Vatican appoints Guyanese priest as bishop in Jamaica

Jun 20, 2020 News

Appointed Bishop: Father John Derek Persaud

The Vatican yesterday announced that Pope Francis has appointed Father John Derek Persaud, a Diocesan Priest of the Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana, as the Bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica.

“Fr. John is the third child,” the release stated, “of John and Sheila Persaud (both deceased) and was born in Queenstown, Georgetown on 28th August 1956. He has five sisters and three brothers.”
The Catholic Church in Guyana explained that Persaud did his Seminary formation at the Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Father Persaud would have done post-graduate studies in Religious Education in Ireland and in Canon Law in Rome.
“Fr. John was ordained a Diocesan Priest,” the Church said, “on 14th July 1985 and has served in his home Diocese of Georgetown in various capacities: Parish Priest, Administrator of the Cathedral, Vicar General, Vicar for Clergy, Judicial Vicar, Director of Vocations and Director of Religious Education.”
He has also served the wider Caribbean church as Judicial Vicar of the Eastern Antilles Interdiocesan Tribunal and as General Secretary of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
“As soon as Fr. John Persaud can travel to Jamaica he will be visiting Mandeville to meet with the Apostolic Administrator, Clergy, Religious and the Faithful of the Diocese of Mandeville to begin preparations for his Episcopal Ordination,” the release noted.