Rufus Theophilus Brome was the 12th Bishop of Barbados.

Biography

Born the son of Leon Brome (1893–1958) and his wife Constance Griffith (1898–1985) in 1935 and educated at

Codrington College Codrington College is an Anglican theological college in Saint John, Barbados, St. John, Barbados now affiliated with the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill. It is one of the oldest Anglican theological colleges in the Americas. It was ...

, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1961 and

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

a year later. He was

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

of St George's

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

until 1966 when he became Rector of St Bartholomew, Antigua. After another

incumbency The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

at St Martin's he moved to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

where he was successively rector of Holy Trinity and then St Peter's,

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of the island. On 22 July 1992, after his two-hour-long Induction, Enrollment and

Enthronement An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite. In ...

service followed by an hour long

Ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

and

Consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene from 8:00 a.m. at the then newly renovated Cathedral Church of St. Michael he was finally, made its first Black

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and head of the then 80,000 member diocese. The islands top organist of more than 40 years Dr. John George Fletcher (D.Mus., F.R.C.O. (C.H.M.), A.D.C.M., F.T.C.L., L.R.A.M., A.R.C.M., L.R.S.M.) planned a very special programme with his choir for all the services which were officiated by the cathedral's Dean and Chapter, with arrangements by then Precentor, Reverend Michael Clarke included ushers from the six main Anglican churches of St. Mary's, St. Paul's, St. Peter's, Holy Trinity, St. Matthias, as well as St. Michael's. His brother Rev. Dr. Henderson L. Brome of the St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, Boston (Roxbury), MA was invited to speak. Regarded as a highly auspicious occasion, all the services themselves were broadcast and recorded by the islands local television network

Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is a public radio and television broadcaster, located in The Pine, St. Michael in Barbados. It was founded in 1963 as Radio Barbados. The CBC falls under the ministry and jurisdiction of the Prime ...

. He began his first episcopate the following Sunday evening with an appeal for unity among Christian churches on the island. In the sermon he said the credibility of the church had been hurt by "disunity and rivalry" among the various denominations. "Instead of merely coming together once a year to pray for unity, we must demonstrate unity", referring to the annual observance of Christian unity week, he called for dialogue among congregations of the various churches to discover what they had in common, saying "such communication and consultation will enable us to dispel ignorance and to remove the misconceptions which we hold of one another." The new chief pastor advocated that Christians in the diocese adopt a more activist role in the society. The 16 page sermon called "Developing a Society on the Foundation of the Family" was published in 1994 by Caribbean Development Bank. Brome retired as Bishop, to spend more time with his wife and four children, in January 2000 at which time the position of Bishop was taken up by John Holder. Since 2004 Brome has been attached to St. James Parish Church, Barbados as assistant to the Rector. Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate on 21 December 2011, when he also published his first book "''Preaching In and Out of Season''", a compilation of sermons covering the various church seasons as well as special occasions in the church and community and difficult subjects.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brome, Rufus Theophilus 1935 births Alumni of Codrington College Archdeacons of Barbados Anglican bishops of Barbados Living people