Gordon Dunlap Bennett, S.J. (born October 21, 1946) is an African-American former Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Mandeville in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

from 2004 to 2006. He was banned from returning to active ministry in two dioceses of the Baltimore Province following a sexual harassment allegation. Bennett is also a former Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore. An active

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, Bennett is currently a member of the California province.

Early life

Bennett was born on October 21, 1946, in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He first attended Loyola Grammar School in Denver. After his family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1955, Bennett went to Holy Spirit Elementary School and then St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School. In 1964, Bennett graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles as the class valedictorian. Later in 1964, Bennett entered the Society of Jesus at

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

. On September 8, 1966 he pronounced his first vows as a Jesuit. In 1966, Bennett enrolled at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

, but transferred in 1968 to

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

. He graduated from Gonzaga with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. Bennett then returned to Los Angeles to teach at Loyola High School. In 1975, he graduated with a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. On June 14, 1975, Bennett was ordained to the priesthood at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. His first assignment after ordination was as Assistant Principal for Campus Ministry at

St. Ignatius College Preparatory St. Ignatius College Preparatory, commonly referred to as SI, is a private, Catholic preparatory school in the Jesuit tradition, serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1855. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, in the Su ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, serving there until 1979. In 1979, Bennett received his Masters in Education in Secondary School Administration at Loyola Marymount University. In 1980, he received a Professional Diploma in Administration from

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

. In 1980, Bennett became principal of Loyola High School, serving in that role until 1988. On February 2, 1983, Bennett pronounced his

final vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of rel ...

as a Jesuit. In 1989, Bennett became the Rector and Master of Novices at the Jesuit Novitiate in both Santa Barbara and

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

. In 1996, he was named President of Loyola High School.

Episcopacy

In 1998,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Titular Bishop of Nesqually and Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore. He was ordained Bishop at the

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a Catholic cathedral located in northern Baltimore, Maryland. The structure, remarkable in size, was completed in 1959. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore, joining the Basilica of the Nati ...

in Baltimore on March 3, 1998 On July 6, 2004, John Paul II appointed Bennett as Bishop of Madeville, Jamaica. He assumed his duties as bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica, on September 24, 2004.

Resignation

In May 2006, a young adult in

, who knew Bennett from Baltimore, complained to then archbishop of Baltimore

William Keeler William Henry Keeler (March 4, 1931 – March 23, 2017) was an American Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1989 to 2007 and was elevated to the College of Cardinals ...

that Bennett had sexually harassed them. Keeler reported the allegations to the apostolic nunciature in Washington DC. On August 8, 2006, citing health reasons, Bennett resigned as Bishop of Mandeville. After leaving Jamaica in 2006, Bennett moved to Los Angeles., working for several months organizing retreats and formation cessions for the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles ( la, Archidiœcesis Angelorum in California, es, Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in th ...

. He was then appointed the Peter Faber, S.J. Fellow in Pastoral Theology and Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University. In 2009, the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

cleared Bennett of the sexual harassment allegations from 2006. However, the Vatican limited him to a narrowed range of episcopal duties, all under supervision. In March 2019, Archbishop

William Lori William Edward Lori (born May 6, 1951) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as the 16th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland since 2012. He was previously the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport ...

of Baltimore forbade Bennett from exercising ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore due to the 2006 allegation of sexual harassment, which a stricter investigation on their part deemed credible. On March 12, 2019, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that a statement from the Society of Jesus said Bennett had stopped working in ministry in August 2018 and was undergoing treatment for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

References

External links

National Black Catholic Congress
bio of Gordon Bennett
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore Official Site

Episcopal succession