Dursley News
Church leaders pay tribute to their late and friend and colleague Rev John Suddards
1:10pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
VICARS across Thornbury joined forces with Diocese leaders to bring moral and spiritual support to a stunned parish last week.
Following Rev John Suddards’ murder at the New Vicarage in Thornbury last Monday, the local clergy stepped in to help churchgoers deal with the brutal loss of their priest.
With St Mary’s still cordonned off on Friday, the Baptist community offered to host a memorial service in honour of Mr Suddards at their church and 280 locals came en masse to bid farewell to the vicar.
All town denominations were heavily represented at the sermon led by the Bishop of Gloucester, the Righ Rev Michael Perham, with religious chiefs ready to comfort many tearful parishioners.
Before inviting the assembly to pray and sing, the Bishop expressed his shock at the "dreadful" circumstances in which Mr Suddards died.
He said: "John was a good man and a fine priest and I mourn his death both as a human being and as a Christian minister. The time will come to leave our tears behind and celebrate his life and ministry. It is too soon for that. Tonight we are a shocked community upholding one another and seeking some peace in our hearts."
He also passed on messages of support from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev David Primrose, who held Mr Suddards’s post until October 2010, and the parish of Witham where the vicar had preached for ten years.
After a Eucharist ceremony, Bishop Michael added that words failed to fully describe the community's ordeal.
"Words are not adequate at moments like these," he said. "We give thanks for his life and ministry. He was a priest of deep spirituality."
The Archdeacon of Gloucester also expressed his sorrow while leading a sermon at the recently reopened St Mary’s Church on Sunday.
At the service, the Ven Geoffrey Sidaway spoke to the assembly about the necessity for the clergy to keep their doors open despite the dangers this act of Christian charity may present.
He said: "By the nature of the position, clergy are often dealing with people who are distressed and angry and that can put us in very vulnerable situations.
"But the door must stay open. That is the whole point of the job. We need to be a church with an open door which is there to welcome and help everyone."
He also reassured the people of Thornbury that the Diocese would bring them all the support necessary to come to terms with the cruel death of their vicar.
"Healing will take a long time," he added. "I’m here today to assure people that the diocese will not leave them to handle all that alone, that we will put in resources to help, and that we will be with them every step of the way."
On Monday night, between 10pm and midnight, 70 members of the parish came together at a vigil in St Mary’s to mark the time at which the vicar was murdered at his home the previous week.