Rev Leon Golding ordained Suffragan Bishop of MoBay

WESTERN BUREAU:

THE RIGHT Reverend Leon Golding last Friday became the Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay after he was ordained at the historic St James Parish Church by Right Reverend Dr John Holder, the Lord Archbishop of the West Indies, Primate and Metropolitan.

Bishop Golding formerly served as archdeacon of the Montego Bay region and succeeds the Right Reverend Dr Howard Gregory, who was enthroned as the 14th Lord Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on May 17, 2012, after serving as Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay for 10 years.

In his sermon, the Right Reverend Cornell Moss, who is from Guyana, charged the newly ordained Bishop Golding to be humble, as God has placed him among his people to inspire hope, liberation and truth, which are key components of spiritual freedom.

"God has chosen you," said Bishop Moss. "Make him known and real to people ... people must be at the heart of your ministry."

mend broken bridges

Bishop Moss told Bishop Golding that the leaders of the church are constantly faced with economic pressures, social degradation and an abysmal cloud of hopelessness and are being constantly challenged by corrupt systems. However, he said God wants them to make Him known among the confusion.

"God is calling you to make Him known in the chaos, in order that there is a balm in Gilead. God is placing you (Bishop Golding) at the centre of all that contemporary man experiences to mend broken bridges," said Bishop Moss.

The service was punctuated with musical tributes from Alex Gray, Holy Trinity Steel Orchestra, Orland Bailey, Canon Grace Jervis and trumpet fanfare from the Jamaica Defence Force.

The liturgy for the ordination and consecration of Golding as bishop of the Montego Bay region was the closing activity for the Triennial Synod of the Church in the province of the West Indies. The new bishop was warmly greeted by the bench of bishops from the various territories.

barrington.flemming@gleanerjm.com