The Venerable Leon Paul Golding, Archdeacon for the Montego Bay Region, was elected as the new Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay by the more than 300 clergy and lay representatives of the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands at a special Synod held at St. Luke’s Church, Cross Roads yesterday (September 25).  He succeeds the Rt. Rev. Dr. Howard Gregory, who was enthroned as the Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in May.

Archdeacon Golding entered the ordained ministry as a Deacon in 1984 and became a priest one year later. In his 28-year career, he has served as Assistant Curate at the St. Andrew Parish Church; Rector of the Port Maria Cure; the St. Jude’s Cure, Stony Hill; the Kingston Parish Church, and the Church of the Holy Trinity in Westgate, Montego Bay. He was appointed Archdeacon of Kingston in 2004 and subsequently assumed responsibility for the Montego Bay Region in 2008.

The Bishop-elect holds the Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the University of the West Indies; the Diploma in Ministerial Studies from the United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI) and the Masters Degree in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham, England.

In his acceptance speech, Archdeacon Golding thanked Bishop Gregory and the Synod for the trust they had placed in him. He acknowledged his parents, the teachers and clergy who helped to shape his formation as a young Christian and priest; as well as his colleagues in Ministry, and the congregations with which he has worked. He also thanked his wife Lauren and their three children for their support on his pastoral journey.
Archdeacon Golding is the fourth clergyman to be elected Bishop of Montego Bay. Persons who served previously in that capacity include the Rt. Rev. Neville deSouza (1973-1979), the Rt. Rev. Alfred Reid (1980-2000) and the Rt. Rev. Howard Gregory (2002-2012).

Archdeacon Golding’s election now has to be ratified by the House of Bishops of the Province of the West Indies, prior to his consecration later this year.