[Diocese of New Jersey] The Diocese of New Jersey’s Bishop Search and Nomination Committee announced on Oct. 30 the slate of candidates to be the 13th bishop of the diocese.

• The Rev. Dena Cleaver-Bartholomew, canon to the ordinary, Diocese of Rhode Island.
• The Rev. Sally French, canon for regional ministry and collaborative innovation, Diocese of North Carolina.
• The Very Rev. Troy Mendez, dean, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix, Arizona.
• The Rev. Janine Schenone, rector, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, San Diego, California.
• The Rev. Mauricio Jose Wilson, rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland, California.

The announcement was made simultaneously with an email to the diocese, a post on the diocesan web site, and an 8-minute video featuring short introductions from each of the candidates streamed to diocesan social media channels and to YouTube.

Beginning with the release of the announcement, a 30-day period has begun during which additional candidates may be submitted through a form on the NJ Bishop Search web site.

The announcement is a major milestone in the process of electing the diocese’s next bishop, which began in September 2021 when Bishop Chip Stokes announced his intent to retire in June 2023.

That process will continue with the final slate of candidates — those announced Oct. 30 and any who might be added through the petition process — visiting multiple sites around the diocese in early January, prior to the electing convention to be held at Trinity Cathedral on Jan 28.

The successful candidate is scheduled to be ordained at the cathedral on June 24, 2023.

Preliminary information on the nominees can be found at www.bishopsearchnj.org; more extensive information will be published shortly.