Canon Mavis Wilson writes:

DIANA TEAR was a lifelong lay Anglican, who was widely sought out as an experienced, sensitive, and wise spiritual director.

She was born into a churchgoing family, and her faith came alive in the early years of her marriage during a parish mission in Ashtead. She quickly became involved and was an energetic supporter of the Mothers’ Union, helping to extend its work and outreach. Tragedy struck her life with the early death of her husband and the onset of visual impairment in her eldest son. These experiences strengthened her natural deep empathy with a suffering world and its peoples, and became a constant element of her prayer.

This period of her life was enriched by the ministry of an experienced priest/ therapist who introduced her to the contemplative life expressed in the charism of the Sisters of the Love of God. Their house in Kent became a rich resource for her retreats, and she later became a Companion of the Order. Two other places were significant for her spirituality: Scargill House and the Greenbelt Festival. Both nourished her concern for justice and peace and widened her appreciation of different expressions of prayer and lifestyle.

Trained in the Ignatian practice of spiritual direction, Diana was much appreciated as a trainer and a practitioner. She co-ordinated the cohort of directors in Guildford diocese, a ministry that has since blossomed. Many people found their way to her cottage — always filled with colour, beauty, and a deep peace — where they were sensitively and wisely listened to and left carrying treasures of her wisdom. Others valued her work on weeks of guided prayer and through the pioneering work of taster sessions offered at Greenbelt. She loved the stimulus of engagement with young people and delighted to see her sons grow into their vocations as public servant, priest, and educationist, respectively.

Her faith was Catholic in its breadth and sacramental depth, Evangelical in its concern that everyone might have personal experience of God’s love, forgiveness, and healing, and Charismatic in its dependence on asking for and receiving the gifts of the Spirit to live a discerning and faithful life.

Diana Tear died on 22 July, aged 84.