Meet the candidates to be the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island

The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island will select a new bishop on Saturday, choosing a successor for a leader who served for 17 years and carved a high-profile public stance on such hot issues as immigration.

The three candidates are an Egyptian American, a priest with Haitian roots, and the rector of the Episcopal cathedral in Garden City.

The new bishop will succeed the Very Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, 71, who took over the diocese in 2009 and is stepping down as he nears the mandatory retirement age of 72.

The diocese, which also includes Brooklyn and Queens, has 36,000 members, far fewer than the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which has 1.2 million baptized Catholics. But the Episcopal bishop’s post often gives him a prominent platform on public issues.

Provenzano did so by taking part in pro-immigrant protests and speaking out on gun violence and same-sex marriage.

The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, like the Episcopal Church in general, conducts a democratic process to select its leader. Priests and bishops, including women, can be candidates.

Sixteen people applied to become bishop, and a search committee narrowed them down to three finalists, who attended Town Halls where parishioners could question them.

Priests, deacons and scores of laypeople representing their parishes will gather at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City on Saturday to vote. The new bishop is to be installed on Sept. 19.

The candidates are:

• The Very Rev. Hickman Alexandre grew up in Brooklyn, the child of Haitian immigrants. "He was shaped by the rich cultural diversity of all that Brooklyn has to offer, especially the Flatbush and Flatlands neighborhoods," the diocese said. "Faith, family, and community life were deeply intertwined in his upbringing." He has served entirely in Suffolk County since ordination, including at parishes in Bay Shore and Riverhead, and has held numerous posts in the diocese.
• The Rev. Adam J. Shoemaker is an Egyptian American who was raised in Huntington and has Christian, Jewish, and Muslim roots in his family of origin, the diocese said. He speaks Portuguese and basic Spanish and "enjoys exploring the Arabic language and culture with his large extended family in Cairo and Luxor," the diocese said. He currently serves as rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and once served as a missionary in Brazil.
• The Very Rev. Michael T. Sniffen leads both the Cathedral of the Incarnation and the Mercer School of Theology in Garden City, the seat of the diocese. He also serves as a U.S. Navy chaplain. Sniffen "has initiated new community ministry partnerships in the Nassau County Correctional Center, on the campus of Adelphi University, and on the streets of Hempstead," the diocese said. "He co-founded the Center for Spiritual Imagination, now a leading voice in the contemplative Christian movement."