FRESNO, Calif. – The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has announced a preliminary slate of four finalists for the election of its sixth bishop after the Rt. Rev. David C. Rice announced plans to retire in 2026. The preliminary slate is as follows:
· The Rev. Canon Anna Carmichael Ph.D. – Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of San Joaquin
· The Rev. Robert Keim – Rector of St. Barnabas, Arroyo Grande (Diocese of El Camino Real)
· The Rev. Dr. Gregory Kimura – Rector of St. James, South Pasadena (Diocese of Los Angeles)
· The Rev. Canon Shawn Wamsley – Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Pennsylvania
More information about each applicant can be found on the diocesan website. The announcement of the preliminary slate comes just slightly more than a year after Bishop Rice announced his retirement in June 2024. Since that time, the Standing Committee has conducted listening sessions throughout the diocese, created a Diocesan Profile, and selected members of a Nominating Committee, which screened applications, interviewed applicants, and hosted a discernment retreat at Episcopal Conference Center Oakhurst (ECCO) last month.
The Rev. Suzy Ward, President of EDSJ’s Standing Committee and Chair of the Nominating Committee, commented, “The Nominating Committee has prayerfully selected an outstanding slate of candidates. The next step is that the Diocese and the wider church continue to pray for Holy Spirit’s guidance as we proceed to the election in October.”
Starting today, nominations of additional candidates to the slate by petition will be accepted until Sunday, July 6, at 11:59 p.m. The official slate of finalists will be announced the following week. Finalists will then participate in “Meet and Greet” sessions throughout the diocese from Sept. 11-14, meeting with EDSJ parishioners in all three of the diocesan deaneries. Then, the diocese will host the bishop’s election on Oct. 18 at St. James Cathedral in Fresno, with a consecration officiated by Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and an installation ceremony planned in spring of next year.
Bishop Rice has served as EDSJ’s Bishop Diocesan since 2017 after serving as Bishop Provisional starting in 2014. He had previously served as the diocesan bishop in the Diocese of Waiapu, in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa/New Zealand. EDSJ’s new bishop will be the sixth for the Diocese since Louis Sanford was elected the First Missionary Bishop of San Joaquin in 1910.
EDSJ has worked hard to heal and rebuild since 2007, when former bishop John David Schofield led many congregations out of The Episcopal Church. Those who remained have moved out of isolation into re-engagement with the wider Church under the leadership of Bishop Rice and former provisional bishops the Rt. Rev. Jerry Lamb and Rt. Rev. Chet Talton.
Today, EDSJ has 19 active congregations, offering vibrant ministries that address the unique needs of their respective communities. These include feeding ministries, services for the unhoused, and outreach to Latinos and members of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the diocese has commissions with lay and ordained members that focus on migrant justice, racial justice, and creation care.
The Standing Committee continues to work closely with the Rev. Canon Brian Nordwick – a consultant from the Diocese of El Camino Real – to ensure the election process is canonically correct, spiritually faithful, and adheres to best practices.
The Nominating Committee posted its Diocesan Profile online last year. For information: www.diosanjoaquin.org/bishop-search.