Beloved Community Spotlight

Teresa Castillo has been part of the St. Margaret’s community since 2012, bringing with her a deep Episcopal heritage and a warm appreciation for the kind of community where people genuinely look out for one another.

Originally from Corinth, Mississippi, Teresa grew up at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where church life was very much a family affair. Her mother sang in the choir, her grandfather served as a reader, and her grandmother was well known for supplying baked goods for the parish potlucks. Along the way, Teresa also enjoyed many diocesan youth experiences and later participated in Mississippi State University’s Canterbury ministry while attending the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Starkville.

Teresa met her husband, Hugo Castillo, during their college years at Mississippi State—at a Latin dance party off campus. The two were friends for nearly two years before they started dating, and things moved quickly after that: they were engaged just eight months later. They were married in Aberdeen, Mississippi, a choice made somewhat out of necessity—Starkville venues were hard to come by during football season!

Today Teresa and Hugo live in Prairieville, where they have been since 2015, after moving to the Baton Rouge area in 2014. Before that, they spent two years in Valdosta, Georgia, where Teresa attended grad school. They often describe their move to Louisiana as “going out West”—close enough to their Mississippi roots to visit family easily while still building something new for their own household.

That household includes their two daughters, Alejandra and Renee (both 10), along with three cats—Sam, Samantha, and Izzie—who round out the lively Castillo home.

Teresa works for a national food sanitation company, where she focuses on corporate compliance and ethics. Her team manages the company’s compliance hotline and conducts internal investigations. It’s work she finds both interesting and meaningful. “Every day is different,” she says, and she appreciates being able to help provide management with honest insights about company culture while also serving as a voice for employees who need concerns addressed. Hugo works as an industrial electrician specializing in instrumentation and controls.

When Teresa first moved to the Baton Rouge area, she was excited simply to discover that there were several Episcopal churches nearby. After visiting a few, she found herself drawn to St. Margaret’s. Friendly invitations to join coffee tables, familiar Mississippi accents among fellow parishioners, and the welcoming community quickly made it feel like home.

What Teresa especially values about St. Margaret’s is the spirit of genuine hospitality. If someone says, “It’s been a while—it’s so good to see you,” she says, it truly feels like a gift of presence rather than a check on attendance. That difference means a lot to her, and it’s one of the things that keeps bringing her back.

She also enjoys watching the congregation grow—not just in numbers but in participation. Seeing new faces volunteering in the kitchen or helping with services, she says, shows that people aren’t just visiting; they see themselves becoming part of the life of the parish.

Teresa is especially excited about the development of St. Margaret’s Children’s Ministry and Creation Care efforts, and she hopes to see the two intersect in the future. Some of her own most formative childhood memories came from church camping trips and outdoor experiences led by youth leaders, and she hopes her daughters will have similar opportunities as these ministries grow.

When the Castillo family has free time, much of it is spent doing what families with active kids often do—shuttling between activities and cheering on their daughters. They also enjoy planning camping trips and family vacations together. Looking ahead, Teresa and Hugo share a dream of one day opening a family business as another way to connect with and serve their community. Inspiration for that dream has come, in part, from the outreach work they’ve seen through St. Margaret’s over the years.

If Teresa had to sum up how she hopes to be remembered one day, the answer is simple: as a friend, partner, and mother—someone who left positive ripples that made lasting changes for others.

If you haven’t met Teresa, look for her at coffee hour or around parish activities. Chances are good she’ll be happy to introduce you to the welcoming side of St. Margaret’s that first drew her in.