Bishop Dorick Wright Passes Away at 74

Dorick Wright

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City, Belmopan, as well as devout followers and parishioners of Holy Redeemer Cathedral and the catholic community, mourn the passing of Bishop Dorick Wright.  Serving as head of the Catholic Church from 2006 to 2017, Wright joined the priesthood in June 1975 and later served as an auxiliary to Bishop Osmond Peter Martin.  He was subsequently appointed bishop of the diocese in November 2006 and installed a few months later.  Bishop Wright outspokenly objected to some aspects of government’s same-sex orientation rights back in 2013, a position that was supported by the Council of Churches.  Earlier today, News Five spoke with Father Noel Leslie, a lifelong friend of Bishop Wright.

Noel Leslie

Fr. Noel Leslie, Friend of Bishop Wright

“I first met him at Holy Redeemer School, he had gone to another school before, I think it was Mrs. Rocke‘s school and then he came over to Holy Redeemer, that‘s where I encountered him and we also served as altar boys at the cathedral for several years.  After his graduation from Holy Redeemer our friendship continued, we went on to high school and our friendship continued there and he became a teacher at Holy Redeemer School and then our friendship continued there with others and then it was during that time as a teacher in the seventies that he began to contemplate the priesthood.  But before I get into that, I must mention that something tragic happened in his life in 1961 when Hurricane Hattie struck our country.  He lost his mother, his two sisters and his younger brother Norman in that hurricane.  He, himself, saved himself in a coconut tree, I believe it was and he would tell us that story, not in detail but he would tell us how he had to hold on for dear life, and to show you the significance of that tree, when you look at his shield which he had to choose as a bishop, he made sure that a palm tree was included in that design because that palm tree was very significant to him, in fact, it was a lifesaving tree in his life.”