LAST SERMON IS BISHOP

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31090, 20 June 1966, Page 1

LAST SERMON IS BISHOP

A woman, wearing a green head shawl, yesterday went up to the Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. A. K. Warren) during a service in the Cathedral and shook his hand.

“I want to take this opportunity of saying goodbye to you, sir,” she said.

Bishop Warren had been preaching his last sermon in the Cathedral as Bishop on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Venerable Order of St. John in New Zealand.

The Bishop stepped outside the Cathedral for a few minutes to receive and dedicate two new ambulances parked in the Cathedral grounds.

As Bishop Warren finished telling the congregation of 900 listening inside the cathedral over a public address system, that he was pleased to accept the ambulances on behalf of his Excellency, the Prior of the Priory in New Zealand of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, the woman rushed up to him from the street.

The Bishop leant and shook hands with her, and, obviously moved by the impromptu good wishes, said: “God bless you.” At yesterday’s service the choir sang the same anthem, “The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me,” by Sir Edward Elgar, that was sung at the Bishop’s enthronement in the Cathedral on November 1, 1951.

Bishop Warren first preached in the Cathedral about 1931, when he was vicar of Waimate. The 81st anniversary service of the Order of St. John was preceded by a march to the Cathedral from Victoria Square by 542 members of the Order in uniform, headed by the Addington Workshops Band. A colour parade of four brigadesmen carried the consecrated colours of the order into the Cathedral where they were received by Bishop Warren.

In his sermon, Bishop Warren, told how the order in New Zealand was founded in the school room at St. Mary’s, Merivale, 81 years ago. Bishop Warren said that few realised the time that others put willingly into the services of St. John. They were prepared to take fresh examinations each three years and they answered the call of someone in need.

The Bishop said that of the 850 ambulance drivers in New Zealand, some 750 were voluntary. Ambulance drivers throughout Canterbury and Westland were working hard.

The work of members of the order was either based on a love of God or love of our fellow men. The two new ambulances were handed over to Bishop Warren by the chairman of the Christchurch sub-centre of the St. John Ambulance Association (Mr D. H. Lawrence), who also read the second lesson. The first lesson

was read by corps superintendent, Mr G. H. Dunlop. Bishop Warren is a subprelate of the Order of St. John and has been appointed chaplain of the Priory in Wellington. Over his Bishop’s mantle he wore the Order of St. John.

Prayers were led by the Dean and Bishop-elect (the Very Rev. W. A. Pyatt). Several clergy of other denominations attended. Among them were the Rev. Monsignor T. J. Liddy, representing the Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch; the Moderator of the Christchurch Presbytery (the Rev. T. C. Campbell); Brigadier L. Miller, representing the Salvation Army, and the Chairman of the Christchurch Methodist Synod (the Rev. H. C. Matthews). The offertory from the service will be used to support the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem, the third foundation of the order.