Sponsored by
Cathedral honours Bishop Ian
WITH the sun beating down on the historic entrance to Peterborough Cathedral, more than 1,000 people gathered to give their thanks for the life of the late Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Rev Ian Cundy.
WITH the sun beating down on the historic entrance to Peterborough Cathedral, more than 1,000 people gathered to give their thanks for the life of the late Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Rev Ian Cundy.Monday's (29 June) thanksgiving service was linked with the annual Patronal Festival of Saint Peter – a service Bishop Ian would have taken were he alive today.
The service was held to mark St Peter's Day, who not only is the patron saint of Peterborough, but also the patron saint of the cathedral and the diocese.
During the service, Bishop Ian, who died in May of cancer, was praised by his peers and his followers, as a man with a warm heart and the "best Bishop" that Peterborough could wish for.
The service began with a procession of dignitaries, including Mayor of Peterborough councillor Irene Walsh, who followed a parade of clergymen through the nave of the cathedral and the south aisle.
Then it was the Dean of Peterborough, the Very Rev Charles Taylor, who took over proceedings before an emotional, eloquent reading by Bishop Ian's widow, Jo.
The Rt Rev Richard Llewellin was the first to speak of Bishop Ian, a man he had known for the past 10 years.
He said: "I think you will all agree that Bishop Ian was a shepherd in love with his sheep and he knew them, and they knew him, and they knew his voice and they responded to his call."
His sermon followed the most poignant moment of the evening, when Bishop Ian's family were presented with his mitre, which they laid on the High Altar, at the back of the cathedral.
Bishop Ian's brother, Tim Cundy, took the congregation through a number of anecdotes about his "outgoing" sibling's life and his loving relationship with his family.
However, it was The Venerable David Painter, the Archdeacon of Oakham, who put it best when he said: "He was, without a doubt ,the best bishop that any archdeacon could work with."
Tributes and thanks were also made by a number of other guests, including Gary Longman, headteacher of The King's School, in Peterborough, who praised Bishop Ian's work with the young and schools in the diocese.
The service culminated with the procession returning through the nave and back out into the warm summer evening.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: -5 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.