Tracy J. Sukraw
Bishop nominees Brendan Barnicle, Julia Whitworth, Edwin Johnson, Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa and Gideon Pollach gathered at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on the opening day of their May 7-11 meet-and-greet tour of the diocese.
Clergy and lay delegates from the congregations of the diocese will gather on Saturday, May 18 at Trinity Church in Boston for the special convention to elect a diocesan bishop to succeed the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates as the diocese’s 17th bishop when Gates retires later this year.
The diocese’s Standing Committee will present five priests as nominees for election as bishop. They are:
- The Rev. Dr. Brendan J. Barnicle, Rector, St. Francis of Assisi Church, Wilsonville, OR
- The Rev. Edwin D. Johnson, Director of Organizing, Episcopal City Mission, Boston
- The Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, Th.D., Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
- The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach, Rector, St. John’s Church, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
- The Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Rector, Trinity Church, Indianapolis, IN.
Members of the diocese had the opportunity to meet the nominees and learn more about them at gatherings held May 7-11 at locations around the diocese. Recordings from the livestreamed gatherings are linked for viewing here. Additional information about each of the nominees is available at www.diomass.org/bishop-search/bishop-nominees.
The electing convention begins at 9 a.m. on May 18 with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Following the service, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the call to order will take place and then the balloting will begin.
Clergy of the diocese and lay delegates (two elected from each of the diocese’s parishes and missions) vote separately as “orders”; a majority of votes on the same ballot from both the clergy and lay orders is required for election.
Pending consent from a majority of the Episcopal Church’s diocesan bishops and a majority of dioceses (via their Standing Committees), the consecration of the bishop-elect is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Boston.
Visit www.diomass.org/electing-convention-2024 for livestream links, details and updates. Information about the bishop search and transition process is available at www.diomass.org/bishop-search.