On Friday 14 December at 7.00 pm Bishop John will return to the Diocese for a Mass of Thanksgiving, and in preparation for that celebration the following article is offered as a simple appreciation of Bishop John’s fourteen years as Bishop of the Diocese of Middlesbrough.

During the weeks and months since Bishop John stepped down from the leadership of the Diocese many letters have been written to him and to others; also many conversations have taken place in the course of which, a considerable appreciation of his ministry as our Bishop has been expressed. The following article seeks to gather together some of the main aspects of the many positive comments that have been made. This article does not seek in any way to be a scholarly assessment of one Bishop’s contribution to the history of a diocese, nor does it make any reference to his role in the wider church: it is an immediate expression of gratitude from the people who have benefited from Bishop John’s leadership of the Diocese of Middlesbrough during the last fourteen years. The role of the present writer is simply that of an editor to the comments and thoughts of many throughout the length and breadth of the Diocese. The volume of comment made by the clergy, religious and people of the Diocese since Bishop John stood down a few months ago speaks for itself but it is important to gather together some of what has been said.

Bishop John is a man of prayer and in this he has been a great example to priests and people alike. Bishop John’s awareness of, and seeking the presence of God, was reflected in his homilies over which he took a great deal of time and trouble; he was often to be seen making final adjustments to the text in the minutes before the celebration of a liturgy. His deep sincerity and desire to always communicate something of the wonder and love of God is very apparent in his preaching. It is an indication of the appreciation of the homilies by the people of the Diocese, that the section of the web site where Bishop John’s homilies were made available is one of the sections that has received the greatest number of ‘hits’

Bishop John was very caring of the priests of the Diocese and would always walk the extra mile to meet the needs of a brother priest. He never turned anyone away from his door and would always stop what he was doing in order to respond to a priest who just dropped by for some reason or other. He often wrote notes of encouragement to priests who were experiencing any kind of difficulty and one only had to telephone Bishop’s House to realise how easy it was to get in touch and avail oneself of his hospitality and support. This care for priests is emphasised by the fact that it was during his time as Bishop that a proper pension fund was established, an appeal made to raise the money needed to get it started and the Retired Priest’s Welfare Committee established. A significant annual event organised by the Retired Priest’s Welfare Committee which was encouraged and enjoyed by Bishop John was the annual retired priest’s reunion. When writing of Bishop’s John’s hospitality and care it is important to add an appreciation of the contribution of Sisters Kitty and Sheila in making certain that a visit to Bishop’s House was always a visit to a house with a warm and welcoming home environment.

The door of Bishop’s House was not only always open to the clergy but to the people of the Diocese as well; many of whom appreciated his immediate willingness to listen to their concerns and troubles when they just called in. Bishop John is a man of the people who was never happier than when mixing with members of the Diocese before or after a celebration in the Cathedral or one of the parish churches. Bishop John is, however, much more than a ‘man of the people’ he is a man for the people and has a deep appreciation of the contribution that the laity have to make to the development of a Diocese. This is seen in his encouragement of collaborative structures in the Diocese, whether it be in supporting the establishment of Parish Pastoral Councils, seeking to consult thoroughly with the people over the recent Pastoral Plan or in restructuring the Trustee Board of the Diocese so that it is made up of Bishop, priests, religious and people working together for the good of all. Another aspect of Bishop John’s enthusiasm for collaborative ministry can be clearly demonstrated in his establishment of the permanent diaconate in the Diocese, and his support and encouragement of the men who responded to a call to this ministry; support he extended to their wives and families.

Bishop John’s ministry in the Diocese occurred at a time when huge changes were made in the demands that local and national legislation and society in general expected of voluntary societies and charitable organisations in general. This placed a great strain on the structures of the Curial Office. Bishop John presided over a wide ranging review of those structures, which resulted in a gradual programme whereby new structures were established, and a more professional approach to administration across all aspects of the organisation of the Diocese was introduced. This again introduced greater lay participation in the life of the Diocese right at the centre. The officers of the various departments of the Curial Office also began to contribute to the work of the Trustee Board through making regular reports to them and taking part in discussions relevant to their particular departments.

A high priority for Bishop John has been Catholic education and formation in all its aspects. This was demonstrated by his initiation of a thorough review of all the schools in the diocese, and his continued support over all of his fourteen years as Bishop for the work of the schools. He always enjoyed his visits to schools and the opportunity to spend time with the young people attending them. Bishop John also gave his strong support to the establishment of an Adult Formation Team and the recent strengthening of the work of ‘Life to the Full’- the Diocesan Youth Service. Other aspects of his work also emphasised his enthusiasm for Christian formation such as his encouragement of the development of good liturgy with a greater participation by all in worship. The establishment or further development of the pastoral departments of the Diocese demonstrates Bishop John’s desire to leave the Diocese in good shape for his successor.

Bishop John had a strong desire to ensure that the Diocese was in a position in which a successor could build on and take forward. The Pastoral Plan of 1998 provided for a renewal of the ‘clerical’ structures of the Diocese for the changed circumstances of modern life; while the Pastoral Plan of 2006, which built upon its predecessor provided a process for addressing the reduction in the number of priests and parishioners likely in the next generation. The 2006 Pastoral Plan was very much about people and parish structures; providing both a process for addressing likely changes, and also programmes of action to encourage new evangelisation and new vocations. The 2006 Pastoral Plan demonstrated many of Bishop John’s priorities; in particular, his desire that a wide consultation be held so that the Plan would be a true reflection of the hopes and aspirations of all priests and people, and a wish that the new structures envisaged would be put in place when necessary rather than trying to work out what was needed ahead of time and causing possible disruption in the process. Gentle change when needed was to be preferred to wide scale and drastic change.

During his time as Bishop, John Crowley faced many tough challenges that involved communities and individuals, and often came to the attention of the press and media. Such is the lot of any Bishop. Those who have closely collaborated with him in these situations comment that his response was always to act after thorough consultation, very careful thought, and always with a positive balance of justice and compassion.

In many ways, the Millennium Celebration at the Riverside Football Stadium demonstrates Bishop John at his best. The idea of the celebration was not his but that of one of the priests. However, Bishop John caught the vision and was prepared to take the risks involved in encouraging such a large scale event. The risks involved at many levels cannot be underestimated; but Bishop John was prepared to take them. Once the idea had been established, Bishop John trusted the organisation of the event to others, while of course taking a great interest in what was happening; but, having trusted others he was prepared to allow a great deal of creativity on the part of priests and people involved. In the end the Middlesbrough Diocesan Millennium Mass was probably the biggest regional event and certainly the biggest religious celebration to be held anywhere in Britain, when over 22,000 people gathered at the Riverside Stadium for Mass and a day of celebration. If the Millennium Celebration might be said to be a high point of the middle years of Bishop John’s time leading the Diocese then the Walk for Vocations is a high point of his final year. The walk for vocations was a significant moment in the creation of a more positive feel in the Diocese about vocations which is in no small measure due to Bishop John and has, as a result, the current encouraging number of men testing their vocation in seminary and the establishment in the Diocese of a House of Formation.

Many more things could have been included in this article, but time and space do not allow for anything more than a snap shot of the last fourteen years in the life of the Diocese when Bishop John Crowley presided as the sixth Bishop of Middlesbrough. This article began with a comment about the very large number of letters that Bishop John and others have received since he stepped down from his role as Bishop of Middlesbrough. Over and over again the comment that is given most prominence is ‘he is a deeply caring man’. Everything that has been gathered together and written above could be summed up in those words.

Responding to a suggestion made by many people, a collection for a monetary gift to be given to Bishop John has been taken over the last few months. If somehow you have missed the opportunity to contribute to this gift through your parish please send your contribution to Mrs Judy Coates, The Curial Office, 50a, The Avenue, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough TS5 6QT (Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Diocese of Middlesbrough’)