Archbishop Lawrence Aloysius Burke S.J. - Biography

Archbishop Lawrence A. Burke, S.J. was born in Kingston, Jamaica on October 27, 1932, the son of Herbert and Mary (nee Bennett) Burke. A graduate of St. George’s College, Kingston, he entered the Society of Jesus on August 14, 1951 at Lenox, Massachusetts and was ordained a priest on June 16, 1964 at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston, Jamaica.

He taught at St. George’s College from 1958 to 1969, when he was named Rector of the College byVery Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. In 1973 he was appointed Regional Superior of the Jesuits in Jamaica, the first and only Jamaican to be appointed to that post, which he held until 1979. He returned to St. George’s College in 1980 as Acting Principal. Archbishop Burke is well known for his service in the field of Education. 

He was appointed Bishop of Nassau, Bahamas by the Holy Father, John Paul II, on July 17, 1981, and on June 22, 1999, was named the first Archbishop of the newly erected Archdiocese of Nassau, Bahamas. As shepherd of the local church in the Bahamas, he emphasized the active participation of the laity in the Church and Society. He enabled and encouraged a number of religious, educational and social initiatives, among which are: Stewardship as a Way of Life, The Samaritan Ministry for persons with HIV/AIDS, a program for young men called YEAST, a program for men who batter women and family members, several other programs to enhance Family Life, as well as parish and archdiocesan based programs for youth and young adults. The R.C.I.A. was also required as the ordinary way of preparing and accepting converts to the Faith. Archbishop Burke also initiated an Archdiocesan Annual Appeal and an annual Lenten Mission.
  
Archbishop Burke was appointed the Fourth Archbishop of Kingston, Jamaica on February 9, 2004, and was installed on May 2, 2004, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston.

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