If the Right Reverend Leroy Errol Brooks did not have a measure of the love and high esteem in which he has been held, for some four decades, he got that clear measurement on Sunday evening, October 31, 2021.
The event, at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary, was his retirement from full-time ministry and his transition from Bishop to the humbler position of Assistant Priest. He is now to serve in Anguilla alongside the Reverend Canon Reid Simon, whom he had appointed in Antigua 22 years ago, and recently described as “a seasoned priest”.
This means that the Bishop, in the capacity of a Priest, will still be around for a long time. In his own words, at another occasion, he remarked: “I am not going anywhere.”
Any event that equalled his retirement Thanksgiving Service was his enthronement as Bishop of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba 23 years ago – and his subsequent return to his beloved Anguilla in 1991 as Parish Priest of St. Mary with St. Augustine and St. Andrew, while later also serving as Bishop of the 12-island-member Diocese.
The Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary was packed to capacity for the more than three hours service celebrating the Bishop’s Ministry. The attendees were not only the membership of the three Anglican Churches, but a number of Pastors, Ministers and congregational members from various other denominations across the island. The Pastors/Ministers were specially invited to the occasion, but they also went to express their appreciation and gratitude to Bishop Brooks. Apart from their recognition of the high office he has held in the Anglican Diocese – as an Anguillian – they were also in attendance in view of the brotherly love and respect he had shown them over the years, and his support for religious tolerance and liberty.
Bishop Brooks has a total of 46 years in the Ministry. He applied to, and was accepted by, Codrington Theological College in Barbados, as a candidate. He was then serving as a civil servant in the Customs and Excise Department in Anguilla. Earlier he did a teaching stint at The Valley Secondary School and also worked for a while at the General Post Office. It was at that school, as well as in the civil service, that Bishop Brooks enjoyed the company of a cadre of classmates and fellow workers. But, for him, the priesthood was a more wonderful and rewarding vocation than pursuing a lucrative secular profession later on in life.
During his sermon, as outgoing Bishop, he delivered a chronology of his long service in the Ministry as follows:
• Entered Codrington Theological College in September 1972. On completion of his studies he was ordained Deacon on June 29, 1975 and a preacher on December 2, 1975. He served as Assistant Curate in the Cathedral Parish in Antigua for three wonderful years. The Cathedral Parish and the other eight worship centres were a solid training ground for him.
• In July 1978, he became Parish Priest of St. Simon and St. Jude with St. Phillip and St. James – in St. Martin/St. Maarten and St. Bartholomew.
• Soon after he served at Christ Church and Holy Trinity in Saba and St. Eustatius which were placed under his care.
• As if that was not enough, on two occasions he had oversight for the congregations in Anguilla. He commented: “People asked – how could you do it? It was only by the grace of God, and the understanding of a supportive wife and son, and the prayers and support of the faithful, by which I could take on all of that.”
• On January 1, 1991, he was appointed Parish Priest of St. Mary with St. Augustine and St. Andrew in Anguilla. It was a position he held until recently. He commented: “It was a real joy to serve in my own Parish. We have laboured together and succeeded to a great extent to improve the spiritual, social and physical wellbeing of our people in spite of the many challenges. In short, we were determined to leave things better than we would have met them. And that ought to be the aim of every person in life: to make a positive difference. We thank God for all that we have been able to accomplish.”
• He was elected Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba on March 25, 1998.
• He was consecrated Bishop of the Most Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
• In October, 1998, he was enthroned as the Diocesan Bishop. He commented: “Over these 23 years and 8 months, I have tried by God’s grace to give episcopal ship to God’s people in these 12 islands. It has been a joy and a time of much growth for me. Many thanks to all the clergy and laity for their support. My brothers and sisters, I have given you a wee glimpse of how God has enabled me to share in His Ministry. I didn’t do this as a boast, rather this information was given to show all of us how God can use any of us in His mission – if we would allow him…”
In addition to his early studies at Codrington Theological College in Barbados, in 1986 Bishop Brooks did a Master of Theology degree at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. His thesis was: “The Church and the Abolitionist Movement.” He also did other theological studies.
Bishop Brooks told his listeners: “I give thanks to God for affording me the privilege of sharing in the Ministry of his Son, Jesus Christ. It all started in this place and here are we in this very place at the close of my full-time Ministry. My parents, godparents, clergy and the church family were very instrumental in my spiritual upbringing. I was encouraged in my walk with Christ and I am convinced that Christianity is not only taught, but it is also caught. It was around these altars, during my involvement in church life, that I felt a pull for a vocation in the Church of God.
In giving a chronology about his entry in the ordained Ministry, Bishop Brooks stated: “On the recommendation of Canon William Turner, the Vestry and congregation of this parish, I offered myself as a candidate to test my vocation to the ordained ministry. I said test because going to seminary is no guarantee that I would be ordained. With this in mind, in September 1972, I entered those noble halls of Codrington Theological College in Barbados.”
Near the conclusion of the special service, Bishop Brooks was the recipient of several presentations. The presenters were: the Anglican Church Women’s Association, represented by Mrs. Celestine John; the Mothers’ Union, represented by the Immediate Past President, Mrs. Pamela Connor; the St. Augustine’s Chorale, represented by Ms. Tameika Fleming; the Sunday Schooland Dance Group, represented by Ms. Cherese Brooks; Mrs. Gloria Kelsick and Mr. Vernon Hodge of the Combined Choirs; the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, represented by Mr. Stanley Mussington and Mr. Frank Proctor; the Priest’s Warden, Mr. Ivor Hodge and People’s Warden Mr. Gene Proctor, on behalf of all Anglicans in Anguilla; and Mr. E. Valentine Banks, on behalf of the Anguilla Methodist Circuit.
Meanwhile, Canon Simon announced that later this month the other eleven member-islands of the Diocese of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba will be paying tribute to Bishop Brooks. The tributes will be done via video cast.
Bishop Brooks thanked the various church groups and individuals for their presentations. He also joined his ministerial colleague, Rev. Canon Reid Simon, in expressing gratitude to all who attended the service, including the Pastors/Ministers of all the other churches.
The Bishop and his family previously resided at St. Mary’s Rectory. They later moved to the family’s residence at George Hill, overlooking the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport and the ocean between Anguilla and St. Martin. From both locations, over his 23 years, as Bishop, he travelled by air and sea down the chain of islands under his remit. Both unobstructed sceneries now provide an ideal relaxing location for him to write his impactful and soul-searching memoirs from his high-rise veranda.
