Herbert Bevard

Herbert Armstrong Bevard was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Roman [Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas|Diocese of Saint Thomas] in the United States Virgin Islands from 2008 until 2020.

Biography

Bevard was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 24, 1946. He converted from Presbyterianism to Catholicism in 1964, when he was a high school senior. After deciding to become a priest, Bevard entered St. [Charles Borromeo Seminary] in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John Krol for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at the Cathedral [Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul |Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul] in Philadelphia in 1972. Bevard was created as monsignor in 2003 and was stationed in Philadelphia as episcopal vicar for the city's northern half.

Bevard was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands on July 7, 2008, by Pope Benedict XVI. Bevard was consecrated on September 3, 2008, in Charlotte Amelie at the Saints [Peter and Paul Cathedral |Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul] by Archbishop Donald Wuerl. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Bishop Daniel Edward Thomas.
He was instrumental in raising funds for the restoration of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. In trips to the Continental United States, he worked to raise money for schools and charities within the diocese. After the two hurricanes hit the Virgin Islands in 2017, Bevard allowed the conversion of a diocesan retreat center on St. Croix into a homeless shelter.

On July 6, 2020, aware of his deteriorating health, Bevard sent a letter of resignation as bishop of Saint Thomas to Pope Francis. Soon after that, Bevard was hospitalized at Schneider Regional Medical Center in Charlotte Amalie. In mid-August 2020, he was airlifted to a hospital in North Carolina for advanced treatment.
Pope Francis accepted Bevard's resignation on September 18, 2020, and appointed Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington to temporarily run the diocese as apostolic administrator.
In retirement, Bevard resided in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Bevard died in Wilmington on September 20, 2025, at the age of 79.