First Arab American Episcopal bishop leads Long Island diocese

The Rt. Rev. Adam James Shoemaker was ordained and consecrated as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Long Island on September 19, becoming the first Episcopal bishop of Arab and North African descent in The Episcopal Church's history. Nearly 2,000 people attended the service at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at Long Island University's C.W. Post campus in Brookville, New York. As bishop, Shoemaker leads more than 120 congregations across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties. The 47-year-old was born in New York to an Egyptologist mother of Jewish descent and an Egyptian Muslim father. He was baptized at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles and earned a diploma in Anglican Studies from General Theological Seminary. Shoemaker was raised in Huntington after his mother remarried Thomas Shoemaker, whose surname he legally adopted. His life experiences as an Egyptian American in a culturally diverse region shaped his focus on racial justice and reconciliation. Before his election in April, Shoemaker served congregations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Massachusetts, and worked as a Young Adult Service Corps volunteer in Brazil. He previously served as rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Charleston, where he collaborated with other historically Black Episcopal churches on reconciliation initiatives.

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Source: Episcopal News Service — https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/21/adam-shoemaker-consecrated-as-ninth-bishop-of-diocese-of-long-island/