[Diocese of Los Angeles] The Diocese of Los Angeles Bishop Search Committee has announced a slate of three nominees to stand for election as eighth bishop of Los Angeles by Diocesan Convention Nov. 7-8 in Riverside.
Approved by the diocesan Standing Committee on Sept. 10, the nominees are:
- The Rev. Antonio Gallardo, rector of St. Luke’s/San Lucas, Long Beach;
- The Rev. Monica Burns Mainwaring, rector of St. Martin in the Fields, Atlanta;
- The Rev. Canon Melissa McCarthy, canon to the ordinary of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Set to succeed the Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor, who will retire next year, the bishop-elect will take office July 11, 2026, during rites planned for All Saints Church, Pasadena.
The nominees have written letters – posted here in English and Spanish – greeting the diocesan community and offering perspectives on ministry. The diocese will publish candidate statements of ministry vision and values, along with video messages, next week.
All in the diocese are invited to join the nominees for regional meet-and-greet gatherings, in person and online, Oct. 20-24 in Camarillo, Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Ana, and Hacienda Heights; details are here.
Gallardo, 58, rector of St. Luke’s, Long Beach, Calif., since 2023, was previously vicar of St. Luke’s of the Mountains, La Crescenta, and served on the clergy staff of All Saints, Pasadena. Ordained to the priesthood in 2019 in the Diocese of Los Angeles, he holds degrees from Venezuela’s Universidad Experimental Politécnica (UNEXPO) and Universidad Centro Occidental Lisandro Alvarado (UCLA), Lehigh University, Claremont School of Theology, and Bloy House.
Mainwaring (pronounced “Mannering”), 47, rector of St. Martin in the Fields, Atlanta, since 2019, was previously vicar of Atlanta’s Church of the Common Ground and served on the clergy staffs of Christ Church, Coronado, and Good Samaritan, San Diego. Ordained to the priesthood in 2015 in the Diocese of San Diego, she holds degrees from UC Davis and Harvard Divinity School.
McCarthy, 53, diocesan canon to the ordinary and chief of staff since 2017, was previously vicar of Church of the Epiphany, Oak Park, and assisted at St. Mark’s, Berkeley, Calif. Ordained to the priesthood in 2006 in the Diocese of Los Angeles, she holds degrees from UC Riverside and Church Divinity School of the Pacific.
In keeping with election practices across the Episcopal Church, the diocesan standing committee has opened a process for nominations by petition, with applications due by 6 p.m. Sept. 19. Additional nominations from the convention floor are not permitted.
The Rev. Kate Cress, president of the standing committee and rector of St. James’, Los Angeles, added: “While the Rev. Dr. Antonio Gallardo is a member of the Standing Committee, I want to make clear that, since he began discerning a call to the episcopate, he has been diligent about removing himself from all meetings, conversations and votes pertaining to the search and election process.”
Similarly, in her role as diocesan canon to the ordinary, McCarthy has not been part of standing committee and search committee discussions of nomination and election matters.
The 19-member Bishop Search Committee is co-chaired by Thomas Diaz, director of connection and care at All Saints, Pasadena, and the Rev. KC Robertson, associate rector of St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades, assisted by Judy Stark, a Florida-based consultant to search processes churchwide.
In a resolution adopted in its Sept. 10 meeting, “The Standing Committee thanks the Search Committee for their diligence, robustness, and spirit-filled work in organizing a slate of candidates to be considered for the VIII Bishop of Los Angeles.”
