[Episcopal News Service] After a yearlong discernment process, three nominees for The Episcopal Church’s next bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries have been selected by a committee appointed by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry comprising active-duty and retired military personnel as well as military and federal chaplains.

The nominees announced Feb. 13 are:

• The Rev. Jerome Hinson, captain, Navy Chaplain Corps. Hinson is chief of staff for the Chief of Navy Chaplains.
• The Rev. Ann Ritonia, retired Marine Corps major. Ritonia is the rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church and Parish Day School in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
• The Very Rev. Michael Sniffen, lieutenant, Navy Reserve. Sniffen is dean of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, and dean of the Mercer School of Theology.

The deadline for additional candidates by petition is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. Petition applications or nominations should be submitted in PDF or Word format by email to Gerardo Mazariegos. Submitted documents must include: 1) a resume of no more than two pages; 2) an Office of Transition Ministry profile; 3) biographical information not exceeding two pages; and 4) a statement as to why the applicant/nominee is well-suited to this position.

In accordance with Episcopal Church canons, the House of Bishops will serve as the electoral body for the bishop suffragan, a member of the presiding bishop’s staff. Meet-and-greet sessions are scheduled for March 8 at the House of Bishops meeting in Alabama, with the election slated for March 12.

The bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries is a Department of Defense-appointed Ecclesiastical Enforcer with responsibility for Episcopal chaplains and congregations in the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Office of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries supports federal chaplains who provide spiritual and day-to-day support for those in the military, Veterans Affairs hospitals and prisons.

The search and transition committee is chaired by Christopher Weaver, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral. Committee members include the Rev. Razz Waff, retired Army major general; the Rev. Paul Minor, Army National Guard brigadier general; the Rev. Susan Sowers, retired Army colonel, rector of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Pensacola, Florida; the Rev. Canon Carl Andrews, retired Air Force colonel; the Rev. Christina Mucuuthi Ng’ethe, chaplain, Federal Bureau of Prisons; and the Rev. Chandler Irwin, Navy Chaplain Corps lieutenant, Naval District of Washington.