Guy Sansaricq
Encyclopedia
Guy Sansaricq was born in Jérémie
, Haiti
, into a Catholic family. He attended the seminary of the Jeremie Diocese for five years, after which he received a scholarship to St. Paul's Pontifical Seminary
in Ottawa, Canada, where he studied philosophy and theology for seven years. In 1960 he was ordained a priest in the cathedral in Port-au-Prince
, Haiti.
His first assignment was to the Cathedral
of Les Cayes
, was instructed to become a chaplain
for Haitian immigrants in the Bahamas, ministering from the Benedictine
Priory
of St. Francis
in Nassau
. During his seven years there, he became aware of the plight of immigrants, and especially undocumented immigrants. When he completed his work in the Bahamas, he was given a scholarship to study social sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome, where he received a master's degree in 1971.
In that same year, he was accepted to serve in the Diocese of Brooklyn and was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in Cambria Heights, where he served for 22 years. During that time, he was appointed diocesan coordinator of the Haitian Apostolate. In 1987 he was selected by the US Bishops to head the National Haitian Apostolate. In 1993, he was named pastor of St. Jerome's Church in Flatbush, where he has continued to minister. He was named Prelate of Honour
by Pope John Paul II
in 1999. He was appointed ordained Auxiliary Bishop
of Brooklyn
in 2006 and Titular Bishop
of Glenndálocha
. He retired on 10/24/2010
Bishop Sansaricq's involvements include publishing a quarterly newsletter on Haitian matters concerning the church, conducting a pastoral institute in Creole that attracts 90 students annually, organizing an annual convention of the Haitian Apostolate, and coordinating an annual retreat for priests and a yearly youth congress. He is also a co-founder of Haitian-Americans for Progress, a service agency.
In 2009 when Bishop Sansaricq reached the retirement age of 75, he handed his letter of resignation to the Congregation for Bishops
. Pope Benedict XVI
will accept it at his pleasure. His age induced resignation was formally accepted on 6 October 2010, Bishop Sansaricq's 76th birthday.
Jérémie
Jérémie is the capital city of the department of Grand'Anse, in Haiti, with a population of about 31,000 . It is almost isolated from the rest of the country...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, into a Catholic family. He attended the seminary of the Jeremie Diocese for five years, after which he received a scholarship to St. Paul's Pontifical Seminary
Saint Paul University
Saint Paul University is a Catholic Pontifical university federated with the University of Ottawa. It is located on Main Street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and has been entrusted for more than a century to the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
in Ottawa, Canada, where he studied philosophy and theology for seven years. In 1960 he was ordained a priest in the cathedral in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti.
His first assignment was to the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of Les Cayes
Les Cayes
Les Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
, was instructed to become a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
for Haitian immigrants in the Bahamas, ministering from the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of St. Francis
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. During his seven years there, he became aware of the plight of immigrants, and especially undocumented immigrants. When he completed his work in the Bahamas, he was given a scholarship to study social sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome, where he received a master's degree in 1971.
In that same year, he was accepted to serve in the Diocese of Brooklyn and was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in Cambria Heights, where he served for 22 years. During that time, he was appointed diocesan coordinator of the Haitian Apostolate. In 1987 he was selected by the US Bishops to head the National Haitian Apostolate. In 1993, he was named pastor of St. Jerome's Church in Flatbush, where he has continued to minister. He was named Prelate of Honour
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1999. He was appointed ordained Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Brooklyn
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
in 2006 and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Glenndálocha
Bishop of Glendalough
The Bishop of Glendalough was an episcopal title which took its name after the monastery at Glendalough in County Wicklow, Ireland. An Irish version of the place name, Glenndálocha, is now used for a titular see.-History:...
. He retired on 10/24/2010
Bishop Sansaricq's involvements include publishing a quarterly newsletter on Haitian matters concerning the church, conducting a pastoral institute in Creole that attracts 90 students annually, organizing an annual convention of the Haitian Apostolate, and coordinating an annual retreat for priests and a yearly youth congress. He is also a co-founder of Haitian-Americans for Progress, a service agency.
In 2009 when Bishop Sansaricq reached the retirement age of 75, he handed his letter of resignation to the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
. Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
will accept it at his pleasure. His age induced resignation was formally accepted on 6 October 2010, Bishop Sansaricq's 76th birthday.
External links
- Bishop Sansaricq bio from the National Black Catholic CongressNational Black Catholic CongressThe National Black Catholic Congress is an organization of African American Roman Catholics founded in 1889 by Daniel Rudd. Their symbol is the Acacia. Their mission is to improve and enrich the lives of African American Catholics...
- Bishop Sansaricq bio from the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus