Egyptian American ordained as first Arab-descended Episcopal bishop

The Rev. Adam James Shoemaker was elected in April as the ninth bishop of Long Island and will be ordained and consecrated next month, becoming the first Episcopal bishop of Arab and North African descent in The Episcopal Church's 237-year history. Shoemaker, 47, was born in New York City to Jamie Stanforth, an Egyptologist of Jewish descent, and Hamada Haggagi, an Egyptian Muslim. His parents met in Cairo in the mid-1970s and moved to Manhattan before his birth. After his parents divorced, Shoemaker was baptized at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles and raised by his mother and stepfather, Thomas Shoemaker, on Long Island. As a light-skinned Egyptian American, Shoemaker did not face the direct prejudice against Arabs and Muslims that intensified after 9/11, though he observed the vandalism of mosques and discrimination against his darker-skinned relatives in Egypt. This experience shaped his commitment to racial justice, reconciliation, and interfaith work. He graduated from General Theological Seminary and served congregations in North Carolina and Massachusetts, and completed missionary work in Rio de Janeiro with Igreja de Cristo Rei in a favela community. Shoemaker described his life journey as one of prayer and introspection toward embracing diversity in the church.

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Source: Episcopal News Service — https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/08/03/long-island-bishop-elect-reflects-on-faith-journey-as-he-prepares-to-become-first-episcopal-bishop-of-arab-descent/