Nine ballots, seven hours and a visit by the former presiding bishop of the entire Episcopal Church in the United States later — Hawai'i has a new bishop.

It was one of those movie moments: Organ music sounded, the bells of St. Andrew's Cathedral chimed and voices were lifted in praise when the Rev. Canon Robert L. Fitzpatrick, canon to the ordinary of the Office of the Bishop of Hawai'i, was announced as the fifth bishop of the local diocese.

"We're well pleased — and well worn out!" said the Rev. Tim Sexton.

Fitzpatrick's election wasn't surprising — he was the only candidate working here and had been the outgoing bishop's right-hand man for the past six years. What was surprising was the length of time it took to get him elected.

In June, 1996, current Bishop Richard S.O. Chang, was elected in two ballots.

From the very first ballot, Fitzpatrick was the choice of the clergy. In Episcopal voting, both lay people and clergy vote simultaneously but separately, and the winning candidate must have a majority in both votes.

The votes were slightly more diffused in early balloting, but eventually, the choice came down to two: Fitzpatrick, always ahead with the clergy, and the Rev. Canon Howard Anderson, president and warden of Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral, where President Reagan's funeral was held.

Anderson was another favorite son, but his credentials weren't as recent: He has a Ph.D from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa in American studies. His wife, Linda, had taught in Manoa and Kalihi.

Some lay people said privately during voting that Anderson "blew us away" during his visits to churches here.

It came down to the wire, but the vote, the last to be taken for the day before a scheduled recess, finally went Fitzpatrick's way.

The clergy were elated by the choice. They lined up afterward to bestow lei and congratulations.

"I believe we called him because we believe we can trust him," said the Very Rev. Ann McElligott, dean of St. Andrew's.

And lay people who were in his camp were pleased, too: "We had lots of good candidates," said Karen Sender, who sings in the choir at St. Andrew's. "To me, he's the most spiritually driven."

The day began with Holy Eucharist, celebrated by the former presiding bishop of the U.S. denomination, Edmond Browning. His battle with skin cancer may have taken some punch from his step, but Browning still packed quite a wallop with his words.

"Today is about the future," a frail-looking Browning told the packed St. Andrew's Cathedral, jammed with delegates from across the state.

Browning urged delegates to meet today's issues head-on and deflected criticism that the church is "the trendy captive of a secular agenda," as argued by those who continue to write him to "stop talking about the issues and start talking about Jesus."

"Ignoring the state of the world is not the way to holiness," he said, adding, "the condemnation of Jesus and his crucifixion could have been avoided if he'd chosen not to address issues. ... I find it difficult to avoid the issues."

If it weren't for that, he said, the Episcopal Church would have remained silent on the issues of gay rights and sexual abuse, would not have women priests or women bishops.

"It would be quieter for us, but the agony of the world would be far worse," Browning said.

Other candidates had been the Rev. Canon Kathleen Cullinane, associate dean and canon missioner of Christ Church Cathedral of Indianapolis, who was a finalist for Fitzpatrick's job, Chang said.

Also in the running had been the Rev. David C. Moore, priest in charge of St. Margaret's Church in Bellevue, Wash., who served as 'Iolani School chaplain from 2002 to 2005. His wife of 30 years, Sarah, served as director of communications for the Hawai'i diocese during part of that time.

Two candidates withdrew their names during the course of the voting: The Rev. Joy Rogers, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Battle Creek, Mich., and the Rev. David Y. Ota, who had been nominated by petition later.

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i is one of the smallest dioceses in the Episcopal Church, with about 8,000 members in 39 congregations.

According to the diocesean Web site, Fitzpatrick taught as a volunteer for mission at Trinity Theological College, Umuahia, Nigeria. He was the assistant to the rector at St. Peter's Church, Morristown, N.J., from 1986 to 1990. From 1990 to 2000, he served as rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Fort Wayne, Ind. He has served on the boards of soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food banks and other organizations in New Jersey and Indiana.

He has chaired the Hawai'i deputation to General Convention twice and is on the board of Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Fitzpatrick's wife, Beatrice Elizondo Fitzpatrick, teaches medical technology. The younger of their two sons, James, is a senior at 'Iolani School.