Correspondents write:
CANON John Crowe was a passionate advocate for Christian unity and a standard-bearer of an outward-looking, inclusive Church. He possessed a steadfast commitment to social justice and a real concern for the world around him, which was expressed through his preaching.
John was born in Bristol in 1939, to John (Murray) and Joan Crowe. He had two older brothers, Tony and Michael. After King’s College, Taunton, he was, in 1958, one of the first students in the country to be placed by Voluntary Service Overseas. He was posted in Borneo, both as secretary to the Assistant Bishop of Kuching, Peter Howse, and supporting the local community.
John studied at Keble College, Oxford, and Lincoln Theological College, and was ordained deacon in 1964. He was, no doubt, inspired by his eldest brother, Tony (Gazette, 18 March 2022), who was also ordained; both were influenced by the ministry of Mervyn Stockwood, who became Bishop of Southwark.
There was no better embodiment of John’s ecumenism than his marriage to Una, a Roman Catholic, whom he met at a Christian Aid Week in Tettenhall Wood, Wolverhampton. They married in 1968, during a time when such relationships were unusual and, by some, frowned upon. It was a union of faith.
After serving in Caversham and Evesham, John, Una, and their family — now three daughters, Josephine, Monica, and Christina — moved to Leek, in Staffordshire, where their son, Richard, was born. One of John’s happiest achievements was the national award he and colleagues won for producing The Spark, a newspaper for the local parishes. He helped to establish the Leek Arts Festival, organising concerts in the church.
He also became a member of the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer, which values silence in prayer. He established prayer groups in Leek. This developed into his leading retreats around the country for many years. The FCP approach greatly influenced John’s delivery of prayer and worship.
In 1985, John was elected to the General Synod, in which he was very much involved in the debates of the day. These included the ordination of women, redistribution of church income from wealthy to poorer parishes, marriage of divorcees in church, and promotion to high office of gay clergy, all of which he greatly supported.
In 1987, he became Team Rector of Dorchester. He delivered services with a mixture of traditional and more informal forms of worship. He also promoted the church as a place of worship for ecumenical events, exemplified by the interdenominational St Birinus Pilgrimage, which was organised with the local RC priest. This annual event attracted more than 2000 people. In 1997, John took a sabbatical, with a focus on pilgrimage, visiting shrines and churches across Britain.
Una, a primary-school teacher, was a great support to John, and provided a stable and caring home environment. Besides being involved in the Abbey, she kept her own identity as a Roman Catholic and was very much a part of St Birinus’s. John and Una had a deep faith and spirituality, which was expressed in the way in which they lived, through actions of hospitality, kindness, and concern for all.
John led an annual pet blessing, held in the Abbey Cloister Garden. It attracted a huge array of animals, including rabbits, snakes, a donkey, and a performing dog from the Globe Theatre. People took great delight in this service.
He also promoted the Abbey as a venue for concerts and other creative community events. He was passionate that the building be used and enjoyed by all, not remain solely a place of worship. Events included a series of annual concerts led by John Lubbock from St John’s, Smith Square, as well as Music at Oxford. Out of this grew the Dorchester Festival, which is now an annual event, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
John was an energetic and committed fund-raiser during his incumbency. He not only promoted the refurbishment of the Abbey Guest House upper rooms for community and church use, but also formed a committee that raised £3 million for essential fabric restoration of the Abbey, including a more welcoming entrance area and an underfloor heating system for the notoriously chilly church.
John’s care for the injustices of vulnerable people continued after he retired to Leominster, in Herefordshire, in 2004. Here, he set up and chaired the Friendship Centre, a support base for Eastern European migrant strawberry-pickers, working on a farm there. The Centre offered free legal help, English classes, and other support. It went further, challenging the corporate farmer over the workers’ poor-quality living conditions, their hours of work, and lack of transport. It helped to improve their lives and experience of living and working in the UK.
John was open and accepting of everyone, whatever their belief, background, social standing, or sexual identity. He became less dogmatic and more liberal as his ministry matured, firmly believing that his convictions had solid Christian foundations. He was also a compelling and thoughtful preacher, using current world events as examples for gospel teaching on themes of the environment and climate change, social justice, acceptance, unity, and peace.
John died on 29 May, aged 84. Una predeceased him in 2012. He is survived by his four children and six grandchildren: Beatrice, Sebastian, Lucy, Gabriel, Oliver, and Thomas.