HE FUNERAL MASS at Bristol Cathedral on Thursday 30th December was a fitting tribute to a man who had endeared himself to thousands over the short time he was a bishop in God's Church. The cathedral was packed and nearly two hundred priests concelebrated with the bishops. Father John Scott, an old friend who was Master of Ceremonies, remarked afterwards that if Michael had been present he would have turned to the person next to him and said with a wry smile "All this for me Father?" Indeed it was for him: for a man who had gained a deep and genuine affection from all those in his pastoral care, most of whom had never met him until last year.

I first met Michael over twenty years ago. He was a layman then and came to preach at St Mary's, Ilford where I was serving my title. He had recently returned from Lesotho, where he and his wife Diana had been teaching missionaries, and came to the parish because he had been at Lancaster University with a member of the congregation. I then heard reports of Michael over the years but it was not until we had both returned from service overseas that we caught up with one another again at USPG Councils and Forward in Faith Assemblies. So I was delighted when he rang to tell me that he had been asked to be the next bishop of Ebbsfleet and hoped to live in Bristol.

Even before his consecration he set about getting to know the priests in the Ebbsfleet area and their parishes which by the time of his death reached 100. After his consecration he quickly grew into his new role which seemed to fit him so well though he was never prelatical. He was first and foremost a priest amongst priests and never lost the common touch. He expected no special treatment, queuing up like the rest of us for coffee after mass. He would always help with the tidying up and was one of the last to leave after a function. He had that gift of being able to look a person in the eye and make them feel that they were the most important person in the world, and people were genuinely surprised to find a bishop who they could relate to easily. Those of us who lived near to him were especially fortunate to experience not only Diana and Michael's generous and warm hospitality at Goldney Avenue, but also benefit from his availability and pastoral care. Despite the vast amount of time he gave to his work he was at heart a family man devoted to his wife and two children, Pula and Martha.

His eccentricities, of which there were many, were part of his charm. How many bishops travel the country with a thick copy of the national railway timetable for light reading? How many cycle to preside at a Solemn Mass in a cassock with mitre and crosier tucked into a wooden basket on the back? How many bishops would join the ringers in the tower to peal for the service at which they were presiding? How many bishops had a Romanian Orthodox Assistant? One morning I heard movements at the back of church just as Mass was beginning. It was the bishop putting on a pair of trousers over his shorts after a morning run from Clifton to Knowle. His interests were numerous and he had a mind geared to retain detail and if you did not know something he did, he would say with a twinkle and a smile 'Didn't you know that, Father?'

His overseas experience gave his ministry an added dimension. He often talked about it and it obviously shaped much of his thinking. He was saddened that many traditional catholic parishes have abandoned support for USPG which is linked with many traditional Anglican dioceses, and he was in the process of encouraging parishes in his area to support Father Rodney Schofield who is soon to travel to Malawi to teach in Zomba Theological College.

He was a man of discipline and deep spirituality. I was privileged to be able to minister to him in the last week of his life. After the initial heart attack, he was unconscious for two days but on waking up asked that I should go and recite the office for him. This was the back bone of his life and he relied upon it. The Chapel he created in his home was a place where the parishes and priests of the Ebbsfleet area were prayed for regularly, aided by a loose-leaf book containing details of his parishes, and photographs of his clergy and their families.

He disliked being singled out as 'anti' the ordination of women. He was not 'anti' anything. He stood for things which he believed to be important. Nor was he a person who relished conflict. On the contrary, he would always look for ways to come to an acceptable compromise. His approach was never negative. The ordinations of seven men as priests and deacons last Petertide were a source of great encouragement to him personally, for the future of the Church of England and our part in it. He was a wise counsellor but strangely also vulnerable and slightly naive. He expected people to treat him as graciously as he treated them but sadly that was not always his experience. A number of diocesan bishops reacted in a way which hurt and upset him deeply though he was quick to comment on those who were warm, friendly and encouraging.

Last year, at the Chrism Masses in his area, he referred in his sermon to a letter from a diocesan bishop who had described some of the clergy for whom Michael was to have pastoral care. One priest was described as a man who said his prayers and cared for his people, but did little else. Michael wondered what more one could ask of a priest. He hoped that he would be remembered in such a way. I think Michael has had his wish granted. May he rest in peace.

Keith Newton is Vicar of Holy Nativity Knowle and Priest in Charge of All HaIlows', Easton. This article was written in collaboration with Father James Patrick, Hon. Ccurate of Al1 Saints', Clifton and Father Simon Ellis, Curate of Holy Nativity Knowle and All Hallows', Easton.


This article first appeared in the January AD2000 issue of New Directions and is © New Directions. It is reproduced here with kind permission.

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