Prebendary Peter Speck writes:

RECONCILIATION was a hallmark of the ministry of Michael Halliwell. As an undergraduate, Michael visited Germany in 1947, and, as he passed through Cologne, was distressed to see the widespread devastation that had resulted from bombing raids during the war. His diary records how the experience created “a burning enthusiasm to play my part in helping to build a new and peaceful Europe and to help the rising German generation to feel part of the family of nations”. This enthusiasm was to be fully expressed in his later life, after ordination to the priesthood in 1955.

Michael read German and French at Oxford, and trained for the priesthood at Ely Theological College. He served curacies at St Mary the Virgin, Welling, in Southwark diocese, and at St Alban’s, Bournemouth, in Winchester diocese. He then became Assistant General Secretary to the Church of England’s Council on Foreign Relations, and served as a curate to the London Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West. In 1962, Michael returned to Germany as Chaplain to both the British Embassy in Bonn and the Royal Air Force.

Michael came from an Anglo-Catholic background, and his experiences in Germany and elsewhere led to an appreciation of the Lutheran Church, the struggles of Christians as they tried to adhere to their faith behind the Iron Curtain, and the pressures from militant communism. He also valued Celtic spirituality, after contact with the communities in Iona, Lindisfarne, and Taizé. These experiences mellowed his earlier background and helped him to appreciate and respect different faith traditions. It was clear that Michael’s inner spirituality, regular reception of the sacraments, and the support of his late wife, Susan, and family, sustained him throughout his ministry. His work at Lambeth Palace on inter-Church relations in the UK, Europe, and elsewhere strengthened Michael’s desire to effect reconciliation in the post-war years.

In 1971, Michael was appointed Rector of St Brelade, in Jersey. His father had been a consultant surgeon on Jersey through the war years, and his mother was a physiotherapist. This was, therefore, a return to his roots. Michael was sensitive to the impact of the occupation on Islanders, and, in 1975, he visited Nuremberg to help to build a church with a team from Jersey. He liaised with the Channel Islands’ Occupation Society and actively pursued reconciliation between Germany, Great Britain, and the Channel Islands. In 2002, the parish of St Helier, Jersey, became twinned with Bad Wurzach, where Islanders from Jersey had been interned during the German occupation.

All of this work was demanding. On top of being the parish priest, Michael enthusiastically took forward the building of a community centre, Communicare. He was also a prison chaplain and later Vice-Dean of Jersey. In 1986, Michael became an Oblate of the Benedictine Abbaye du Bec Hellouin and received the prayerful support of that community. On his retirement in 1996, he became an Hon. Canon of Winchester Cathedral.

Michael was strong, determined, and focused on what he believed he was called by God to do. Michael’s love for God, for family and other people was paramount, and there are many people who are thankful for his ministry.

Towards the end of his life, Michael was diagnosed with a brain tumour, but he remained sufficiently alert, shortly before he died, to receive the Bailiff of Jersey’s Silver Seal for his contribution to reconciliation between German, Great Britain, and Jersey from 1947 onwards. At the same time, Ambassador Miguel Berger presented Michael with the German Embassy’s German-British Friendship Award for his exceptional commitment to fostering and strengthening bonds of friendship between Germany and Jersey.

Michael died peacefully on 4 August, aged 96. He is survived by his daughters, Katharine, Elisabeth, and Rachel, and sons, David and Philip, who is an Orthodox priest in San Francisco.