AMERICA/JAMAICA - Bishop of Mandeville nominated

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on May 20, 2008, appointed Father Neil Tiedemann, C.P., member of the Provincial Council of Passionists, as Bishop of Mandeville (Jamaica).
The bishop-elect was born in Brooklyn, New York (Diocese of Brooklyn, United States) on March 5, 1948. He joined the Passionists in 1970 and took perpetual vows in 1974. He was ordained a priest May 16, 1975. Since ordination he has served in the following positions in the United States and Honduras: 1975-1982 - Associate Pastor, Immaculate Conception Parish, Jamaica, New York; 1977-1978 - Catholic Charities, Jamaica, New York; 1982-1984 - Co-Pastor, St. Joseph’s Parish, Union City, New Jersey; 1984-1987 - Associate Pastor, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Springfield, Massachusetts; 1987-1994 - Pastoral ministry in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 1995-1997 - pastoral ministry at St. Joseph’s Parish in Union City; 1997-1998 - Immaculate Conception Monastery, Jamaica, New York; 1998 - Administrator-Pastor of Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish (Hispanic ministry), Brooklyn; 2005-2006 - pastoral ministry back in Honduras; in 2006 he was elected a Provincial Consultor for the Passionists and has been serving in that position up to now.
The Diocese of Mandeville is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kingston-in-Jamaica and was established in 1977. It has an area of 3,282 km sq., a population of 582,000, of whom 8,800 are Catholics. There are 22 parishes, 42 diocesan priests and 1 religious priest, 6 religious men, 28 religious women, and 4 major seminarians. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 20/5/2008; righe 20, parole 239)