In June 2021, Father Neil Scantlebury became the first-ever Barbadian-born bishop in the Roman Catholic Church when he was ordained Bishop of Bridgetown.

Bishop Neil grew up in a close-knit family in Speightstown, St Peter and along with his father and mother (Keith and Myrna) and two older brothers, was heavily involved in life at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Ashton Hall.

When Bishop Neil was studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, he started to feel that God was calling him to the priesthood.

A brief visit to the US Virgin Islands (USVI) set him on the path to becoming a parish priest, and after studying at a seminary in America, he graduated in 1995 and returned to the USVI to serve in various churches.

In December 2020, Pope Francis asked Father Neil to become the next Roman Catholic Bishop of Bridgetown, and he accepted.

Yello chatted with Bishop Neil about his new role and what he hopes to achieve. (This is part two of our interview – see part one here.)

Tell us about your first priestly appointment for the diocese of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands?

My first assignment was as an associate pastor at Holy Family Church. The parish priest was Monsignor John McSweeney, but then he was transferred to the Cathedral. Reverend Dr George Franklyn came in, and he was the pastor while I was there.

After two years, I was transferred to the island of St John and the Lady of Mount Carmel Church. I was the administrator and then later on the pastor. I was there for six years and have very fond memories. I built some good friendships, and it was just a wonderful time. A real blessing.

What are some of the challenges you faced as a young priest?

The main challenge is to keep Christ at the centre because you get so caught up, and everybody wants a piece of your time.

You might get up early, but then you have all these different things to do, and you might decide to push your prayer time to a little later in the day, but things keep rolling, and then you find at the end of the day that you didn’t quite get through.

It continues to be a challenge because people always want your time, and there will always be distractions and things that pull your attention away from Him.

But I get up at 4am now to get around it and have some quiet time, when I can sit still with God. Of course, I talk to Him throughout the day, but I find that I need that time alone with Him in the morning.

What have you learned over the years of serving as a priest?

I think I’ve learned that there are always three sides to a story.

People will talk, and I will listen, but they give their version or understanding of the issue. If I ask someone else, they will come up with something different because everyone has a different opinion.

Everyone is speaking the truth, but from their perspective, so the important thing is to discern what is God saying through this story.

The other big lesson I’ve learned is patience. One of the things here is that everything is ‘mañana’ (tomorrow) and that can be frustrating. So, God works on me in getting me to slow down, and be patient, and to trust.

Tell us about the process of being appointed Bishop of Bridgetown.

Basically, when the Pope starts looking for a person to appoint, the Papal Representative in Trinidad (Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu) will first consult the bishop of the area, which would have been Bishop Jason Gordon.

Bishop Jason probably would have then asked the priests for their opinion before offering some names to the Nuncio. The Nuncio would then start, what I call, his “investigations” into those people.

So, he would have contacted my bishop in the Virgin Islands, Bishop Bevard. He would’ve asked him about me and if he thought I would make a good bishop. He would’ve asked for my file and contacted other individuals to enquire about me.

A confidential questionnaire is then sent out to various priests to ask about my teachings, my friends and relations, and how I interact with people. All to get an idea of who Neil Scantlebury is.

Once the Nuncio has all the information, he will pray about it. He has about three names, and he will put them as first, second and third choice, and send the names to Rome for the Holy Father to make the decision.

Once the Pope decides who he wants, the Nuncio contacts you and asks if you will accept the appointment.

Were you surprised to be chosen?

When I got the call, I would say that I was about 75% surprised. I knew my name was among the three, but I did not know that I was the first pick.

I tried reading the signs, and my brothers in the Virgin Islands were dropping hints, so I did put pieces of the puzzle together, but big chunks were still missing.

Did you ever think about turning it down?

I was rehearsing saying ‘no, I don’t want that’, but I spent a lot of time in prayer and the awesome thing is, is that when I said ‘yes’ to our Holy Father, there was a remarkable peace of mind and heart.

I had a great peace and a joy within, which was mindboggling, and that made me realise I had made the right decision.

How do you feel about being the first native Barbadian to head the diocese of Bridgetown?

It’s mixed feelings. I have great joy at being the first Barbadian, but I tend not to linger on that too much because it is also a great responsibility. I have to rise to the occasion of unspoken expectations and be all that I can be by the grace of God.

So, I keep reminding myself that ‘God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called’, and He is working through me to bring about his kingdom in Barbados, and I will do that to the best of my ability. I pray that I will meet His standards.

I would say God’s timing is perfect because if I had been called earlier, I might have been more inclined to say ‘no’. But having grown over the years spiritually, I think I am more ready to take on the task because I know where my strength comes from, and I trust Him even more.

What do you see as your main priority as the new Bishop of Bridgetown?

I have learned that you can’t quite do a lot of good without money. You need money to help take care of the poor, feed the hungry, and give drink to the thirsty. To help people when their house is falling apart.

You also need money to evangelise and pay the bills. So, finance is a huge part, but we also need to proclaim the good news.

Family life is also important because it’s the nucleus of society, and if family life breaks down, then society breaks down. We need to help parents become better parents and for them to educate their children about the Lord. I also want us to look at the abuse of women and children and to tackle that issue.

We also need to do more outreach to the homosexual community as well as heterosexuals, who have a woman or man in every parish or have a wife and a mistress. God doesn’t want us to live like that. It calls for education on a healthy and chaste lifestyle and providing programmes to help with spirituality. We need to ask the Lord for guidance and His help on how best we can help these individuals.

And of course, we can’t forget the youth. We need to reach out to them, help them become active in the church and experience God’s love and mercy, and live their life in such a way that is pleasing to God and society. We need to instil in them how to live a good, righteous life. We need to build and strengthen them.

What would you say to people who are disillusioned with the church as a whole and think Christians of all denominations are hypocrites?

I would say that they are too focused on individuals. When God returns and asks us, “why didn’t you help the poor or the church?”, you can’t say, “there’s a bunch of hypocrites in there”.

We need to take our eyes off people, and focus them on Jesus, and see Christ even in the hypocrites. Their focus is on looking at people and seeing their wrongs, but I would say ‘whoever has no sin, should cast the first stone’.

We are all sinners in need of God’s grace. We need to treat one another with love and respect.

What are your thoughts on the current standing of the Catholic Church in Barbadian society, and around the world, in light of recent negative events?

I would say the Church took a serious blow, and many people have left because of these events. They were hurt and wounded, and all we can do is pray for them and wait to welcome them back if, or when, they do return.

The Church is really regrouping. We now have rules, regulations, and policies in place to protect the vulnerable, and priests as well. What it has done is cleaned house and that’s what the Holy Spirit does every so often.

We thank God and ask Him to keep the Church cleansed because we need to continue to protect the vulnerable in our society and around the world.

If you were to look back in five years, what would make your tenure as bishop a success in your eyes?

My ultimate goal is for people to come to know and serve God. For me, that’s why God made us. To help people into heaven.

Right now, COVID is making people fearful to come to church, and we’re having to do a lot online and through Zoom and that is stopping us from getting traction.

I would like to get the church on a better financial footing. To enhance our family life programme, so they can do more outreach, because we do have different things in place, but it’s a matter of developing them to be more productive so that we can see growth.

In five years, if we can get those programmes happening, we will get the church coming back together. God willing, COVID will be gone, and people will be in church, and our young people will be getting baptised and confirmed, and our youth groups will be active.

Right now, we just need to continue reaching out via different platforms.

What do you love about Barbados?

Flying fish (laughter), I don’t get enough of it! Once upon a time, it was also cricket but let’s pass over that one.

I love the scenic beauty of Barbados. When I can look at the scenic beauty, I have greater peace of mind and heart. A peace comes over me.

When I was in St Croix, my last parish before being made bishop was called St Ann’s, and there is a view there that always reminded me of home, and whenever I looked at it, I would say ‘yes, I will return to Barbados’.

Also, being away from Barbados for so long, the Bajan accent always makes me smile, and the people in general.

Where do you go on the island to relax and recharge?

I shouldn’t tell you, because I don’t want to be disturbed, but I go back to the family house in Speightstown. I go there every other weekend, and spend time with my brother, who lives behind the family house.

I also go before the blessed sacrament and reflect on the crucifixion, the passion of our Lord, and holy scripture.

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Bishop Neil’s quick-fire Q&A round:

Sunrise or sunset? Sunset.

Conkies with raisins or without? Conkies with raisins.

Staycation or vacation? I’ve always enjoyed going abroad and sightseeing, but with COVID I have to think twice about travelling.

Happier at sea or on land? I’m happier on land but if you put me on a cruise ship I think I’d be happier.

Christmas or Easter? Easter. The Easter celebration is the best!

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Related: Yello Interviews – Roman Catholic Bishop of Bridgetown Neil Scantlebury (Part One)