The Roman Catholic Diocese of Montego Bay (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Dioecesis Sinus Sereni'') is a Latin

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

diocese of the

Roman 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 ...

located on the northwest part of the island of

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 ...

(

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...

), in the Caribbean

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kingston (which covers all Jamaica, the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

and

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 ...

), yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Its episcopal see is the Most Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, in

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

, Saint James (civil) parish. Pope Francis appointed Burchell Alexander McPherson of the Archdiocese of Kingston the third Bishop of Montego Bay on April 11, 2013. He was consecrated and installed at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Montego Bay on June 8, 2013.

History

* Established 14 September 1967 by Pope

Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

as Diocese of Montego Bay (''Dioecesis Sinus Sereni''), on territory split off from Diocese of Kingston), as its suffragan. * Lost territory on 1991.04.15 to establish the then

Apostolic Vicariate of Mandeville The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mandeville is a Latin suffragan bishopric in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. ...

, now also a suffragan of Kingston.

Episcopal ordinaries

(all

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

, so far native) * Edgerton Roland Clarke (1967.09.14 – 1994.11.11), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica (Jamaica) (1994.11.11 – retired 2004.02.17), President of Antilles Episcopal Conference (1997 – 2003) - Pope

selected Edgerton Roland Clarke as the first bishop of Montego Bay. Clarke was born in 1929 and was consecrated a bishop upon the inauguration of the diocese of Montego Bay. * Charles Henry Dufour (6 December 1995 – 11 April 2013), also

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Mandeville (Jamaica) (2006.08.08 – 2008.05.20); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Kingston (Jamaica) (2011.04.15 – resigned 2016.04.29), again Apostolic Administrator of above Mandeville (2016.04.29 – ...) - 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 ...

elected Charles H. Dufour who was born in Kingston on April 15, 1940. He was ordained a priest in August 1970, and then went on to be appointed bishop and consecrated on Feb. 10, 1996 at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Montego Bay. * Burchell Alexander McPherson (11 April 2013 - ...), no previous prelature.

Statistics and extent

As per 2014, it pastorally served 10,000 Catholics (1.5% of 647,600 total) on 3,878 km² in 10 parishes and 22 missions with 12 priests (9 diocesan, 3 religious), 12 deacons, 16 lay religious (6 brothers, 10 sisters) and 1 seminarian. The diocese of Montego Bay is made up of five administrative

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es: St. James, Trelawny, St. Ann, Westmoreland and Hanover. Of the three Roman Catholic dioceses in Jamaica, the diocese of Montego Bay is the largest in land area spanning 1,500 sq. miles.

Parishes

Not every parish in the Montego Bay Diocese is able to have a full-time priest available. Many parishes rely on missionary priests to aid in the celebration of Mass and the sacraments. The list of parishes includes the name of the full-time pastor if available. *Blessed Sacrament Cathedral: located in Montego Bay, Blessed Sacrament Cathedral is the seat of the bishop. It was built in 1967 with the founding of the diocese. The rector is the Very Rev. Msgr. Eremodo Muavesi *Our Lady of Fatima: located in Ocho Rios. *Mary, Gate of Heaven: located in Negril. Pastor is Rev. Fr. James Bok *Sts. Philip and James: located in Lucea. *St. Joseph, the Worker: located in Falmouth. - Rev James Saturday *St. Ignatius: located in Brown's Town. Rev Peter *Holy Name: located in Bamboo. Pastor is Rev. philip Mckenzie . *St. Boniface: located in Alva. *Our Lady of Perpetual Help: located in St. Ann's Bay.Rev Gerard Reid *Sacred Heart: located in Reading. Pastor is Fr. Marek Kolbuch *Sacred Heart: located in Seaford Town. Rev Morris *St. Joseph: located in Savanna-la-mar. *St. Mark: located in Grange Hill.

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic - data for most sections
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montego Bay