Bishop Julio Mercado
Born on October 17, 1953 in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Bishop Julio Mercado was raised in the South Bronx until the age of eight. His family moved to Jamaica, Queens where Mercado lived most of his early years and where he began to hear God’s calling to ministry. As a young minister, Mercado moved to Brooklyn where he has lived for the past 45 years. For 37 of those years he has served as Senior Pastor of First Church Getsemani (Primera Iglesia Getsemani).
Bishop Mercado earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from York College in 1979, and graduated from the International Bible Institute in the same year. In 1983 he graduated from New York Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity, and from the Citizens Police Academy in 1998. In 1995 he was consecrated to the Office of the Bishop.
He was assigned to be a Clergy Liaison for the NYPD 90th Precinct; a position he holds until this day. Bishop Mercado is the past president of the Association of Hispanic Ministers, the current president of the 90th Precinct Clergy Council, serves as a board member of the New York State Chaplain Task Force, and serves as the Organizer of the Unity Parade Against Drugs and Aids in the Williamsburg/Bushwick communities. This is a parade held annually and brings together hundreds of people from all across the community and neighboring communities.
Bishop Mercado has 45 years of community developmental experience in the area of counseling, and establishing, organizing and implementing church related social programs. He hopes to continue increasing the current partnership between the Community and the Police by bringing together the clergy, local residents and business owners in order to work cooperatively with the police. He sees it as an important link in helping to keep the Williamsburg/Bushwick communities safer.
Bishop Mercado’s 90th Precinct Clergy Council meetings draw upwards of 250 attendees. He uses the opportunity to train the clergy on how to better work in their respective neighborhoods. He does this by inviting guest speakers who are experts in their fields to address the challenges in the Williamsburg/Bushwick communities. He hopes to achieve the highest standards of professional skills and integrity while also enhancing the quality of life for those he serves. Mercado believes that this unity between the clergy, the community and the police sends a strong message to drug dealers and gang members in the communities he serves.
Bishop Julio Mercado continues to feel a commitment to the communities he serves, especially the young and the elderly. He hopes that his commitment will inspire other local clergy members to also remain sensitive and responsive to their concerns.
Bishop Mercado earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from York College in 1979, and graduated from the International Bible Institute in the same year. In 1983 he graduated from New York Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity, and from the Citizens Police Academy in 1998. In 1995 he was consecrated to the Office of the Bishop.
He was assigned to be a Clergy Liaison for the NYPD 90th Precinct; a position he holds until this day. Bishop Mercado is the past president of the Association of Hispanic Ministers, the current president of the 90th Precinct Clergy Council, serves as a board member of the New York State Chaplain Task Force, and serves as the Organizer of the Unity Parade Against Drugs and Aids in the Williamsburg/Bushwick communities. This is a parade held annually and brings together hundreds of people from all across the community and neighboring communities.
Bishop Mercado has 45 years of community developmental experience in the area of counseling, and establishing, organizing and implementing church related social programs. He hopes to continue increasing the current partnership between the Community and the Police by bringing together the clergy, local residents and business owners in order to work cooperatively with the police. He sees it as an important link in helping to keep the Williamsburg/Bushwick communities safer.
Bishop Mercado’s 90th Precinct Clergy Council meetings draw upwards of 250 attendees. He uses the opportunity to train the clergy on how to better work in their respective neighborhoods. He does this by inviting guest speakers who are experts in their fields to address the challenges in the Williamsburg/Bushwick communities. He hopes to achieve the highest standards of professional skills and integrity while also enhancing the quality of life for those he serves. Mercado believes that this unity between the clergy, the community and the police sends a strong message to drug dealers and gang members in the communities he serves.
Bishop Julio Mercado continues to feel a commitment to the communities he serves, especially the young and the elderly. He hopes that his commitment will inspire other local clergy members to also remain sensitive and responsive to their concerns.