The Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands entered a new chapter in its life and ministry on Saturday, July 25, with the ordination and consecration of the Reverend Canon Collin Reid as Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay.
Held at the historic St James Parish Church on the Feast of Saint James the Apostle, the Service brought together bishops, clergy, family, friends and worshippers from across Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the wider Church in the Province of the West Indies, as well as representatives of the ecumenical fraternity and civil society.
In a liturgy rich in prayer, music and symbolism, Canon Reid was formally presented to the Church, and he affirmed his commitment to Holy Scripture and to the faith, discipline and mission of the Church.
In delivering the Sermon, the Right Reverend Claude Berkley, Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago, reflected on the Christian calling to serve faithfully “from the heart.” Commenting on Canon Reid’s years in education, administration and parish ministry, Bishop Berkley emphasised that Christian leadership is not about position or status, but about service, submission and sacrifice for the good of others.
He pointed to the complex role of the Bishop as a standard-bearer and visionary, while managing diversity and promoting unity in a changing global environment in which artificial intelligence, social media and declining interest in the Christian principles that form the core of the Church’s being are dominant. He pledged the support of the House of Bishops for their newly ordained brother.
At the heart of the service, Canon Reid knelt, and following the ancient practice of the Church, the Bishops of the Province laid hands upon him and prayed for the gift and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through this solemn act, he was ordained and consecrated as the fifth Bishop of Montego Bay.
Bishop Reid received the Bible, mitre and pastoral staff — visible signs of his responsibility as teacher, pastor and guardian of the faith. Following the Consecration, he joined the Archbishop of the West Indies and the bishops of the Province in a concelebrated Eucharist.
The occasion reaffirmed the Church’s understanding of episcopal leadership as a ministry exercised within community — a bishop called to gather rather than divide, to encourage rather than dominate, and to lead not from privilege but from the example of Christ, who came among humanity as one who serves.
The Service was also significant for the Most Reverend Philip Wright, Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the West Indies, as it was the first episcopal ordination and consecration at which he has presided since his election in November 2025 and installation as Archbishop in April 2026.
As Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay, Bishop Reid will have pastoral responsibility for western Jamaica, which includes the parishes of St James, Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny and St Ann. He will also have episcopal oversight for the parishes of Manchester and St. Elizabeth, which are part of the Mandeville Region for which there is currently no Bishop.
Contributed By:
Dudley McLean II
Church Historian
