The Antilles Episcopal Conference of Bishops (AEC) has gathered for the 68th Annual Plenary Meeting (APM) in Nassau, Bahamas, hosted by The Archdiocese of Nassau, April 14-16, 2024.
The week commenced with an opening Mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on Sunday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m. The Most Rev. Archbishop Patrick C. Pinder, STD, CMG, KC*HS, Archbishop of Nassau was the celebrant.
The AEC is an Assembly of Catholic Bishops referred to as a Conference of Bishops. It is a unique conference which brings together nineteen dioceses and two independent Missions. The conference comprises of thirteen independent countries, three departments of France, two parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and six British Colonies.
The bishops meet once a year for a weeklong meeting, held in different Dioceses each year. The Archdiocese of Nassau previously hosted the conference in 1998. The aim of the meeting is to foster unity among the bishops through prayerful discernment, sharing of views, and experiences. The bishops discuss various pastoral initiatives that benefit the faithful in their Arch/dioceses.
The President of the Conference is Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, Archbishop of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Archbishop Pinder served as President of the Antilles Episcopal Conference of Bishops from May 2011 to 2017.
In attendance will be His Excellency Archbishop Santiago de Wit Guzman, Apostolic Nuncio; Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
President – The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC); Archbishop David Macaire-Archdiocese of St. Pierre & Fort-de-France, Martinique; Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire – Archdiocese of Castries, St. Lucia; Archbishop Kenneth Richards -Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica; Bishop John Persaud -Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica, Vice President – The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC); Bishop Francis Alleyne, OSB – Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana; Bishop Karel Choennie, Diocese of Paramaribo, Suriname; Bishop Gerard County – Diocese of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Bishop Philippe Guiougou – Diocese of Basse-Terre & Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera – Auxiliary Bishop of Cuzco (Peru) and Secretary General of The Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM); Bishop Robert A. Llanos- Diocese of St. John’s Basseterre, Antigua/Barbuda, St. Kitts/Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, Treasurer – The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC); Bishop Allen Ransay – Diocese of Cayenne, French Guiana; Bishop Neil Scantlebury-Diocese of Bridgetown, Barbados, Bishop Luis Secco-
Diocese of Willemstad, Curacao, Bishop Wesley Spiewak-Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda; Rev. Fr. Donald Chambers, General Secretary, The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC); Very Rev. Jordan Gongora, Diocesan Administrator – Diocese of Belize & Belmopan and Fr. Pedro Brassesco, Deputy Secretary General – The Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM).
(adapted from the AEC)
