Photo: Duquesne University

The Rev. Fr. Gabriel Mendy, C.S.Sp., has been appointed bishop of the diocese of Banjul, Gambia by Pope Francis. His appointment on November 30, 2017, follows the retirement of Bishop Robert Patrick Ellison, C.S.Sp.

Bishop Mendy was born on April 9, 1967, in Lamin, Gambia. He made his perpetual vows in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit on August 31, 1996, and was ordained on November 15, 1997. He studied at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, obtaining a degree in Theology in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology in 2009.

Prior to his appointment as Bishop, Fr. Mendy served as a professor at the Spiritan International School of Theology in Enugu, Nigeria, since 2010, also serving as its vice rector since 2011.

According to the Holy See Press Office, Bishop Mendy has also held the following roles: pastoral service at Saint Peter’s parish and Saint Theresa’s parish (1997-1998); collaborator in the Saint Martin of Porres parish in Freetown, Sierra Leone (1997-1998); teacher at the major pre-seminary of Saint Kizito in Kenema, Sierra Leone and pastor in the Holy Trinity parish in Kenema (1999-2002); pastor in the parish of Santa Maria in Pendembu, Sierra Leone (2002-2004); student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, U.S.A. (2004-2009); parish vicar in Our Lady of the Sea parish in New York, USA (2009-2010), where from 2006 to 2016 he also served as a summer co-worker.