the curia informs - Passio Christi

NEWS FROM THE CONFERENCES
IPCM
USA - CANADA
ASSEMBLY OF THE PAUL PROVINCE (USA)
The members of the Province of
St. Paul of the Cross (PAUL),
along with lay and religious
associates, took part in an important
Assembly at Holy Family Passionist
Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT,
on May 19-23, 2008. On the first day,
the General Consultor, Fr. Denis
Travers, guided the 160 participants
in Gospel reflections which the tone
of beneficial dialog for the following
days.
Discussions addressed a Pastoral
Plan which focused on responsible
fiscal management for the good of the
whole Province, health care policy for
our senior religious and ministry in
several locations. Many commented
on the experience of honest communication
in an atmosphere of trust,
Liturgy during the PAUL Assembly
aided by prayerful worship.
The Assembly took historic quality when the Provincial, Fr. Joseph Jones, announced that Pope Benedict
XVI had chosen Fr. Neil Tiedemann to be ordained as the third bishop of Mandeville in Jamaica. This happy
occasion necessitated the selection of a new Second Consultor, namely Fr. James O’Shea.
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NEW PASSIONIST BISHOP
On 20 May 2008 the Vatican announced that
the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, had
named Fr. Neil Tiedemann of the PAUL
Province (USA) the third bishop of
Mandeville, Jamaica (West Indies). The
first bishop was the late Bishop Paul
Boyle, CP who was ordained bishop in
1991and assigned to then Vicariate
Apostolic of Mandeville.
The Mandeville diocese was created
in 1997 and is a suffragan of the
Kingston-in-Jamaica Archdiocese. It
covers a surface area of 3,282 sq. Km
(1,267 sq. miles). The area is approximately
one–third mountainous,
one–third swamp and the rest farm land.
The total population is around 582,000,
of whom some 8,800 are Catholics. The
diocese has 22 parishes, 43 priests (42
Bishop Neil Tiedemann, CP
diocesan and 1 religious,) 6 religious Brothers, 4
seminarians and 28 Sisters. The diocese had been
vacant since August 8th 2006, following the resignation
of Bishop Gordon Bennett, S.J., due to health
reasons. It comprises the three civil parishes of
Clarendon, Manchester and Saint
Elizabeth.
Bishop-Elect Tiedemann was born on
March 5, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York
(USA). He made his First Profession of
Vows as a Passionist on August 22, 1971
and his Final Profession on August 22,
1974. He was ordained to the priesthood
in 1976 and worked most of the time in
the PAUL Province in parochial ministry.
He was also a missionary in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras from 1987-1994
and again in Honduras from 2005-2006
when he was elected Second Consultor
of his Province until his election as
Bishop of Mandeville.
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July 2008 - PIB n. 17
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