Archbishop Edgerton Clarke 1929-2025
Archbishop Edgerton Clarke 1929-2025
By Michael Burke
His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Edgerton Roland Clarke died yesterday, February 13, 2025, a day short of his 96th birthday, which would have been today, February 14, 2025. He was born in Cambridge, St. James, Jamaica, on February 14, 1929, to Roland Clarke, a policeman, and his wife Helen, formerly Kameka, a primary school teacher.
Both of his parents died within days of each other in the early 1970s.
Early in the life of Edgerton Clarke, his father was transferred from St. James to Highgate, St. Mary.
Archbishop Clarke was one of two priests, the other being Monsignor Robert Haughton-James (still alive), who told me that “bananas sent them to school.” Both Archbishop Clarke and Monsignor Haughton-James grew up in Highgate, St. Mary.
The story of the importance of bananas to the economy of Jamaica at that time, especially St. Mary, Portland, and St. Thomas, is told in the fact that on two separate occasions in separate places, both of these priests, although 13 years apart in age, told me that it was bananas that sent them to school.
What Archbishop Clarke was actually telling me was that while his parents could feed their family and send them to a primary school, it was the returns from bananas planted on his landholding that allowed him to attend high school in Kingston (St. George’s College and Excelsior High School, then across the road from St. George’s on the property of the Seventh Day Adventist Church). However, Monsignor Robert Haughton-James attended Calabar High School.
As Bishop of Montego Bay, Archbishop Clarke gave instructions that no church was to tell any child that they were to dress up for confirmation.
Archbishop Clarke told the story that when he was a boy, the Franciscan nuns that were in Highgate instructed all the boys that they should come in suits for their confirmation.
And apparently the young Edgerton Clarke went home and told his mother that “Sister says he must wear a suit for his confirmation.” His mother’s response was “well that means you will not be confirmed because we don’t have any money to buy a suit for you.”
And then apparently, the young Edgerton Clarke went back to Sister and told her what his mother had said, and Sister said she would see what she could do.
The next thing he heard was on Sunday morning at Mass, the priest announcing from the pulpit that if anyone had a jacket that could fit Edgerton Clarke, he would be in need of a jacket for his confirmation. The young Edgerton Clarke never fully got over that embarrassment because to the end of his life, while as Archbishop of Kingston and perhaps afterwards, he mentioned that incident.
These are the circumstances under which Edgerton Clarke grew up, went to school, and got a job at the Public Works Department, where he worked for four years between 1948 and 1952.
In the year 1952, the then Vicar Apostolic of Jamaica, Bishop John Joseph McEleney, established a minor seminary in Kingston. Edgerton Clarke was one of the first four seminarians at the minor seminary. The others were Henry Williams, George Bardowell, and Vincent Campbell, all of whom became priests.
Afterwards, young Edgerton Clarke would attend St. John’s seminary in Massachusetts and return to Jamaica for his ordination on February 2, 1960.
Stationed at Holy Trinity Cathedral as one of six priests attached to the Cathedral, he was transferred in 1961 to Holy Rosary to be the associate pastor to Father Richard Watson (later Monsignor). By 1962, he was a priest in charge of the St. Benedict’s mission (later a complete parish church) in Harbour View.
Father Clarke was then transferred to Port Antonio, where he spent about two years, and then transferred in 1966 to Holy Trinity Cathedral as administrator. In the following year, 1967, at the age of 38, somewhere around July or August, Father Edgerton Clarke got news from Rome that he was to be appointed a bishop and to be in charge of the newly created diocese of Montego Bay. At the same time, the Diocese of Kingston (established in 1956) was elevated to an archdiocese with Archbishop John McEleney as its first archbishop.
Both the installation of the first archbishop and the episcopal ordination of Bishop Clarke took place in one event at Holy Trinity Cathedral on November 30, 1967. Bishop Clarke was installed as bishop of Montego Bay at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral (previously Blessed Sacrament Church) on December 8, 1967.
In late November 1994 came the news that Bishop Clarke would succeed Archbishop Carter as the Archbishop of Kingston, the installation having taken place in January 1995.
I met Father Edgerton Clarke at the age of eight and a half in 1962 at Holy Rosary.
When I became a seminarian at St. Michael’s Seminary in 1974, my very first retreat upon entering was at the Jesuit villa in Mammee Bay, St. Ann. Bishop Clarke was the retreat director.
That is where I saw Father Clarke practicing yoga. He told me that as a younger man, he lifted weights, and indeed, for many years after he left St. Benedict’s, his weights were still in the rectory. He also told me that he was a cadet at St. George’s College. He also did swimming for recreation in his earlier years.
Archbishop Clarke was a man who one could rely on to explain a lot of history. Yes, he knew a lot of jokes, and he would tell them. But he was also a man with a practical philosophy of life.
One of the things that I recall about Archbishop Edgerton Clarke was his saying during mass in the charismatic conference of the new life prayer group in 1997, when the theme was on forgiveness. He said that people say that we should forgive and forget, but it is next to impossible to forget. “But what you are to do,” said Archbishop Clarke, “is every time you remember, you are to forgive again.” I have never forgotten that because I have struggled in my personal life with forgiveness.
Archbishop Edgerton Clarke was a very spiritual man, and liturgical vestments meant a lot to him. They should be properly cared for, in his opinion.
I recall some amusing true stories of some of his experiences.
On one occasion when he was the priest at St. Benedict’s in Harbour View, there was an ecumenical gathering of clergy.
I should tell you first that the Catholic Church does not teach that drinking liquor is sinful, but it does teach that drunkenness is sinful, which is in line with the scriptures.
At the function, there was some liquor. I believe the function was held on the grounds of St. Benedict’s church, if for no other reason than because liquor was present, and some of the other church denominations might not have done so were it elsewhere.
So apparently the young Father Clarke was drinking a Red Stripe Beer, and a Baptist minister said to him, “Are a brave man to be drinking beer in front o(f your bishop” (who was present, and that would have been Bishop John J. McEleney SJ).
So apparently Father Edgerton Clarke said to the Baptist minister “what’s the problem? the bishop has his drink and I have mine.” Then the Baptist Minister said to him that he (the Baptist Minister) would like to take a drink also, but there are church members present and they may scandalize him”.
Another story that I will tell is one that Archbishop Clarke gave about his time at St. George’s College. In those days, north St. was still pretty suburban, and so was much of South Camp Road. The Issas lived on South Camp Road (where Motor Sales was later). Apparently, there were some mango trees on the property, and that property might have been next door. The boys, being boys, were not supposed to be on the property, but they were in the mango tree picking mangoes.
Then he heard an elderly man shouting: “You KC boys are the worst set of boys in Jamaica. I am going to tell Mr. Gibson.” And they laughed at him and said “Yes go and tell Mr. Gibson.” They could respond to the man in that way because they were not Kingston College boys but St. George’s College Boys.
I have first cousins on my father’s side who are first cousins (once removed) to the late Archbishop Edgerton Clarke on their mother’s side. My aunt-in-law, the late Mrs. Marjorie Burke, nee Mair, the wife of my late uncle Dr. Ludlow Burke, was a first cousin to Archbishop Edgerton Clarke, Sister Greta Clarke OSF, Brother Calvin Clarke and the rest of their siblings.
So the former National Tennis coach of Jamaica, Douglas Burke, and his three sisters Patricia, Alison, and Claudia (my first cousins) were all related to Archbishop Clarke and still related to Sister Greta Clarke OSF and Brother Calvin Clarke SJ, as their mother and Archbishop Clarke were two first cousins.
Lord, may his soul rest in peace!