Draft:Kenneth Richards (bishop)

Kenneth David Oswin Richards (born 16 August 1958) is a Jamaican prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica since 2016, after being the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John’s-Basseterre beginning in 2011.

Early Life
Richards was born in Linstead, Jamaica on 16 August 1958, the oldest of his mother Holdroyd McDonald's seven children. He converted to Catholicism from Anglicanism at the age of 10, being attracted by the Eucharist, and was the only Catholic in his family for a time before his mother and siblings also converted. He studied at St. Catherine High School and attended Mass at St. Joseph's Church in Spanish Town, encountering at the latter a vocational discernment group run by future archbishop of Kingston Charles Dufour. Following this, he entered seminary formation for the Archdiocese of Kingston, studying at St. Michael Seminary at the University of the West Indies and the Catholic University of America. He was ordained to the diaconate on 28 September 1984 and to the priesthood in 1985.

Priesthood
Richards' first assignment following his ordination was as parochial vicar of Holy Cross Church in Half Way Tree, and his first pastorate was at St. Benedict's in Harbour View. He was made a Prelate of Honour of His Holiness with the title of Monsignor in 2009, and served as rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral, overseeing a major restoration before its centennial anniversary in 2011. He was also vicar general of the Archdiocese of Kingston from 2008 to 2011.

In addition to ordinary parochial ministry, Richards also was president of the Diocesan Priests Association of Kingston from 2005 - 2008 and vice-president of the Jamaica Council of Churches, being spoken of as an "action man" by the president of the latter, a minister of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Bishop of St. John's - Basseterre
In November of 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Richards as bishop of the diocese of St. John's - Basseterre, which consists of the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands. The following February 8th, he was consecrated to the episcopacy in Holy Family Cathedral.

Arcbishop of Kingston
On 29 April 2016, Pope Francis appointed Richards as archbishop of Kingston, Jamaica. He was installed as archbishop in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on 6 July of the same year.

He became the subject of some controversy when he remixed Bounty Killer's song "Miss Ivy Last Son", which originally prominently featured violent lyrics, into a condemnation of the gang violence which has been prominent in Jamaica. The remix was reposted on Instagram by Bounty Killer, with the caption "Government Badness Meets Church Badness" followed by laughing emojis.