The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

Family and friends of the late Father Ormand Leslie Wright this week said goodbye to a man they described as quiet, industrious and prudent, and an exemplary role model in the Anglican Church. Father Wright died on June 4 at the Princess Margaret Hospital. He was 73 years old.

On Monday, the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas recognised and celebrated his life as he was laid to rest at Christ Church Cathedral. The chief celebrant was Bishop Laish Boyd.

Born on November 23, 1942, to Harold and Louise Mildred Wright, Father Wright was the sixth of nine children. Growing up in the community of Fox Hill, he was baptised by Father Lawrence Griffin and confirmed by Bishop Spence Burton at St Anne’s Church, just a stone’s throw away from his home.

At a very young age, he craved to do more in the service of the Lord.

Father Chester Burton, Anglican Church Rector, said Father Wright exhibited excellent qualities from childhood. His early education began at the Sandilands All-Age School. He later transferred to St Anne’s Anglican School under the tutelage of Canon John Pugh, the school’s founder and first principal.

“At St Anne’s, young Wright excelled in academics and extracurricular activities at which time he heard the voice of God,” said Father Burton.

“In an interview he said, ‘I was 14 years old when I became interested in the Anglican Church.’ Under the strong influence of Canon John Pugh, after graduating from St Anne’s High School, his journey began toward the priesthood. He pursued a degree in History and Government at St Augustine’s College, Raleigh, North Carolina, and subsequently transferred to Codrington College, St John, Barbados to test his vocation.”

Father Wright was ordained as a deacon on June 29, 1979, the feast day of St Peter and St Paul at Christ Church Cathedral by the late Bishop Michael Eldon, along with Canon Curtis Robinson. He was then posted to High Rock, East Grand Bahama. A year later, Father Wright was ordained as a priest and transferred to Calabash Bay, Andros.

“He fell in love with a young Androsian princess named Teresita Minnis and she would remain a faithful wife to him up his demise. The union produced one single daughter named Argua,” said Father Burton.

Father Wright was then posted as a priest in Cat Island at St Saviour’s for three years. From there he was soon transferred to Mangrove Cay, South Andros to the All Saints Church. Later on he served in South Eleuthera in the parish of St Luke’s.

“Upon relocating to New Providence he served for many years as assistant to Father Delano Archer at Epiphany Church, Prince Charles. Unlike most parish priests, who concentrate on the cure for lost Christian souls, he focused more on teaching, academics and mentoring to high school students. Father Wright served 12 years at the D W Davis Junior High School and C V Bethel Senior High School,” said Father Burton.

As a teacher-priest he had the privilege to touch the lives of thousands of students throughout the Bahamas. “I felt that someone has to do it,” was simply how Father Wright described his calling. “He made an indelible mark on the fabric of this land. May his soul rest in peace, amen,” said Father Burton.