Bishop Joseph Devine RIP…
From Facebook page of the Diocese of Motherwell…
It is with great sadness that the Diocese of Motherwell announces the death of Bishop Joseph Devine today in Wishaw General Hospital.
Bishop Devine served as Bishop of Motherwell from 1981 until his retirement in 2013.
Please pray for the repose of his soul and for his family, friends and the clergy of the Diocese at this time.
May the Lord take the soul of his worthy servant to Himself. Requiescat in pace. Ends.
Comment:
Please feel free to offer your condolences and promise of prayers for the soul of Bishop Joseph Devine, RIP.
Indeed, we urge all our readers and bloggers to pray earnestly for the spiritual safety of Bishop Devine.
Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Comments (15)
Rest in Peace, Bishop Devine.
May he rest in peace; I pray for the suffering souls in Purgatory!
May he rest in peace.
May he rest in peace. I don’t know a thing about this bishop’s pastoral record but, if he’s anything like the rest of them, he does indeed need our prayers.
Crofterlady,
The bishop did make headlines more than once but I think – speaking for myself – the worst thing on his pastoral record is his treatment of Fr Despard. So, I agree with you, he does, indeed, need our prayers (as do all the Scottish bishops).
I will definitely pray for the repose of Bishop Devine’s soul because I think he may face a very hard judgement over the Father Despard situation. Saying that, of course, I don’t know if he repented and made his peace about the situation but I would encourage everyone to pray for him very hard because I think I’m right in saying that Fr Despard is still suspended from priestly ministry.
I’ll be saying plenty of “eternal rests” for him and will remember him when I go to Mass. RIP.
Josephine,
I had a text today from one of Fr Despard’s support group who opined that the death of Bishop Devine may lead to a resolution of Fr Despard’s situation – we can certainly hope and pray but I am not so sure about that.
For now, it is really important to pray for Bishop Devine, who, as you note, is perhaps facing a hard judgement over his management of the Fr Despard situation.
There is a sense in which we will ALL face a hard judgment, of course, since we are going to be judged on the graces allocated to us, and thus how well (or not) we lived in accordance with God’s will and plan for us. Bearing that in mind, let’s focus on praying for Bishop Devine, RIP.
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei; requiescat in pace. Amen.
I only ever met him once, but two things have remained with me: from a purely intellectual point of view, he struck me as being well above average; but at the same time, he seemed to project a certain inner sadness. I also remember that he was very courteous and certainly listened.
I have always contrasted this meeting with my one and only encounter with the still-to-be Cardinal Winning. Winning came across as the consummate showman. He certainly knew how to carry the room, but I was left with the distinct impression that it was all much more about him than about the Church, although I may well be wrong.
The bishops who have made most impression on me were McGill of Paisley and Taylor of Galloway. The former was by many accounts probably a saint; the latter was probably the most gifted Scottish bishop of his generation, but seemed to lose his way in the pastoral meanders of the post-Vatican II Church. That said, Bishop Taylor left me with the distinct impression that he was highly motivated by the desire for holiness, both for himself and for others.
This earthly life can be very cruel. Often we start with best of intentions, but then things can take on a life seemingly of their own and leave us feeling thwarted. Today let us entrust Bishop Devine to the mercy of his creator and redeemer.
Prognosticum,
I cannot tell you how astonished I am by your praise of Bishop Taylor former Bishop of Galloway.
When a priest released some Minutes of a meeting of the clergy to Catholic Truth some years ago, in which the “future” of the diocese was discussed and issues such as the ordination of women were seriously touted, Bishop Taylor set out to find the source and even contacted the Papal Nuncio in London who said this priest was to be hunted down and – that would be the end of that priest’s ministry. The priest was terrified and I had my work cut out to assure him that his name would never pass my lips. If he is reading this, then I can reassure him that, to this day and from this day forward, his name has never and never will pass my lips. I must add that Bishop Taylor was not present at this meeting, the purpose of which was to discuss what sort of successor the clergy wanted, as Bishop Taylor’s retirement drew near, what kind of “future” they wanted for the Church in Galloway.
Bishop Taylor also publicly associated with Fr Paul Moore, now in prison for child abuse which he had admitted to Bishop Taylor 20 years previously but which Maurice Taylor covered up. I received letters from lay people over time, scandalised at the friendship between the two which was displayed very publicly at events in churches, when the allegations about Fr Moore were well known.
And all of the above is before we even mention the damage which Bishop Taylor did as Chairman of the Episcopal Board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) – about that, least said, soonest mended.
Obviously, you may be right about his desire for holiness – I cannot possibly know that – but, judging by his actions, and his public words, I count him as worthy of the several headlines I posted in our newsletter and blog to the effect that he led the Church in Galloway into meltdown.
Editor,
I am prepared to bow to your superior knowledge of the facts.
Prognosticum,
Expect a Christmas bonus when the time comes 😀
Of course, those are the facts known to me – they’re far from flattering but there will be others that are UN-known to me, which show him in a different light – and who knows (certainly not moi) he may have tried to right those wrongs listed in my post. One hopes!
Rest in peace, Bishop Devine.
It was Bishop Devine who confirmed me, back in the day. I remember having my photograph taken with him, in the Church grounds after the ceremony.
I liked that he did not shrink back at the possibility of controversy, during his time as Bishop. Too many contemporary Scottish Bishops are “too nice”. The only way you can avoid controversy in a culture like we have today is simply to say nothing – but that is not acceptable, especially for a Bishop.
I remember Bishop Devine speaking out strongly regarding anti-Catholicism and the rise of the homosexual lobby. He was criticised on the latter by none other than Cardinal O’Brien – cant think why (!).
I will remember him in my prayers.
Gabriel Syme,
Yes, Bishop Devine did speak out against the rise of the homosexual movement some years ago, when both Cardinal O’Brien (Edinburgh) and Archbishop Conti (Glasgow) criticised him. However, I wouldn’t class him as someone who did not “shrink from controversy” because while he did speak out about the rise in homosexuality in society he did little to stem its rise and once it had risen, so to speak, we heard no more from him about the subject.
Indeed, we must not forget that it was he who suspended Father Matthew Despard for publishing his book on the extent of homosexual priests and laity in the Church in the Diocese of Motherwell. And for years before that, he also permitted a known homosexual priest – Fr John Breslin, who “outed” himself to his parishioners as reported in the UK-wide Catholic Times, (now, I believe, in Nazareth House – Fr John Breslin, I mean, not the Catholic Times!) to supply for absent clergy in the diocese.
All of the above representing, of course, all the more reason to pray for the Bishop’s spiritual safety.
Rest in peace, Bishop Devine.
May Bishop Devine rest in peace. I will certainly pray for the repose of his soul.