On Monday, December 28th 2020 Pope Francis announced the news that Barbadian Fr. Neil Sebastian Scantlebury would be appointed the next bishop of the Diocese of Bridgetown. March 17th the feast day of Saint Patrick was set as the date of the Episcopal Ordination of Fr. Neil Scantlebury. Because of the COVID-19 public health directives under which Barbados was operating the date for ordination of Fr. Neil Scantlebury was rescheduled. June 11th 2021, the day of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus became the date of the Episcopal Ordination.

At the point of his selection to become a bishop Fr. Neil was Pastor-in-charge of the Holy Family Church, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. He will succeed Archbishop Jason Gordon, who was Bishop of Bridgetown from 2011- 2017 and then the Diocesan Administrator for Bridgetown after his appointment as Archbishop of Port of Spain in 2017.

Rev. Neil S. Scantlebury, born on October 1, 1965 is the third son of Deacon Keith and Myrna Scantlebury (now deceased). He has two older brothers, Michael and Joel. At the tender age of five, Fr. Neil had a desire to become a Priest. However, that desire was put on the back burner as he got involved in various activities, such as playing cricket, soccer and later with of the fairer sex He attended the Speightstown Boys Primary School and later the Combermere Secondary before traveling to Trinidad where he enrolled at the St. Augustine Campus of University of the West Indies to study Mechanical Engineering.

After receiving his B.Sc. degree in 1989, Fr. Neil – with the help of Monsignor Michael Kosak – went to the US Virgin Islands to teach Religion and Math at Sts. Peter & Paul School. During his tenure as an educator, he also had the opportunity to reflect and discern his true vocation.

After a year of teaching and much prayer, Fr. Neil decided to pursue the priesthood for the Diocese of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Following his decision to enter the priesthood, Fr. Neil was blessed with a sense of great peace – of mind and heart.
Fr. Neil entered the Mount St. Mary’s University (Seminary) at Emmitsburg, Maryland USA, where he studied theology. After earning his master’s in divinity, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of St Thomas on May 18, 1995. In 1999, he obtained the Master of Arts in Sacred Scripture at the same university.

During his 25 years as a priest, he has served the Diocese of St Thomas as Chancellor, Consultor, member of the Administrative Board of Catholic Charities, member of the Administrative Board for Child Protection, and member of the teaching faculty of St Peter and Paul High School.

He served as parochial Vicar at Holy Family Church, St Thomas from 1995 to 1997. In August 1997 he was appointed administrator of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish on the island of St John, and shortly thereafter the parish priest, holding the position until August 2003.
In that same month he became rector of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, St Thomas. Six years later, 2009, he returned to Holy Family Church becoming its parish priest. In 2020 he was appointed parish priest of St Ann ’s Parish, St Croix.

The Diocese of Bridgetown after June 11th 2021 will have Fr. Neil Sebastian Scantlebury as its fourth bishop. He will be the 1st Barbadian to be so appointed. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the nurturing of parents, family and friends Bishop Neil Sebastian Scantlebury, who dreamt of becoming a priest at the age of five is now a bishop at age fifty-five. In the year of Saint Joseph to whom God spoke in dreams we sing out with gratitude “To God Be The Glory