The Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, who has served as The Episcopal Church’s staff officer for racial reconciliation since 2020, has been named interim missioner for the Office of Indigenous Ministries.
The Rev. Lester Mackenzie, chief of mission program for the church, announced Brokenleg’s appointment after attending the Episcopal Church in Navajoland’s first convention as a missionary diocese in Farmington, New Mexico.
“I came away reminded that all our mission must move at the pace of prayer—where the Holy Spirit nudges and disrupts, not where we rush or manage,” Mackenzie shared in a letter to Indigenous leaders. “Together with Indigenous leaders and the mission program team, we will discern how to form a search committee and dream into the next chapter of Indigenous ministry.”
Brokenleg, a winkté (Lakota Two-Spirit), uses she/her pronouns and is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Nation). She is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of South Dakota. She holds a Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, as well as a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota.
“Culturally, Two-Spirit people are called to walk in liminal spaces, especially between the masculine and feminine, and between the natural and supernatural,” Brokenleg said. “As we journey toward what comes next for Indigenous Ministry, I see serving as interim missioner not just as a role, but as part of my sacred call as a Two-Spirit person: to hold space, to listen deeply, and to walk with our communities through transition.”
As staff officer for racial reconciliation, Brokenleg has helped facilitate the work of truth-telling about The Episcopal Church regarding race; focused on a vision of becoming Beloved Community; and celebrated Episcopalians engaged in the ministry of racial healing, reconciliation, and justice.
As interim Indigenous missioner, Brokenleg will help maintain continuity in leadership, education, and ministry development opportunities by and for Indigenous people within The Episcopal Church. Indigenous Ministries strives for the full inclusion of Indigenous people in the life and leadership of the church, providing resources, advocacy, networking opportunities, and other support.
Brokenleg’s appointment follows the February 2025 retirement of the Rev. Bradley Hauff, who served as Indigenous missioner for eight years. Mackenzie recognized Hauff’s service, saying, “Canon Brad, who is Oglala Lakota and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, served with pastoral humility, cultural wisdom, and deep love for his people and the church. His ministry helped lift Indigenous voices, raise new leaders, and prepare the church for healing and truth-telling. Wopila tanka, Canon Brad, for your witness and ministry.”
The missioner for Indigenous Ministries reports to Mackenzie as part of the Ethnic Ministries office.
