing." - The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
What happened to Bishop Deon Johnson's family was not supposed to happen. A routine green card appointment in Mexico turned into a yearlong separation. His husband, who came to the United States as a young child and had never known another home, was told he could not return. For an entire year, two children grew up without one of their parents present. A Quinceañera was canceled. Ordinary moments that families take for granted simply vanished.
Bishop Johnson did not withdraw. He continued leading the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri while quietly navigating one of the most painful experiences of his life. When his husband finally returned home on Valentine's Day of last year, the bishop chose to speak. Not only about his family, but about the thousands of people across this diocese and this country who face the same uncertainty without the platform to say so.
This week, St. Louis Public Radio sat down with Bishop Johnson for a candid and moving conversation about faith, family, fear, and what it means to live with the constant shadow of a system that can upend a life without warning. It is a story that belongs to all of us.
Click below to read the full article and listen to the interview.
Full article: https://www.stlpr.org/race-identity-and-faith/2026-05-20/episcopal-bishopmissouri-immigration-striggles
