Neil Sebastian Scantlebury

Scantlebury was born in Barbados to Keith and Myrna Scantlebury, both now deceased. His father was a Catholic deacon.[1] Aside from his native English and Creole, he is fluent in Latin, Spanish, and French.[2]

After completing his primary and secondary education in Barbados, Scantlebury attended the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating, Scantlebury then moved to the US Virgin Islands to teach religious education at the Catholic school of St Peter and Paul Cathedral, St Thomas.[1] He then entered priestly formation, and attended Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland.[2] In 1999, he obtained the Master of Art in Sacred Scripture from Mount St. Mary's.[1]

On 18 May 1995, Scantlebury was ordained to the priesthood,[3] for the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands.[2] On 28 December 2020, Pope Francis appointed Scantlebury as the new bishop of the Diocese of Bridgetown, succeeding Charles Jason Gordon.[2][4]

Scantlebury was consecrated bishop on 12 June 2021 by Fortunatus Nwachukwu, the apostolic nuncio to the Caribbean region. Charles Jason Gordon, archbishop of Port-of-Spain and Robert Rivas, bishop of Castries, where the co-consecrators.[3] In doing so Scantlebury became the first native Barbadian to head the diocese of Bridgetown.[5]