The Our Lady of Fair Haven Cathedral in Roseau was filled with dignitaries, clergy, and faithful from across the region on July 25, the feast of St James the Apostle, to witness the episcopal ordination of Bahamian priest Bishop-elect Kendrick Forbes as the 10th Bishop of Roseau.
In his address, Archbishop Patrick Pinder of Nassau praised Bishop-elect Forbes, referring to him as “a gift to the Diocese of Roseau.” He highlighted his distinguished service in the Archdiocese of Nassau over the past 22 years where he served as pastor, judicial vicar, and vicar general.
Archbishop Pinder assured Her Excellency Sylvanie Burton, President of the Commonwealth of Dominica; Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, and all the people of Dominica that “in your new bishop you are receiving not our second best, but our very best.”
He illustrated that the role of a bishop involves being called to serve away from home, adapting to new communities, and sharing in their joys, sorrows, aspirations, and hopes.
Reflecting on the broader context of regional cooperation, Archbishop Pinder drew parallels with the Bahamas’ experience of receiving leadership from outside in the form of Archbishop Lawrence Aloysius Burke SJ from Jamaica. “His leadership was a grace and a blessing for us,” he said. “In many ways, he left us much better off than he met us. His presence and his leadership offered us a lesson in the benefits of regional cooperation.”
Elaborating on the role and responsibilities of a bishop, Archbishop Pinder referenced sacred scripture and documents from the Second Vatican Council, namely Lumen Gentium and Christus Dominus.
He described the bishop’s duties as priestly, prophetic, and pastoral. As a priest, the bishop leads his people in celebrating the faith; as a prophet, he teaches the faith; and as a pastor, he administers the material resources of the church.
The ordination ceremony included significant liturgical symbols. Bishop-elect Forbes prostrated himself, symbolising his unworthiness for the office and his dependence on God and the supportive prayers of the Church. The laying of hands and the prayer of ordination signified his acceptance into the college of bishops. The ring he received symbolises his union with the diocese and his lifetime commitment as a servant of the Lord.
“The image is nuptial…. He is married to his diocese. As his bishop up to now, it leaves me to a peculiar position of a spiritual father now handing over his son in marriage. See, he has taken a wife, and her name is Roseau,” Archbishop Pinder said.
He commented Bishop-elect Forbes is a very gifted preacher. “One of his former parishioners told me recently that he and his family always found Fr Forbes’ homilies inspirational. Indeed, he said he and his family were better Christians because of it. No doubt this local church will be enriched by the preaching of your new bishop,” the Archbishop said.
Archbishop Pinder observed the ordination of a bishop is not a common occurrence in the life of a diocese. It does not happen every week or every year or even every decade.
To this end he urged the people of Dominica to embrace their new bishop, affirm him, cooperate with him, pray for him, support him and love him “as so many of his parishioners has done in the parishes he has served….”
Since the Diocese of Roseau had been without a bishop following the departure of Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire to Castries, the news of Bishop-elect Forbes’ election was greeted with elation in Dominica, according to a Dominica News Online report. Archbishop Malzaire served as Bishop of Roseau for over 20 years before being appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries in 2022.
Archbishop Malzaire told Bishop Forbes that he is inheriting a mature diocese with 56 Mass stations of its 115 ecclesiastical parishes. He advised the new bishop to take some time to study the people and the situation he is about to embrace and serve, even as he is expected to hit the ground running.
Archbishop Malzaire mentioned he left four candidates who have completed formation for ordained ministry, three to the permanent diaconate, and one transient deacon.
“It is, to my mind, one of the greatest gifts a new bishop can receive from a diocese, that is the privilege of laying his hands on his new collaborators in ministry at the very dawn of his episcopate,” Archbishop Malzaire said.
Archbishop Malzaire expressed regret that the sacred space prepared for the ordination could not be completed after 11 years of work due to unforeseen delays from natural disasters and lack of funds. He noted that what began as an EC $2.5 million project, involving the replacement of a termite-infested roof, turned into an EC $16 million project. To date, the Roseau diocese has spent EC $12.5 million.
“I believe when it is completed, by your coming to the diocese, it will be one of the most beautiful sacred edifices in the Antilles region. I assure you that, God willing, I will return for the consecration and rededication,” Archbishop Malzaire said.
Bishop Forbes, in his remarks, emphasised the collective effort needed to build God’s kingdom. “While I embrace the work, know that I enlist your participation and involvement of all the faithful because we, emphasis on we, have plenty of work to do.”
Among the attendees at the four-hour-long ordination were esteemed members of clergy including Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Santiago de wit Guzmán, Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) President Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, Archbishop Kenneth Richards of Kingston, Jamaica; Bishops Gerard County of St Vincent and the Grenadines; Phillipe Gouigou of Basse-Terre and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Alain Ransay of Cayenne, John Persaud of Mandeville, Clyde Harvey of St Georges-in-Grenada, Wesley Spiewak of Hamilton, and Fr Donald Chambers, AEC General Secretary.
