Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Msgr. Jerome Feudjio as Bishop of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Diocese of Saint Thomas is comprised of the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John and Water Island and has a total population of 110,000, of which 30,000 are Roman Catholic.
Bishop-elect Feudjio is a priest of the Diocese of Saint Thomas and currently serves as a vicar general and chancellor of that See, and rector of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C., on March 2 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Monsignor Feudjio was born on Sept. 30, 1955, in Fonakeukeu, Dschang, Cameroon. He graduated from St. Albert Catholic School in Dschang in 1967 and attended St. John College of the Christian Brothers of Quebec in Mbanga, Cameroon (1968-1972), receiving a degree in bookkeeping (1972).
Feudjio was a postulant for the religious order the Congregation of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart in 1972 and attended Saint Apostles Seminary of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart in Otelé, Cameroon (1972-1975) and the Major Seminary of Nkolbison in Yaoundé, Cameroon (1975-1979).
In 1980, while he was at the Sacred Heart Novitiate, Monsignor Feudjio traveled to the United States, and he met in Washington then-Father Seán O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap. who invited him to stay at San Francisco House, run by the Spanish Catholic Center of the Archdiocese of Washington. He attended Oblate College, which was then part of the Washington Theological Consortium, where he completed his studies in philosophy and theology for the priesthood.
In 1987, he joined the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and made his temporary religious profession. He enrolled in the Administration of Justice Program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., where he completed his graduate program with an internship at a local transitional house that helped former inmates readjust to society.
Following the appointment of Bishop O’Malley to the Diocese of Saint Thomas (1984-1992), Monsignor Feudjio was invited to work as a campus minister at Saints Peter and Paul School in 1988. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Saint Thomas on Sept. 29, 1990. In 2002, he was named by Pope John Paul II a Chaplain of His Holiness, a recognition that carried the honorary title of monsignor. In 2004, Monsignor Feudjio returned to Southern Illinois University to pursue graduate studies in rehabilitation administration at the request of Bishop George V. Murry S.J., who was bishop of Saint Thomas from 1999-2007.
Monsignor Feudjio’s assignments after ordination include parochial vicar at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral as well as Saint Anne Chapel (1990-1997); French and religion teacher (1992-1997) and assistant principal at Saints Peter and Paul School (1995-1997); diocesan finance officer (1996-2004); director of vocations (1996-2020); administrator (1997-2000) and rector (2000-2001) of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral; and vicar for clergy and religious (2001 to the present). Father Feudjio also served as chancellor for the Diocese of Saint Thomas (2002-2004) and as pastor of Holy Family Parish (2004-2008). He has been rector and vicar general of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral since 2008.
Bishop-elect Feudjio’s pastoral ministry also includes assignments such as diocesan consultor, member of the board of directors for Catholic Charities, member of Diocesan Finance Committee, moderator of the curia and vicar for communications.
