The Most Rev. John Holder, Archbishop of the West Indies and Bishop of Barbados

Archbishop Holder was born in Bath Village in St John parish on Barbados in 1948. Educated in local schools he trained for the ministry at Codrington College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the West Indies and Diploma in Theological Studies from Codrington in 1975. He earned a Master of Sacred Theology from the University of the South in 1981 and was awarded a doctorate from King’s College, London in 1984 in Old Testament studies. He was ordained deacon in 1974 and priest in 1975 for the Diocese of the Windward Islands and served as curate of St George’s Cathedral in Saint Vincent for two years. In 1977 he returned to Codrington College as tutor in Old Testament studies and served as an assistant at the Cathedral Church of St. Michael in Bridgetown, and as an assistant at St Augustine’s from 1986 to 1989. While teaching Old Testament studies at Codrington he also served as priest in charge of St. Augustine’s from 1989 to 1990, St John’s from 1990-1992, St Mark and St Catherine’s from 1992-93, St Mark’s from 1993-4, Holy Trinity from 1994-1995, and Holy Cross from 1995 to 2000. In March 2000 he was elected thirteenth Bishop of Barbados. On 10 Dec 2009 he was elected Archbishop of the West Indies in succession to Archbishop Drexel Gomez. He is married to Betty Lucas-Holder and they have a son, Stuart.

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