MONSIGNOR PRESTON MOSS DIES

When Pope John Paul came to The Bahamas on the evening of 1 February 1979, Preston Moss was if not the only Bahamian priest of senior standing in the Roman Catholic church, he was certainly close to it.  One by one every Bahamian who had been ordained in the 1960s left the church to get married. Preston is the only one who stayed.  The Bishop was an American Paul Leonard Hargarty but the Roman Church in The Bahamas was identified more or less as that of  Preston Moss’.   Given that the tenor of those times, it was expected that sooner rather than later Preston Moss would become the Bishop of The Bahamas.  In and around that time, it was said that an opening had in fact come up to be Bishop in St Lucia but that he had turned it down.  Two years after the Papal Visit, it was said again that he had been asked to accept the role of Bishop of The Bahamas, but he turned it down again. He thought that the exposure at the top was not something that he wanted and preferred the more quiet pastoral life. Notwithstanding that, most people believed that he ran from behind the Catholic Church in The Bahamas and he went to his death at the age of 79 on 11 March 2019 with that reputation intact.  But beyond that he is known as man of gentle spirit and a compelling spiritual presence, a holy man who served God and country to the best of his ability.   The Archdiocese of The Bahamas announced his passing on 11 March.  The statement said he had suffered from stomach cancer. They announced the following services:

A Vigil for the deceased will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 7pm at St. Anselm Church, Bernard, Fox Hill Nassau, Bahamas.  Viewing of the body will begin at 12:noon to the Vigil.

The Rite of Christian Burial of Msgr. Preston A. Moss will take place at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, West Street at 11:00 am on Thursday March 21, 2019.

Interment will be in St. Anselm Church Cemetery.