Dear Editor,
Guyanese- born Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Hildebrand Greene, OSB died recently in Trinidad. I had the opportunity to interview Fr. Greene during a visit to New Amsterdam over six years ago. I would be happy to share some of his history.
Father Hildebrand Greene OSB was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He was born at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital. His mother was of Guyanese descent while he said that his father was Irish. So that means he has some Irish in his blood.
He said he went to school at the Ursuline Convent, St Stanislaus College and Central High School, all of which are in Georgetown.
After finishing school, he desired to enter into religious life. He said he did not want to start a job, where he might’ve been tempted to stay. He began borrowing books from the Sacred Heart Church Library. He started to read about the Order of Saint Benedict (OSB). He also heard lots of stories about life at Mount Benedict (in Trinidad). He visited Mt Benedict a couple of times whilst in Trinidad.
Mt Benedict houses the Seminary where candidates study for the priesthood and religious life. It is high up a mountain. Father Greene said he was told by many to go look for work. However, as mentioned before, he did not want to take this route. At the tender age of 18, young Hildebrand Greene entered for studies at Mt Benedict.
Becoming a “religious” priest takes a period of about 10-12 years. It is really hard work and takes lots of dedication. To become a normal priest (usually called Diocesan Priest or DP after their names) takes just over 5 years or so. If one recalls Guyana’s history, in the 60s and 70s the Catholic Church was run more by Jesuit priests.
Fr Hildebrand took vows in 1958. In 1961 he took solemn vows. In 1964, he was finally ordained a religious priest by then Bishop of the Diocese of Georgetown Bishop Richard Lester Guilly S.J.
He described that period in Guyana’s history as “trying”.
Being a “religious” priest, he was not assigned to any parish, per se. In other words, he was ordained to be a community priest—giving his services where and when needed.
From 1964- 1967 we went to Rome to study Liturgy. Afterwards, he was asked to return to Trinidad to become a Novice Master—meaning he would be in charge of young men entering the religious life and studies.
Sometime after, he began responsibilities to take care of retreat houses in Trinidad at the monasteries. In 1973, he was made Chaplain for the University of the West Indies (UWI).
He came to Guyana sometime after and was made Prison Chaplain of the Golden Grove prison. This he did for 25 years. He said Mass and so on at this facility.
May his soul rest in peace.
Yours faithfully,
Leon Suseran
