The Rt. Rev. Dr. Adam J. Shoemaker was ordained and consecrated as the Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island on Saturday, September 19, during a service at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post in Brookville.
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, served as chief consecrator, joined by bishops from across The Episcopal Church. Nearly 2,000 people attended the service, with additional viewers joining via livestream from across the diocese and beyond.
“It’s an exciting day for the whole Church,” Rowe said. “We’re excited to have Adam in the House of Bishops, to welcome the gifts that he brings, and to see this diocese head into a new chapter.”
Twenty-four bishops from across The Episcopal Church joined in the laying on of hands during the prayer of consecration. Moments later, the congregation rose in a standing ovation as Bishop Shoemaker was presented alongside his wife, the Rev. Courtney Davis-Shoemaker, and their three children, Malcolm, Aubrey and Hannah.
Shoemaker’s consecration marked a historic first for The Episcopal Church: he is the first bishop of Arab and North African descent. An Egyptian American who was born Adam Haggagi, Shoemaker was raised in Huntington, New York, and was formed in the Episcopal faith at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington and Trinity Episcopal Church in Northport.
“Returning home to serve as bishop of the diocese that first formed me in faith is an extraordinary gift,” Shoemaker said. “My own story has taught me to cherish the differences that make us who we are, and in these first months back on Long Island I have seen again how our diversity is one of this diocese’s greatest strengths. I am humbled and grateful to begin this ministry alongside the people of Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, and hopeful for what God will do among us.”
The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island encompasses more than 120 congregations across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties and reflects the extraordinary cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the communities it serves.
Shoemaker was elected April 18 by nearly 300 clergy and lay delegates gathered at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City.
Before his election, Shoemaker served for nine years as rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. His previous ministry includes service in congregations in North Carolina and Massachusetts and as a missionary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a graduate of the General Theological Seminary and holds degrees from Harvard Divinity School and Boston University, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree from Duke Divinity School.
Shoemaker succeeds the Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, who served as Bishop of Long Island from 2009 until Shoemaker’s consecration.
Media Contact:
Denise Fillion
Director of Communication
Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
dfillion@dioceseli.org
(631) 942-9460
About the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island serves more than 120 congregations across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. Its congregations reflect the extraordinary cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the communities of greater New York and Long Island.