Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis, has described the Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Roseau, Fr Kendrick Forbes, as a pillar of faith who will bring deep commitment and insightful leadership to the Catholic faithful in Dominica.
He said he was delighted to extend warm congratulations to Fr Forbes following his appointment by Pope Francis.
“Reverend Father Kendrick Forbes has been a pillar of faith and leadership in our community, and his dedication to the spiritual and moral guidance of his congregation has been truly admirable,” the prime minister said.
“His new role is a reflection of his steadfast faith and his relentless devotion to serving the church and its followers.”
He said as the Bishop-elect Fr Forbes is poised to bring “deep commitment and insightful leadership to the Diocese of Roseau.”
“I am confident that he will continue to lead with grace and wisdom, inspiring all those around him,” Davis stated.
He said all Bahamians are proud of Fr Forbes and his achievement and they are all “excited about the positive impacts of his pastoral leadership in Dominica.”
“We wish him all the best as he prepares to take on this significant new responsibility,” the Bahamian prime minister remarked.
On Thursday last week, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had elected Fr Forbes as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Roseau. He replaces Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire, who served as Bishop for 20 years before being named Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries, St Lucia in 2022. Dominica had been without a Bishop since then.
Fr Forbes is the tenth Bishop to be named for the Diocese of Roseau. The first was Fr Michael Monaghan who was appointed on April 30, 1850.
A date for his ordination as Bishop has not been set yet but according to the Vatican, he has three months to prepare.
Below is the list of the ten Bishops who have been named to the Diocese of Roseau.
(Source: catholic-hierarchy.org)
Michael Monaghan: (30 Apr 1850 Appointed – 14 Jul 1855 Died)
Désiré-Michel Vesque: (19 Aug 1856 Appointed – 10 Jul 1858 Died)
René-Marie-Charles Poirier, C.I.M.: (12 Nov 1858 Appointed – 23 Apr 1878 Died)
Michael Naughten (2 Sep 1879 Appointed – 4 Jul 1900 Died)
Philip Schelfhaut, C.SS.R. : (22 Jan 1902 Appointed – 22 May 1921 Died)
Jaak Moris, C.SS.R.: (4 Mar 1922 Appointed – 4 Jun 1957 Died)
Arnold Boghaert, C.SS.R.: (4 Jun 1957 Succeeded – 29 Nov 1993 Died)
Edward Joseph Gilbert, C.SS.R.: (1 Jul 1994 Appointed – 13 Mar 2001 Appointed,
Archbishop of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
Gabriel Malzaire: (10 Jul 2002 Appointed – 11 Feb 2022 Appointed, Archbishop of
Castries, Saint Lucia)
Kendrick John Forbes (2 May 2024 Appointed – )
ARTICLE TAKEN FROM DOMINICA NEWS ONLINE
