Sunday, August 14, 2011

Fallen Totara

Archbishop Sir Paul Reeves has died. Taonga carries two articles here and here. Neither article mentions a connection to the Diocese of Nelson: Sir Paul was baptised in the Church of St John-in-the-Wilderness, Koromiko (Parish of Picton).

Sir Paul was a towering figure in the life of our church. His death is the falling of a mighty totara in the forest of life.

I cannot say I agreed with everything Sir Paul preached and taught. But in my own personal dealings with him, and in my direct hearing of some talks, he was utterly impressive as a man with (in my view) the mind of a genius. That is, he had the ability in a few words to express complex matters simply and directly. On matters of decision-making and evaluating a course of action, he could cut to the heart of the problem and offer a transformative solution in a sentence.

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