On February 13, 2025, several hours before his 96th birthday, the prophetic servant leader, Archbishop Edgerton Roland Clarke, passed away. He leaves behind a world largely dominated by self-serving, polarised, narcissistic, and authoritarian religious and political leadership, resulting in religious tensions and social upheaval across every continent.
Yet, during his 65 years of priesthood and 57 years as a bishop, his servant leadership style resembled the persistent droplets from the roof of his heart, gradually penetrating the concrete surface of the world’s hardened culture. This prophetic servant leader has died leaving behind a hardened world, alongside a legacy for religious leaders to remember, reflect upon, and replicate.
Servant leadership is a philosophy established by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s. Similar to the Old Testament prophets, it values people over profit, emphasising the development, empowerment, and well-being of individuals within organisations. This transformational leadership style encourages people to grow and innovate. According to the Greenleaf Centre for Servant Leadership, servant leaders possess eight characteristics, some of which I wish to exemplify in the life of Archbishop Clarke.
The first characteristic is empathy. An empathetic servant leader understands and validates others’ thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. When he was appointed the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Montego Bay at 37, becoming the first local priest in the English-speaking Caribbean to achieve this status, he encountered many older, foreign Jesuit priests. However, he frequently spoke of the mutual dialogue and respect they shared in the decision-making process of the diocese. Further, his empathy towards the pastoral and spiritual needs of the diocese inspired him to establish a laity formation team to train lay leaders who were tasked with the responsibility of caring for his growing diocese.
The second characteristic, listening, evolved as he developed in his role as a bishop. Listening involves understanding the facts, feelings, and values being communicated. As a young bishop, the reality of the Church was clear to him — ageing foreign missionary priests, a lack of local clergy, and a growing population in the counties of Cornwall and Middlesex. However, attentive listening allowed him to deeply understand the Roman Catholic church’s call for local clergy and the necessity to intentionally prepare men for the priesthood. Consequently, the minor seminary in St James was his initiative. It opened its doors in 1987 and was tasked with preparing young men spiritually, academically, and communally for rigorous formation at the major seminary in Kingston. Many senior priests, including myself, and bishops from both dioceses benefited from this pastoral initiative.
Thirdly, the archbishop’s integrity was exemplary, as he adhered to his ethics and principles. Born into a humble family in Cambridge, St James, to a father who was both a farmer and a policeman, Roland Edward, and a teacher mother, Josephine, née Kameka. He carried this modest upbringing into his priesthood. In Montego Bay, his office was part of the ordinary complex of the rectory of the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral for several decades. His humble life and spirituality inspired his bishop’s motto, “All things to all,” taken from 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22: “I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… To the weak, I became weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means, I might save some.” Reflecting on his modest upbringing, he once told one of his nieces, “We are simple people. We come from simple people.”
Additionally, his collaborative spirit, which fostered an environment that encouraged a sense of belonging, was evident in his understanding of the Church as communion. He never preached a homily or sermon that omitted the meaning of communion. Once, in conversation, he said to me: “If there is no communion, there is no Church.” He firmly believed Christians are grafted into Christ and the Church through baptism. By being grafted we become united with Christ and the Church. This union makes every baptised person a member of the body of Christ. Consequently, the body of Christ must live out that communion to be credible disciples of Jesus Christ.
Finally, he was committed to continuous learning, actively seeking opportunities to expand his knowledge and skills. His learning did not cease after completing seminary studies at St John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, USA, in 1959. Ordained a priest during the theological and pastoral paradigm shift of the church, the Second Vatican Council in 1960, he dedicated himself to updating his understanding of the new church documents from the council and the insights that revolutionised the church in the following decades. His library was extensively filled with various books and, even in retirement, he recognised the need to continue learning.
The archbishop’s legacy of servant leadership endures in the Jubilee Year 2025, celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church amid a religious and political landscape grappling with a scarcity of prophetic servant leaders. Nevertheless, his legacy inspires us to “hope against hope” for new leadership, which exemplifies humility, in the world.
