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The Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Rev Anthony Crockett, died in hospital (June 30) following an 18-month battle against cancer. He was 62.

He had served as bishop of the diocese since 2004.
 

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, paid tribute to the courage and faith shown throughout his ministry.

He said, “In the four short years Bishop Tony spent in Bangor he endeared himself to the diocese and made his mark on it. He was a feisty and forthright man, not afraid to express his vision, yet had a warm pastoral heart and would go out of his way to help anyone.
“He faced his last illness with resilience, faith and hope. His tremendous courage and faith strengthened and inspired others. He showed great ministry in his weakness, continuing his work in hospital – even taking confirmations – while never afraid of showing his weakness and vulnerability. He will be hugely missed.”

The Dean of Llandaff, the Very Rev John Lewis, also paid tribute to Bishop Tony. He said, “Tony was a great friend and splendid company. His life and ministry were a true pilgrim’s journey and he allowed many to share that journey with him. He was perceptive and honest about the present and inspirational and supportive for the future. We shall miss him.”

His Hon Philip Price QC, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales, said, “Bishop Tony’s death is a sad loss to the religious life of the nation. He thought deeply about the ministry of the church and all people and expressed himself clearly and firmly in his preaching and his writing.  His scholarship was allied to a real pastoral understanding and he worked tirelessly for the diocese and the province. His courage in this long illness is an inspiration and I personally marvelled at his ability to keep his concern for others at the forefront of his mind throughout.”

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales and former member of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales, said,

“Bishop Tony brought great pastoral leadership to a diocese that covered such a huge geographical area. He had such commitment that he continued his ministry even during his long illness – I last heard him preach – in English and Welsh - at Bangor Cathedral on Easter Day. He was a charismatic man and I and the Church in Wales will miss him greatly.”

Anthony Crockett was elected 80th Bishop of Bangor in 2004. Previously he was Archdeacon of Carmarthen and incumbent of three rural churches in West Wales. A Welsh speaker and native of Pontypridd, he graduated in Classics and in Theology at King’s College, London, and completed his pre-ordination training at St Michael’s College, Llandaff. He was ordained deacon in 1971 and priest in 1972, and served curacies in Aberdare and Whitchurch in the Diocese of Llandaff, before becoming a rural parish priest in Cardiganshire from 1978-1986. During this time, he became an Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of St Davids and Secretary of the Provincial Selection Board. From 1986-1991, he was Rector of Dowlais, and from 1991-1999 Secretary of the Board of Ministry of the Church in Wales. He became Archdeacon of Carmarthen in 1999.

He had a special interest in pilgrimage, having walked 1,000 miles from Le Puy to Santiago de Compostela on sabbatical in 1995. He recently instigated the third-ever official pilgrimage to Bardsey, an island off the Lleyn peninsular, North Wales, which took place on June 21, although he was too ill to join in.

He was also a passionate supporter of the ordination of women as both priests and bishops.
 

He leaves his wife, Rev Caroline Owen, and three children. Kate, Thomas and Elizabeth.
 

Obituary by Rev Professor Leslie Francis

When the Right Revd Anthony Crockett was enthroned in Bangor Cathedral 18 September 2004, he brought to his diocese a profound theology of clergy and laity as pilgrim people. 

In his early days as Bishop of Bangor, he walked with people and talked with people.  He won their hearts and began to shape their minds.  For him, the pilgrim people of God embraced rich diversity, but eschewed division.

Young and old could walk comfortably alongside their Bishop, as could conservatives and liberals, catholics and evangelicals, Welsh-speakers and English-speakers.  The vision of the Church of God in the Diocese as a pilgrim people reached its goal only a week ago, on Saturday 21 June, when clergy and laity from across the Diocese stepped out in the rain on the Diocesan Pilgrimage.  Sadness that Bishop Anthony had not been well enough to fulfil his vision to be there in person as the symbol of unity in the Diocese was qualified by the inspirational address that he had prepared and that Canon Andrew Jones so ably presented.

Bishop Anthony brought to the Diocese of Bangor the benefits of his academic training in classics from King's College London and his ministerial training at St Michael's College Llandaff.  After being made deacon on 1971, he served in parish ministry in The Dioceses of Llandaff and St Davids, before his formative experience of serving as Secretary for the Board of Ministry between 1991 and 1999.  In 1999 he was appointed Archdeacon of Carmarthen and Vicar of Cynwil Elfed and Newchurch in the Diocese of St Davids.  He was consecrated bishop 16 July 2004 at Llandaff Cathedral.

All of Bishop Anthony's friends will have their own very special memories of his intellectual rigour, his liturgical sense, and his pastoral heart.
 
Throughout his last year, Bishop Anthony embraced his illness with courage, fortitude and hopefulness, and very much remained Bishop of his Diocese to the end.  His example has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration for many, to trust God and to serve God in sickness as in health.
 
The Diocese of Bangor will mourn the untimely death of a gifted Bishop, it will pray for and support his widow Caroline, the children and family; but to be true to Bishop Anthony's vision, the pilgrim people of God must continue to walk in the path towards unity into which he has so ably led them.
 
The Revd Professor Leslie J Francis
Canon Theologian, Bangor Cathedral
Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick

STATEMENT FROM SENIOR TEAM OF BANGOR DIOCESE

by

The Very Reverend Alun Hawkins, Dean of Bangor
The Venerable Meurig Llwyd Williams, Archdeacon of Bangor
The Venerable Emyr Wyn Rowlands, Archdeacon of Meirionnydd
Ms Stella Schultz, Diocesan Secretary

The news of the death of Anthony, our Bishop, has come as a grievous blow. For almost four years he has served this Diocese with his own unique blend of distinction and delight. During this short time he has given the Church a renewed confidence in its mission. He has been an inspiration to regular worshippers, to those who look to the Church for support and guidance, and, above all, to the clergy who serve the parishes and communities of this Diocese. Although his time with us seems cruelly short, his ministry as our Bishop has been immensely fruitful and has made a lasting impression that will continue to sustain us long into the future. He has borne his illness over the past year and more with courage and determination, with an unwavering confidence and trust in God, and an unremitting concern for the clergy and people of the Diocese. In our Bishop we have been given a unique gift from God: a man of vision, energy and wisdom. We can only be thankful for all that he has given us.

Our immediate concern is for Caroline and the family, who are feeling the acute absence of a greatly loved husband and father. We assure them not only of our love and prayers at this time of heartbreak and uncertainty, but also of our commitment to support them in whatever way we can in the future.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Anna Morrell
Archbishop's Media Officer / Swyddog y Cyfryngau i'r Archesgob
Tel: 02920 348208; mobile: 07 939393 717
39 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff / 39 Heol y Gadeirlan, Caerdydd
CF11 9XF
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