The Revd John Phillips RIP

With sadness I pass along the news to the diocesan family of the death of the Revd John Phillips. Fr John retired from parochial ministry in the diocese of Peterborough in 1995. He settled near Alcossebre in Spain, and in retirement laid the foundation for what is now a flourishing parish in the Costa Azahar. Fr John died on the evening of 3 March at his home in Wellingborough, Northants where he had recently returned with his wife Judith to be near their family.


I first made contact with Fr John in September 2003 when he came to see me to discuss his vision for new work in this part of Spain where which was miles from any existing Church of England congregation, the nearest being in Costa Blanca to the south or Barcelona to the north. Through his work and personal generosity, the congregation of St Christopher was established. His pioneering work now has grown to include three congregations on the Costa Azahar, St Christopher's Alcossebre, with its two daughter congregations, one in Vinarós and another in L'Ampolla.

Fr John suffered with Parkinson´s disease for a number of years yet, this did not deter him from his pioneering work and his pastoral concern for the building up of a new congregation. He established many fruitful ecumenical contacts which have continued to this day.

It is likely that a memorial service will be held in Alcossebre to coincide with John´s funeral in the UK when more details are known.

The priest-in-charge of St Christopher’s in Costa Azahar, the Revd Paul Needle, asks for our prayers of thanks to God for John’s long and fruitful ministry, that he may now rest in peace. Your prayers are also asked for Judith and the family who mourn their loss.

The website for the congregations in Costa Azahar is here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell to the Diocese in Europe

Image
Deacon Frances and I packed up our office yesterday and turned over our official files, emails and equipment. Thus a close working together for 22 years comes to an end. So it is hard to believe that today, St David's day, a new chapter begins, after 44 years of stipendiary ministry, 22 years as deacon then priest and 22 as a bishop.  Here are just a few memories from the last couple of months...   But now it is time to begin a new chapter.  O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: forgive our impatience, perfect our faith and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise, grant us to have a good hope because of your Word,  even Jesus Christ our Lord. (St Gregory Nazianzus, 330 - 390)
Read more

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter: A European Consequence

Image
In his Pentecost letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned of certain consequences for provinces of the Anglican Communion which have failed to stand by the three moratoria . (No authorisation of blessings services for same-sex unions; no consecrations of bishops living in same-sex relationships; and no bishop authorising any ministry within the diocese of another bishop without explicit permission). One consequence would be that representatives from such provinces w ould not be able to participate in the formal international interchurch dialogues of the Communion. One of those dialogues is the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council ( AOCICC ), the official instrument set up to deepen the relationship of communion established in 1931 between the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht . As the member Churches of the Union of Utrecht are all European, the AOCICC is effectively a European body. (I am one of the members, appo...
Read more

Bishop Austin Rios of California

Image
It was a joyful, colourful, multicultural three-hour liturgy. At Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, the Revd Austin Rios was consecrated the bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of California. I have known Austin from his time as the Rector of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Rome, where he was a great friend and collaborator with our own Church of England All Saints Chaplaincy in that city. The liturgy, appropriately, marked the multiculural make-up of the diocese, with prayers, readings, hymns and songs in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Tonga and Mandarin. The final procession was led by a Chinese dragon! I was told that there were about 300 in the procession and 2000 present in the beautiful gothic cathedral on Nob Hill San Francisco. My good friend and ecuenical colleague from Rome Fr Keith Peckers SJ was also in attenance, so the Church of Rome and the Church of England were both represented! Among the bishop friends present were Bishop Mark Edington of the Episcopal Convocation in Europe, a...
Read more