Draft:Richard Albert (priest)
Richard Albert (June 29, 1946 – November 30, 2015) was an American-Jamaican Catholic priest who founded the St. Patrick's and Stella Maris foundations in Jamaica.
Early life and education
[edit]Albert was born to Margaret (Kehoe) and Jerome Albert in the Bronx on June 29, 1946. His father was a steamfitter and his paternal grandfather was a Jewish immigrant.[1]
Albert grew up in Peekskill, New York. He joined the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in Garrison, New York in 1960 and was ordained in 1965.[1]
He earned two bachelor’s degrees from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in philosophy and in sacred theology.[1]
Career
[edit]Albert was sent to Jamaica, an assignment he did not like and speculated was a punishment for disagreements he had with the Father Superior that also delayed his ordination.[2]
In 1991, Albert became an honorary prelate of the Vatican, accompanied by the title of Monsignor.[2]
In 2001, Vatican’s Path to Peace Foundation honored Albert with the Servitor Pacis Award. In 2004, he won the $1 million Opus Prize, a humanitarian award from the nonprofit Helping Hands for the Poor.[1]
He founded the St. Monica's Home for the Aged and the St. Patrick's and Stella Maris foundations in Jamaica.[3]
Albert was sent into early retirement from the priesthood circa 2010.[4]
Personal life and death
[edit]Albert renounced his American citizenship to become a Jamaican citizen.[3]
He was discovered struggling to breathe on Sunday night, November 29, 2015 by friend and member of the Jamaican parliament Daryl Vaz. Albert was taken to University of the West Indies; he complained of back pain at the hospital and then lost consciousness. He was resuscitated and received last rites before he died overnight.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (December 2, 2015). "Msgr. Richard Albert, Who Fought for the Poor in Jamaica, Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Monsignor Richard Albert: the priest who came in from the cold". Jamaica Observer. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
- ^ a b c "Monsignor Richard Albert dies suddenly". Jamaica Gleaner. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
- ^ "He was disappointed but never bitter - Monsignor Richard Albert wanted to return to active priest duty". Jamaica Gleaner. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2024-09-27.