Charles Dufour
| Archbishop of Kingston | |
| See | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica |
| Appointed | 15 April 2011 |
| Installed | 16 June 2011 |
| Term ended | 29 April 2016 |
| Predecessor | Donald James Reece |
| Successor | Kenneth Richards |
| Other post(s) | Bishop of Montego Bay |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 12 August 1970 |
| Consecration | 10 February 1996 by Edgerton Ronald Clarke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Henry Dufour, Jr. April 25, 1940 |
| Nationality | Jamaican |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Motto | Sent to serve |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Charles Dufour | |
|---|---|
The Most Reverend | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
Charles Henry Dufour, Jr,
Life until Priesthood
Dufour was born in
Priesthood
He was
His express focus in these roles was youth, the poor and the marginalised, as seen (for the former) in having been the founding Chairman of Harbour View's public secondary school, Donald Quarrie High.[1][2]
On 18 December 1983, Dufour was awarded the Jamaican
Episcopacy
Diocese of Montego Bay
On 6 December 1995, it was announced that Dufour was elected by John Paul to be the second Bishop of
His social engagement over the next fifteen years would include:
- the Peace Management Initiative, of which he was the first chairman (March 2003 – February 2008)
- the Parliamentary Salaries Commission[7]
- the Police (Civilian Oversight) Authority (PCOA), of which he was appointed Chairman in 2008 by Governor-General Sir Kenneth O. Hall
- the Good Shepherd Foundation, of his own establishment and patronage
On a visit to
In 2006 Dufour was
Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica
On 15 April 2011 it was announced that Dufour was himself promoted, by Benedict, as the sixth Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica, after His Holiness had accepted the resignation of Donald Reece (which was announced in the same release).[8] The Archbishop-designate took possession of his appointed Archdiocese during his installation on 16 June.
In this way as well his social engagement continued, at least with reference to the PCOA and up to 2012, since he continued as its Chairman by re-appointment from Governor-General Sir
Resignation
On 29 April 2016, four days after a year passed since Dufour turned 75 and submitted his resignation, it was announced that Pope
Now, until Archbishop-designate Richards takes possession of his appointed Archdiocese on 6 July, Dufour is automatically its Diocesan Administrator. Thus, with Mandeville vacant, once more Dufour was appointed its Apostolic Administrator.
He has written of being the “Administrator-Elect” and of being “installed” in that Diocese on 7 July,[11] which suggests change in its jurisdiction,[12] but it may simply reflect the fact that his first time in this role ad hoc was lengthy. At any rate, Dufour remains the only Bishop who has ever been named personally[13] to all three Dioceses in Jamaica in an official capacity.[14]
Personal life
Though he has received such dignitaries as the
Dufour has also remained active for having been so active: he enjoys mountaineering and has practised several times on the Blue Mountain Peak. Furthermore, at least up to 2012, he has been keeping fit with regular visits to the gym.
Finally, as when a day is over, Dufour relaxes to (classical) music; it is presumably with that genre that he was somewhat familiar in high school. He enjoys Beethoven, taking inspiration from the fact that “when he became deaf in his (twenties), he refused to give up and wrote some beautiful pieces”. But he has also been a fan of Bob Marley for years and owns “a collection of his work”, of which his favourite is Redemption Song because, in his own words, "it encourages us to rid our minds of mental slavery." He sums up this side of him thus: "I like music of all types – Greek, Russian, American, African drumming and others."
Coat-of-Arms
|
|
Clouds are found in chief, with three lines radiating above them, to recall the voice of God the Father whose favour rested on his Son and his Son's mission; this being expressed in the motto: Sent to serve (cf. Mark 10: 45). To the left of the Christogram is a jug of water pouring into a basin, to symbolise cleansing in a typical Jamaican way, and to the right is a pair of cupped hands, being “at once clasped in prayer and open for service”. The Holy Spirit which must inspire wisdom and love in those whom Christ calls to serve as Priests, like the armiger .
Finally, flames make for canting arms as the surname “Dufour” means of the furnace in the language of the armiger's father, French. But the flames are also indicative of the fervour and zeal with which he ministers.[15] |
See also
References
- Jamaica Observer)
- ^ Schools Directory 2012 Archived 2016-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, p. 5
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 84 (1992), p. 96.
- ^ Apostolic Journey to Jamaica, Mexico and Denver (Colorado), John Paul II (The Holy See)
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 88 (1996), pp. 298-300.
- ^ Archbishop Charles Henry Dufour, Hierarchy of the Catholic Church (Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
- ^ Website homepage Archived 2016-01-11 at the Wayback Machine, Jamaica Parliamentarians Salaries' Review Commission
- ^ Rinunce e Nomine, 15.04.2011 (B0220), Press Office of the Holy See (in Italian)
- ^ Cf. art. 418 §2 of the Code of Canon Law.
- ^ Other Pontifical Acts, 29.04.2016, Press Office of the Holy See
- ^ Statement of His Grace Archbishop Charles H. Dufour to the Faithful of Kingston, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston
- ^ Cf. the legal definition (cf. can. 371 §2) of “Apostolic Administrator”, which accounts for most of the Wikipedia article under the same name (cited above).
- ^ As opposed to being named ex officio, such as any Archbishop of Kingston is as Metropolitan
- ^ Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica, GCatholic.org
- ^ Kingston — Prelate Information, Antilles Episcopal Conference
The following sources provide most of this article's content:
- Curriculum Vitae of the Most Rev. Charles Henry Dufour, D.D., C.D., Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston
- Chester Francis-Jackson, 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Most Rev Charles Dufour, Jamaica Gleaner, 9 December 2012