Bishop Dr. Rosa Maria Silva: A Life Stitched Together by Faith, Education, and Service

Bishop Dr. Rosa María Silva, born February 1, 1952, was a Puerto Rican New Yorker (Nuyorican) who lived her life at the intersection of deep faith and fierce intellect. A woman whose calling led her from the bustling streets of Manhattan to classrooms, pulpits, and healing spaces around the world. Her impact can’t be measured by titles alone, though she held many. It lives on in the lives she touched, the students she mentored, the congregation she pastored, and the systems she disrupted in the name of Jesus, justice and compassion.

Born in Manhattan, Rosa’s journey into ministry and education began in 1974 at the International Bible Institute. That decision marked the start of a life deeply rooted in both spiritual conviction and academic excellence. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the College of New Rochelle in 1981, and later, a Master of Science in Education from Long Island University in 1990. But Rosa was never one to rest on accolades, every degree was a doorway, not a destination.

As a leader in higher education, she served for over a decade as Director of Student Services at Boricua College, guiding generations of Latinx students in Brooklyn and Manhattan with both firmness and grace. She didn’t just advocate for her students, she fought for them. Her work in counseling, particularly in the field of substance abuse, was fueled by compassion and a theology that saw healing as holy work.

Even as her academic career blossomed, Dr. Silva’s heart remained tethered to the Church. In 2003, she earned a Doctorate in Ministry from the Latin University of Theology in El Salvador, followed by an honorary Doctorate in Divinity in 2009. That same year, she deepened her commitment to the vulnerable by completing a Certificate in Geriatric Ministry through Stony Brook University and Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. She saw every soul as sacred in the pews or elder care centers.

Her leadership did not go unnoticed. The City of Paterson formally honored Bishop Silva for her service and leadership, recognizing the legacy she was already leaving behind. But even awards couldn’t fully capture her impact. She was a counselor to the weary, a teacher to the hungry, a pastor to the overlooked. Walls never limited her ministry, it moved through cities, crossed borders, and reached hearts.

On February 20, 2025, Bishop Dr. Rosa María Silva passed unexpectedly, leaving a profound void and a powerful legacy. She was more than a bishop, more than a doctor, more than a trailblazer. She was a credible witness to what it means to serve with both head and heart, to lead with wisdom and fire, and to love a people so profoundly that their liberation became your life’s work.

Her story reminds us that faith can fuel education, that ministry can be expansive, and that Latina leadership, in all its bold, Spirit-filled beauty, is essential to the story of the Church.