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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's Episcopal Diocese have chosen a new bishop.
Clerical leaders and church members elected the Rev. Cannon Scott Hayashi of Chicago to lead the congregation into the future.
Hayashi's election came Saturday after two rounds of voting by some 200 clergy and lay members of the faith. The announcement of his selection was followed by a ringing of the bells at St. Mark's Cathedral in downtown Salt Lake City.
What I learned in Utah was the importance of working with people in a heart sort of way, as opposed to struggling with language or belief structures.
–Rev. Scott Hayashi
Rev. Hayashi has served in Utah before as rector of Ogden's Good Shepherd Church from 1989 to 1998.
"What I learned in Utah was the importance of working with people in a heart sort of way, as opposed to struggling with language or belief structures," said Rev. Hayashi.
Rev. Hayashi will return to Utah in November to replace the Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish, who is retiring.
His nomination must first be approved by other dioceses and bishops. If that happens, Rev. Hayashi will be the 11th Utah bishop in the past 143 years.
He'll preside over the entire state, as well as the town of Page, Ariz.
Rev. Hayashi attended Harvard Divinity School and the University of Washington. He has been married for 29 years and has three daughters.
Utah has about 5,200 Episcopalians.
