Hundreds of Grenadians turned out to pay their last respect to Grenada’s first native Bishop of the Catholic Church, The Most Reverend Vincent Matthew Darius, O.P., D.D. during a funeral on Monday, May 1 in Brooklyn.
This Mass, which was preceded by a period of viewing of the body, which began at 4 pm, was held at St. Matthew’s R.C. Church on Eastern Parkway, in Brooklyn, New York.
Bishop Guy Sansaricq of Brooklyn was the chief celebrant and Fr. Kevin McBrien of the Diocese of Brooklyn did the homily.
According to McBrien, Bishop Darius was humble, cordial and much-loved by all; he “served with humility and a sense of duty…always encouraging everyone he encountered, to live the Gospel.”
Fr. Clifton Harris, the former vicar general of the Catholic Church in Grenada, who was on Tuesday, April 26 made administrator of the Diocese of St. George’s, Grenada by the College of Consulters, was one of the several co-celebrants. Harris travelled to New York to oversee funeral arrangements for Bishop Darius, in keeping with his new function as administrator of the Diocese, until a new bishop is appointed for Grenada, by Rome. (A new vicar general would be appointed by the next bishop.)
Bishop Darius who succumbed to prolonged illness on Tuesday, April 26, was born in Crochu, St. Andrew, Grenada on Sept. 6, 1955.
He was later ordained a priest on June 28, 1987, and a few years later, appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Saint George’s, Grenada on July 10, 2002. Ordination to the office of Bishop, followed on Oct. 2, 2002.
“He will be remembered as a remarkable teacher; a friend of many, regardless of age, class or denomination; and a caring shepherd of God’s children back home and in the Diaspora,” reflects Cheryl Vincent, a Grenadian registered nurse and recording artiste, who is a founding member the liturgical-folk group, Quake USA.
Choral and musical ministry at the mass, was provided by the St. Matthew Parish choir, along with Quake USA.
Grenadians and friends of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the Diaspora, have been extending their condolences to the bereaved relatives, fellow pastors and spiritual family of Bishop Darius, especially via Facebook and other social media platforms.
In the words of Fr. Leroy Hopkin, O.P., a Grenadian priest serving in the Parish of St. David, Grenada, “May the soul of Bishop Vincent Darius, O.P., rest in peace; and may his legacy of sharing truth and quietly doing good for the benefit of all, live on forever!”
