Hundreds gathered at St Mary’s Pro Cathedral on Friday for the funeral Mass following several days of prayer, tributes and Masses paying respects to Bishop Barry Jones.
Faith leaders, civic leaders and the Catholic community joined with his family for the Requiem Mass led by Cardinal John Dew yesterday.
Cardinal Dew began by acknowledging Bishop Barry’s siblings, their families and the priests, religious and lay faithful who were mourning the loss of their beloved brother, uncle, bishop and friend.
He assured them that he and his brother bishops along with many throughout New Zealand held them in prayer.
The Diocesan staff and Bishop Barry’s family had worked very hard in the last week to arrange the week of memorials which would pay a fitting tribute reflecting the spirit in which he lived and ministered to others — in a humble, prayerful and loving way.
Fr Rick Loughnan, Administrator of the Christchurch Diocese said, “We were heartened to have Anglican Bishop Victoria Matthews attend and pay her respects.
“She was a supportive friend to Bishop Barry in particular in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes.
“We were also honoured to have the Rt. Hon. Gerry Brownlee, Hon. David Carter, Hon Clayton Cosgrove and Her Worship the Mayor of Christchurch Lianne Dalziel.
“The presence of our civic leaders was a sign of his presence and leadership in the wider community,” said Fr Loughnan.
Bishop Basil Meeking, emeritus bishop of Christchurch, gave the homily, describing the many things that Bishop Barry had been involved in during his priestly ministry which spanned close to 50 years.
He highlighted his grasp of tikanga Maori and Te Reo and his time as Chaplain to Maori in the Christchurch Diocese.
“The Samoan community was invited to pay their respects to the Bishop at Te Rangimarie,” Fr Loughnan said.
Bishop Barry was very supportive of the Carmelite sisters in Christchurch and his body was taken to the Carmelite monastery at the start of the week.
During those days the Carmelite nuns prayed the morning and evening prayer of the Church and stayed in vigil by his side overnight.
Click here to see more photographs on the Christchurch Diocese Facebook page.
Source
- www.chch.catholic.org.nz
- Image: Supplied