Bishop candidates Benoni Y. Ogwal-Abwan, Brian J. Grieves and Alexander James MacKenzie (left to right).

A local search committee sought local members' wish lists, tapped a computer program that codifies compatibilities much like a dating service, and traveled afar for intensive interviews with candidates and their colleagues, bishops and parishioners.

Three candidates have island ties. The Rev. Richard S.O. Chang and the Rev. Brian J. Grieves, Iolani School graduates, served in the church here before leaving with former Honolulu Bishop Edmond Browning when he was elected Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States in 1986. The Rev. A. James MacKenzie, who is part-Hawaiian, moved to the mainland after his graduation from Kamehameha Schools.

Another candidate was bishop of northern Uganda, driven into exile by anti-church government leaders.

The Rt. Rev. Benoni Ogwal-Abwang is currently rector of a church in Harrisburg, Pa.

The Rev. T. James Kodera, born in Japan and educated in the United States, has taught religion for 23 years, currently at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. He is the author of several books and articles.

A round of preaching appearances and receptions will give local church members the opportunity to meet their prospective leader.

The final step in the selection process will be balloting among delegates at the diocesan general convention June 28 and 29.

"All of these five would prove to be a good bishop here," said the Rev. Donor MacNeice, rector of Christ Memorial Church in Kilauea, Kauai. He and Bettye-Jo Harris of Oahu were co-chairmen of the 17 member search committee which began work a year ago with a survey of local church members. "I wouldn't go through it again, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world," said MacNeice.

"The people wanted a good pastoral, healing type of person because of our situation," said MacNeice. "There was a lot of anger. Because of the situation with the money, a lot of people said they wanted a financial whiz.

"You can't get that, but you can get someone who knows how to draw in the right people, collect in those he needs to tackle things."

It has been two years since Bishop Donald P. Hart retired after eight years, under pressure because of financial turmoil over the church's involvement in a retirement home project. Under Hart's leadership, the diocese guaranteed a $4 million loan to Episcopal Homes Hawaii, a nonprofit company created to develop a luxury retirement community in Waialae-Kahala. After spending more than $12 million, the project stalled leaving the diocese responsible for the loan. The repercussions cost jobs, curtailed programs and affected the budgets of the 41 parishes in Hawaii.

MacNeice said time was allowed to pass as part of the healing process.

"We were terribly lucky having Bishop (George) Hunt here. He has done so much good. He held people together, guided them along the right path, put them straight." The local church chose Hunt, retired from the Rhode Island diocese, to serve as interim bishop since January 1995.

The high-tech phase in the discernment process came after the search committee collected answers to a membership survey that asked "who are we?" and "what do we want in a bishop?"

"We printed a profile and sent it to church headquarters in New York," MacNeice said. "People asked for 'good preacher,' 'financial wizard.' Each has a code and when it goes into the computer, it finds someone to match the profile.

"We got 78 prospects . . . some were sick, some are dead, some don't want it. Not everybody matches 100 percent." MacNeice said the committee also received nominations for specific candidates. "We wrote to everyone, some said no. If they said yes, we pursued further references."

The committee first reduced the list to 25 people, then to eight semi-finalists. Early this month, the committee broke into teams of three who went to the mainland to interview the candidates and their colleagues, parishioners and bishops.

The ethnic diversity of the five finalists "was not sought, it just happened," MacNeice said. "It is amazing that it came about. I think it's wonderful."

Should a non-Caucasian be selected as bishop, he would not be the first. Bishop E. Lani Hanchett, who was part-Hawaiian, was elected in 1969 and served until his death in 1976.

Selection requires a majority vote of both houses - clergy and laity - of the diocesan general convention.