Bishop Search Process

The Nomination and Transition Committees now are in place for the process to elect the next bishop of Rhode Island. The committees will begin their work June 3-4 at a retreat hosted by St. Mary’s, Portsmouth.
 
Lora MacFall, a member of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in Little Compton, will chair the Search & Nomination Committee, which will develop a profile to describe our diocese, solicit nominations for bishop, screen nominees and then present final names to the electing convention.

Other laypersons serving on the Search & Nomination Committee are Steve Bucci, St. Peters-by-the-Sea, Narragansett; John Gilmartin, Trinity, Newport; Mary Hafey, St. Thomas, Alton; Leon Sibielski, Ascension, Cranston; Ellen Vadney, Emmanuel, Newport; and Bill Warburton, St. Paul’s, Wickford. An additional member will be named later.

Clergy members of the Search & Nomination Committee are the Rev. John Alexander, St. Stephen’s, Providence; the Rev. Robert Brooks, retired; the Rev. Deacon Buck Close, St. George’s, Central Falls; the Rev. Canon Jonathan Huyck, Grace Church, Providence; the Rev. Mercedes Julian, Ascension, Cranston; the Rev. Pam Mott, St. Mary’s, Portsmouth; the Rev. Sandra Haines-Murdocco, retired; the Rev. Ann Marie Richards, Trinity, Newport; and the Rev. Melody Shobe.

Cathy Iacobucci, a member of Grace Church in Providence, will chair the Transition Committee, which will ensure that we celebrate the ministry of our current bishop, plan our new bishop’s ordination celebration and arrange a warm welcome for the new bishop to begin the next chapter of our ministry together.

Other lay members of the Transition Committee are Linda Mendonca, Emmanuel, Cumberland; Bill Plumb, Trinity, Cranston; and Grace Swinski, St. Paul’s, Pawtucket.

Clergy serving on the Transition Committee are the Rev. Deacon Dorothy (Ricky) Brightman, St. Luke’s, East Greenwich; the Rev. James Frink, retired; the Rev. Deacon John Higginbotham, St. Luke’s, East Greenwich; the Rev. Casey Shobe, St. Peter’s by-the-Sea, Narragansett; and the Rev. Veronica Tierney, St. George’s School, Middletown.

The Standing Committee and Diocesan Council, the groups responsible for overseeing the transition process, will commission the committees at the retreat. The committees then will begin their work with the help of a consultant, Judy Stark. Judy has consulted in three other bishop search processes and co-chaired the Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee for the Diocese of Southwest Florida. She has served three terms on the Diocesan Council and has been elected as a deputy to the 2012 General Convention.

Additionally, the Rev. Mary Johnstone and Julia Slayton, Executive Director of Bethany House of Prayer, located in Arlington, Mass, will serve as a chaplain team to help guide the committees through the search, election, and consecration process.