Osmond Peter Martin, (December 4, 1930 – February 16, 2017) served from 1983 to 2006 as the third
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
for the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan.
Early life
Osmond Peter Martin was born on December 4, 1930, in
Dangriga
Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean coast at the mouth of the North Stann Creek River. It is the capital of Belize's Stann Creek District. Dangriga is served by the Dangriga Airpo ...
,
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
. He studied for the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priesthood at
Kenrick Seminary in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, United States of America, and was ordained a priest on April 3, 1959, in his home parish of Sacred Heart in Dangriga. He was assigned to
Corozal, then to
San Ignacio in the
Cayo District. He returned to Corozal to help with the new school, St. Francis Xavier, and subsequently served as pastor at Sacred Heart parish in San Ignacio and St. Joseph parish in
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...
.
[Woods, Charles M. Sr., et al. ''Years of Grace: The History of Roman Catholic Evangelization in Belize'': 1524–2014. (Belize: Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan, 2015).]
Episcopacy
Martin was consecrated bishop on October 7, 1982, at
St. John's College. Principal consecrator was Bishop
Robert Louis Hodapp, S.J., of Belize and co-consecrators were Archbishop Gordon Anthony Pantin, C.S.Sp., of
Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, and Archbishop Samuel Emmanuel Carter, S.J., of
Kingston, Jamaica. Martin served as
auxiliary bishop until Bishop Hodapp's retirement on November 11, 1983, when he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan with
Holy Redeemer in Belize City his home parish. The Diocese had been newly named in recognition of the new capital city of
Belmopan
Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. In addition to being the smallest capital city in the continental Americas by population, Belmopan is the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and Sa ...
.
[ Martin was the first native Belizean to be appointed bishop of Belize. He welcomed three more religious congregations to Belize. From 1985 to 1994 ]Dominican sisters
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
(O.P.) from St. Catherine in Springfield, Kentucky
Springfield is a home rule-class city in and county seat of Washington County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,846 at the 2020 census.
History
Springfield was established in 1793 and probably named for springs in the area.
The h ...
, U.S., labored in Belize. And in 1986 the Columbans came to St. Ignatius, St. Vianney, and Ladyville
Ladyville is the largest village in the country of Belize, eight miles northwest of Belize City in the Belize District. The Philip Goldson Highway connects Ladyville to Belize City.
History
Although originally a separate settlement, Ladyville ...
around Belize City and, after a few years, to Dangriga. In 1998 the Viatorians came to Belize to pastor Xavier Parish in Corozal and the district villages.[
]
Synod, media
In 1989 Martin summoned the first ever synod of the diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
which gave direction to the efforts of the diocese in the ensuing years, in the areas of education, formation of the laity (family life and marriage, social concerns, youth), and liturgy.[ In April 2001, in Belize City next to Holy Redeemer Cathedral, Bishop Martin inaugurated the Monsignor Facundo Castillo Diocesan Center, home to nearly all of the diocesan apostolic ministries. The voice of the diocese goes out from here through radio, television, and the monthly ''Christian Herald'' newspaper.][ Martin died on February 16, 2017, aged 86.]
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Osmond P.
1930 births
2017 deaths
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Belize
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Belize
People from Dangriga
Belizean bishops
Roman Catholic bishops of Belize City–Belmopan