He spent years reconciling his identity. Now he’s the first Arab bishop in Episcopal history.

Adam J. Shoemaker was consecrated as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island on Saturday, September 19. He is the first bishop of Arab and North African descent in the 237-year history of the Episcopal Church.

Nearly 2,000 people attended the ceremony at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, New York. Shoemaker, 47, is the son of a Muslim Egyptian and a New Yorker with Jewish roots. Before his election as bishop in April, he served as the rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charles.

Shoemaker was baptized in the diocese and has lived in Latin America, where he learned Portuguese and Spanish. During the ceremony, he wore vestments featuring a North African pattern and a Turkish blue tulip.