The Very Revd Lister Tonge writes:

BISHOP Harry Moore (Gazette, 16 January) was Rector of Middleton, in Lancashire, when I was a choirboy in the early 1960s. Even earlier, I would sit beneath the pulpit listening to sermons, some of which I still remember in detail, from a captivating preacher who drew practical lessons for life from his exegesis of holy scripture.

When a slightly older friend was due to see the Rector about how to become “a minister”, I tagged along, aged 13. Harry gave me to read Come out of the Wilderness, by Bruce Kendrick, followed by Naught for Your Comfort, by Trevor Huddleston CR. The aim, Harry explained, was to help us to find inspiration in the witness of those who had had to stand and be counted for their faith. This was excellent advice to encourage the possibility of a Christian vocation, and, in my case, it worked.

Harry was later to live with the Mirfield Fathers at their Leeds University Hostel of the Resurrection while he studied for his MA. The Brethren there spoke of their mutually enriching association. A convinced Anglican Evangelical, Harry recognised the genuine gospel imperative behind traditions other than his own.

I date the dawn of my own priestly vocation from his wise and careful ministry, not least from his nine-month-long confirmation course. He is one of my saints.

The Ven Dr Malcolm Grundy writes: The Revd Sally Muggeridge (Gazette, 16 January) made a further important contribution to the life of the national Church. With her experience as chief executive of the Industry Parliament Trust, she was a natural person to become a trustee of the Foundation for Church Leadership. It had been newly formed in 2004 by Bishop Michael Turnbull, Sir Philip Mawer, Stephen Bampfylde, and others. She was a great support to me as its founding director. Sally played an important part in accompanying bishops newly entering the House of Lords to understand the informal protocols in that place. In doing so, she helped many to avoid initial embarrassment and to go on to make useful informal contacts.

The Revd Gareth Miller writes: A couple of years ago, I was staying in Ely with a friend who had not visited the cathedral before. We had a fairly full schedule and wanted to go to the cathedral early. We showed up at 9 a.m., and were disappointed to discover that it did not open until 10 a.m. We were just about to leave when a priest walked by in his cassock, and said “Good morning.” He asked if he could help. I explained that we wanted to get into the cathedral. “Follow me,” he said. He took us in by a side door and left us to it. We had that magnificent building entirely to ourselves for a whole hour. It was utterly divine. Seeing the photograph in your recent obituary (Gazette, 23 January), I realise that the said priest was Canon Jim Garrard.