Windwards Diocese remembers Dean Smith’s passion for winning souls, and his hospitality

The Diocese of the Windward Islands has extended condolences on the passing of Dean emeritus, Ulric Smith, who died on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

“The clergy and people of the Diocese of the Windward Islands are saddened at the passing of the Very Rev’d Ulric Leroy Smith, Dean emeritus of the St. George’s Cathedral, Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” a statement from the Diocese reads in part.

Dean Smith was born in Holetown, St James, Barbados on January, 20, 1929. He worked worked with Bishop Tonks as his Secretary, and on the retirement of Bishop Tonks, Fr Smith became Rector of Holy Trinity, Saint Lucia. The statement from the Diocese goes on to list the several areas where the late Anglican Priest served both in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and elsewhere.

“The ordination of Dean Smith among others marked the beginning of the Indigenization of the clergy of the Diocese of the Windward Islands. He was ordained a Deacon on 22nd

December, 1963 in Grenada and a priest on the 1st November, 1964 at St. George’s Cathedral, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Fr Smith served in several Parishes in SVG and retired in 1999, but continued to serve in various parishes until 2002.

“Central to Dean Smith’s ministry was the salvation of souls –this was reflected in the prominence he placed on the celebration of the Holy Mass – with reverence, dignity, and order. He saw it as a Medicine to the soul. He believed in the word of God and that he was obliged to speak the truth in love,” the statement, signed by Rev’d C. Leopold Friday, Bishop of the Windward Islands also reads.

It notes that Dean Smith will be missed for his “wealth of knowledge and experience gained during his ministry as a priest for over fifty years”, and noted his willingness to share that knowledge with those who were younger in ministry, in whose growth and development he assisted.

“ Dean Smith was very firm when it came to discipline and the proper procedure in doing things. Due to his firmness, some may have regarded him as one who was difficult to relate to. However, behind it all was a man of God filled with love, compassion, and concern for the well-being of others,” the statement also says adding, that “He and his widow Dawn, will be remembered for their gracious hospitality…” to locals as well as persons visiting from abroad. Fr Smith is survived by his wife, Dawn; son, Glenn; and siblings- Yvonne Innis and Joan Bishop, in Barbados; other relatives and friends. Vesting and Vigil for the late Anglican Priest will be held at 10:00 a.m at the Everready Funeral Home, and 10:30 a.m at the St. George’s Cathedral respectively on Monday, July, 14,2025. The funeral mass will take place at 1:00 p.m on Wednesday July, 16, 2025 at the St. George’s Cathedral. Interment will be at the St. George’s Cathedral Cemetery.