Bishop Daniel Hart passed away yesterday and the Christian Church lost a special man. Bishop Hart was a person who saw the big picture. He looked at life and faith with God's eyes. Although he was faithful to his Roman Catholic Church and served it extremely well, he also reached out to his sisters and brothers in Christ from other communions.
I will never forget a meeting I had with him back in the mid-nineties. He had affirmed the idea of bringing the Protestant and Catholic churches together for the Annual Way of the Cross Procession. He understood that this was a change and it might have some repercussions across the diocese. I asked him about it and he said that coming together would make a statement to the world about the Lordship of Christ. That was his first concern: Putting Christ first.
When the committee wanted to deviate from the familiar text, he suggested another script that would lift up the story of Christ's passion from Scripture. This delighted the evangelical Christians who were involved. Again, I was mindful of reaction from the faithful. I asked if he really didn't mind changing to this new text. With a twinkle in his eye he said, "if it was good enough for Pope John Paul, who wrote it, then I imagine it will serve us well."
Bishop Hart was involved in the signing of the charter of Norwich Churches Together, our local Council of Churches back in the early days of this decade. He reached out to the Jewish Federation and established a relationship that made the Diocese proud. He was involved with the Christian Conference of Churches in Connecticut from his first days and a leader in all affairs ecumenical.
Bishop Hart was truly a people person in the truest sense of the word. He looked at people as children of God and treated them as such no matter where they came from or what their background was. For all of the accolades we could pour on him, he never claimed them for himself. He was humble man who lived out his calling as a Christian first and a man of the church second.
We will miss him. May we all strive to be more like Christ, the one whose life was acknowledged in all that Bishop Hart did. And may Daniel, Bishop of Norwich, rest in our loving father's arms for ever. Amen.
Cal
I will never forget a meeting I had with him back in the mid-nineties. He had affirmed the idea of bringing the Protestant and Catholic churches together for the Annual Way of the Cross Procession. He understood that this was a change and it might have some repercussions across the diocese. I asked him about it and he said that coming together would make a statement to the world about the Lordship of Christ. That was his first concern: Putting Christ first.
When the committee wanted to deviate from the familiar text, he suggested another script that would lift up the story of Christ's passion from Scripture. This delighted the evangelical Christians who were involved. Again, I was mindful of reaction from the faithful. I asked if he really didn't mind changing to this new text. With a twinkle in his eye he said, "if it was good enough for Pope John Paul, who wrote it, then I imagine it will serve us well."
Bishop Hart was involved in the signing of the charter of Norwich Churches Together, our local Council of Churches back in the early days of this decade. He reached out to the Jewish Federation and established a relationship that made the Diocese proud. He was involved with the Christian Conference of Churches in Connecticut from his first days and a leader in all affairs ecumenical.
Bishop Hart was truly a people person in the truest sense of the word. He looked at people as children of God and treated them as such no matter where they came from or what their background was. For all of the accolades we could pour on him, he never claimed them for himself. He was humble man who lived out his calling as a Christian first and a man of the church second.
We will miss him. May we all strive to be more like Christ, the one whose life was acknowledged in all that Bishop Hart did. And may Daniel, Bishop of Norwich, rest in our loving father's arms for ever. Amen.
Cal
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1 comment:
Amen.
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