The
Very Reverend John Paterson.
The Very Reverend John Paterson, who died on
September 9 aged 66, was Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, from
1989 to 2004 and one of the most highly regarded priests in the Church
of Ireland; he was a prominent figure in the life of the city, as well
as in the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough, and for some years was one
of the two General Secretaries of his church's General Synod. A fine
preacher, he could sometimes be outspoken. At an annual citizenship
service held in the cathedral in 1998, and attended by civic dignitaries
and leaders of commerce, he complained that Ireland's booming economy
had been achieved at the expense of the poor, and that the country had
become "richer and nastier and much less caring than when it was
poorer". He went on to point out that 150 years earlier Ireland had
called on the more prosperous nations of the world to open their doors
to more than a million of its starving poor, "yet today we are sealing
our borders to ensure that a paltry few thousand refugees are excluded".
Paterson, who combined the gifts of a scholar with those of a pastor,
had a warm and welcoming personality, and before becoming a Dean had
exercised strong parish ministries. He also had considerable expertise
in the field of liturgy, and was much involved in the revision of the
Church of Ireland's Book Of Common Prayer, published last year.
John Thomas Farquhar Paterson was born in Portadown in Northern Ireland
on December 21 1938. He went from Portadown College to Trinity College,
Dublin, to read Hebrew and Oriental Languages and completed his training
for Holy Orders at the nearby theological college. He returned to Co
Armagh in 1963 to be a curate at Drumglass, and after three years went
back to Dublin as curate of St Bartholomew's Church. This led to his
appointment in 1968 as priest-in-charge of St Mark's Church in the city
- a post which he combined with that of assistant chaplain of Trinity
College. He completed a BD in 1971. He also began a 16-year association
with St Patrick's - the national cathedral - as a Minor Canon, which
turned to good use his knowledge of music as well as his skill in the
ordering of dignified worship. This continued when, in 1972, he returned
to St Bartholomew's as Vicar and also for a few years after his
appointment as Dean of St Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare, in 1974. This
cathedral - one of two in the diocese of Meath and Kildare - provided
further scope for his liturgical interest and he also became a lecturer
in Pastoral Liturgy at his old theological college. There was a
cathedral parish to minister to as well, and additionally the small
associated parishes of Lackagh and Kilmeague, and the Curragh Garrison
Church.
Paterson's appointment as Dean of Christ Church in 1989 surprised no
one, and besides his notable cathedral ministry he was incumbent of a
group or parishes in the city. Cordial relations were maintained with St
Patrick's Cathedral, and the two institutions combined to host a
memorable conference of deans and provosts of the English, Welsh and
Scottish cathedrals at which the serious business was well lubricated by
Irish hospitality. Strong, collaborative relations with the Roman
Catholic and Protestant churches were important to him, and he
contributed articles on pastoral liturgy to the Roman Catholic journal
The Furrow. Sadly, he felt driven to resign from the secretaryship of
the General Synod, to which he had been elected in 1985, over the issue
of women priests. The last straw for him came in 1991 when the synod,
having affirmed the ministry of women priests, refused to affirm the
ministry of those opposed to them. For Paterson it was a matter of
principle, and he resigned to the great regret, but with the respect, of
the Synod. He then took on the post of diocesan radio officer and wrote
a valuable History of the Laity in the Church of Ireland (2002) to add
to his Parish Education Handbook (1987) and Mary in the Church (1990).
His final years at Christ Church were dogged by poor health, and in
2001, to the delight of his friends, he married Patricia Bray, who
survives him with two stepsons.