…Retired Anglican Bishop of Kingston hailed as devout man of God

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has expressed sadness following the passing of The Rt Rev Robert Thompson, retired Anglican Bishop of Kingston. 

In a statement this afternoon (February 10), Holness said: “I express my deepest sympathy to the family, loved ones and congregants of The Rt Rev Robert Thompson, retired Anglican Bishop of Kingston; news of Bishop Thompson’s passing has left me deeply saddened.”

Serving over 47 years as an ordained minister, under the Diocese of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands, the prime minister described Thompson a devout man of God who dedicated his life to the Lord and to shepherding of His people. 

“Bishop Thompson gave freely his council and served the church with both passion and humility. His interaction with everyone was always characterized by sincerity and his impact on Jamaica, and on the Christian faith, through the Anglican Church is undeniable,” said Holness.

Holness noted that Thompson led a vibrant ministry serving transformative tenures at churches including the Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Jude’s, and the St Andrew Parish Church where he touched the lives of many congregants and stamped his signature through the preaching of the gospel, the advancement and expansion of the ministry and his commitment to looking after the poor in spirit, the downtrodden and the less fortunate.

His compassion for the disadvantaged inspired his role in the formation of the St Andrew Care Centre for Street Boys and the optimisation of the St Andrew Settlement project in Majesty Gardens.

Thompson, who was born in Westmoreland, was inspired to enter the priesthood while attending Jamaica College, before moving on to the United Theological College of the West Indies. He was ordained as deacon in 1973 and entered the priesthood a year later in 1974. 

He earned his bachelor’s degree in theology as well as his master’s in sacred theology at McGill University in Canada. Later, in 1988, he became a research Fellow at Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School before being awarded a Doctor of Ministry Degree in 2004 from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.

“I express again my deep sympathies to his family; his wife, children, and grandchildren, as well as to his church family who are at this time mourning a strong man of God. May he rest in perpetual peace,” said Holness.