Catholics Return and Slaves Rebel

This desolate period lasted for over a century.  It wasn't until the start of the 19th century that Catholics were allowed to return to Jamaica.  The Dominican Friar, Fr. William Le Can answered the call for a priest to a serve the small group of Catholics who migrated there from Cuba. He was followed by a Portuguese Dominican Fr. Hyacinthe Rodrigues and later by the Castillian Fr. Benito Fernandez. Fr. Duquesney, the first native Jamaican raised to the priesthood was Fr. Benito assistant.  Jamaica was formed into a Vicariate and Fr. Benito was named first Apostolic Vicar of Jamaica. Catholics were a small minority of the population and disenfranchised in that all resources and benefits earned on the island had to be sent to England. Furthermore only whites were allowed to vote. This eventually led to slave rebellions, most notably the Sam Sharpe Rebellion in 1832.  The Sam Sharpe  victory of the slaves over the institution of slavery in Jamaica spelled doom for slavery in the other British colonies. 

In 1838 there another successful slave rebellion and soon after slavery was abolished, but the freed slaves were wage laborers with little property, no vote and few options for advancement.  Desperation caused them to revolt again in 1865 and Jamaica’s legislative assembly unable to rule effectively turned over its power to the Crown.  There was a cholera epidemic during this decade.  Fr. Benito died in 1855 and was succeeded by Fr. Dupeyron, Fr. Woolett and Fr. Porter. 

Living conditions were harsh and one priest after another succumbed either to exhaustion and disease.   Despite their own hardships the priests opened a school in Spanish Town and an orphanage in Kingston with the help of the Ladies’ Association of Charity and the Girls’ Sodality. The first sisters to arrive in Jamaica were Franciscans who came from Glasgow in 1857.  They opened a convent dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and staffed the school in Spanish Town.  Catholics were officially not allowed to practice their religion openly in Jamaica until 1870.