The Diocese of the Rio Grande has elected the Rev. Dr. Michael Louis Vono, rector of St. Paul’s Within the Walls, Rome, as its ninth bishop.

Vono was elected on the third ballot. He led strongly among the laity from the first ballot, and quickly gained strength among the clergy as well.

Vono, 61, was ordained to the priesthood in 1977 and has served at St. Paul’s since 1992.

The six-person slate also included:

Rio Grande’s eighth bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Steenson (2005–07), left the Episcopal Church and became a Roman Catholic priest. Its seventh bishop, the Rt. Rev. M. Terence Kelshaw (1989–2005), left the Episcopal Church after his retirement and affiliated with the Anglican Church of Uganda.

In a question-and-answer profile [PDF], Vono stressed his many years of experience and wrote of how he responded when one of his parishes was in conflict over what style of cross to place above the altar.

“I proposed placing three different crosses over the Altar; a Christ the King cross, symbolic of an Anglo-Catholic spirituality, the original Celtic cross, symbolic of broad Anglican spirituality, and the simple wooden cross, symbolic of Evangelical spirituality,” Vono wrote. “Each cross spiritually represented a particular understanding of mission as well as ministry. Each remained over the altar two months. Throughout those six months we held evening discussion forums which enabled us to address issues such as the Church’s identity, history in the community, and mission priorities. … Today the Celtic cross is in place as well as an effective broad Anglican mission.”