A Memorial Page for Fr. Michael Harper
Condolences - Appreciations / Obituaries - Funeral Service
Thanksgiving Service Report from Charles Whitehead
Appreciations
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ATHELHAMPTON
It was with sadness that we heard this week of the repose of Fr Michael
Harper. A lover of Dorset he, and his wife Jeanne, visited St Edward's
when they were on holiday in the area, and I was glad to find in him a
true friend, both to Lesley and me, and to St Edwards. Only two months
ago he had resigned as Dean due to continuing ill health.
Fr Michael had had a truly remarkable ministry spanning some fifty
years. In the Church of England he was a noted Evangelical, preparing
for Ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. Between 1955 and 1964 he
served a number of curacies but then, arising from his work with the
Fountain Trust he became widely known in international charismatic
circles, addressing assemblies of hundreds, even thousands of people.
For five years, until 1980, he was Hon. Curate of Holy Trinity Church,
Hounslow before moving to Haywards Heath where, in 1984, he became a
Canon of Chichester Cathedral.
Almost ten years later, Fr Michael resigned his canonry and from the
active ministry of the Church of England as a result of developments in
that church, having decided to become Orthodox. He was with the first
group of priests to be ordained by the then Bishop Gabriel, although at
the time he had no parish. He was appointed Dean, a valuable enabling
role within the new Deanery. Fr Michael was the link between the
parishes and Bishop Gabriel who, even at that time, was in a poor state
of health which prevented him taking a fully active part in the new
Orthodox Jurisdiction in England.
It was not long before Fr Michael felt the need to form an English
speaking Orthodox parish in London. Initially attached to the Arabic
speaking Antiochian Cathedral parish in London, he started an English
language Liturgy there on Saturday afternoons. This was eventually to
become the core of the St Botolph's Parish in the City of London, near
Liverpool St. Station. This is now a thriving and expanding community.
Fr Michael was a keen supporter of Orthodox education at all levels, and
was in on the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies at Cambridge from
the beginning, ten years ago. He was also an initiator of the course
"The Way", designed to be used in parishes. This has just come out of
its experimental phase, and will soon be available to parishes for their
use.
He had also travelled widely both as an Orthodox, and before that.
Informing someone of his death, I remarked that he had touched the lives
of thousands. "More that that", she said, and it could well be so,
particularly taking into account his many books. As a surprise, not
least to him, and unscheduled event, Fr Michael was made an Archpriest
on the 10th anniversary of the Deanery, a much deserved recognition of
his service.
Accompanying him, and working away by his side was always his wife,
Jeanne. Hers was a truly supportive yet self-effacing role. She was
often to be seen in the kitchen or some such place beavering away and
preparing refreshments for whatever the occasion might be. Jeanne has a
quiet wisdom of her own. She is a great encourager, and also a highly
competent musician. She will miss Fr Michael greatly and we may be sure
that the faith and the prayers of her many friends will help to see her
through.
Fr Michael reposed on the Feast of the Theophany (The revelation of
God). May God bless his own personal Theophany as enters into eternity.
Condolences
Dear Father Gregory,
We were all deeply saddened for the loss of our beloved Father Michael
Harper who fell asleep in Christ yesterday. We relay to you and all
members of the Deanery our sincere condolences.
May God Bless his soul and may his memory be eternal.
Simon Abdel-Nour
On behalf of the Council of Management
Antiochian Orthodox Society
Father Gregory,
Receive all my brotherly consolation for Jeanne, for you and all of the
deanery.
God bless him, Memory Eternal
Yours in Christ
F. Marcel Sarkis
Paroisse Orthodoxe Saint Ignace le Théophore ~ Nice ~ France
Archidiocèse du Patriarcat Orthodoxe d'Antioche en Europe Occidentale et
Centrale
Reverend Father Gregory!
Dear Khoureyh Jeanne!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
With deep sadness I received the news of the passing away of the our
Brother and Very Reverend Archpriest and former Dean Michael Harper. I
was blessed to know him personally and know of his love to the Church;
he did not hesitate for a minute nor did he save his energy or time to
serve our Holy Orthodox Church in the Blessed Deanery of United Kingdom
and Ireland. He was indeed a man of God. Memory Eternal!
May the Lord strengthen his gracious wife (the Khouryeh), his family,
our brothers and venerable clergy in the Deanery, as well as all the
people that knew him through this difficult time.
But our consolation in this sorrow is that Father Michael fell asleep in
the Lord on the day of Epiphany; a sign from Heaven that his Blessed
life was enlightened with the Light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Who provided him with His Heavenly Grace and Love. ..........
Love in Christ!
Yours
Exarchos Alexius Chehadeh
Researcher
Institute for theology and peace
Herrengraben 4
20459 Hamburg
Germany
Angie and I are very saddened by Fr. Michael's death and will pray for
his repose. Please extend our condolences to Jeanne, and assure her of
our prayers and thoughts at this time.
Fr. Michael Keiser
Dear Fr Gregory,
Greetings to you and the British Deanery of the Church of Antioch in
Christ our Lord!
I am forwarding this letter on behalf of Fr Jack Witbrock, the
Antiochian Dean for New Zealand on the occasion of the repose of the
Very Reverend, Fr Michael Harper.
There is a number of clergy and parishioners in the New Zealand Deanery
who are well acquainted with Fr Michael's work. We are sure that his
leadership will be missed by all the British Deanery as it will be by
not a few here in New Zealand.
Of the clergy here, Fr Ian has had the good fortune of serving with Fr
Michael in London and thoroughly enjoyed the occasional telephone and
email contacts he has had with Fr Michael in the past few years.
Please pass on the New Zealand Deanery's condolences to Fr Michael's
family and to the parish in London.
Your servant and brother in Christ,
Very Reverend Fr Jack Witbrock
Dean of New Zealand
Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines Greek Orthodox
Church of Antioch and All the East
Dear Father Gregory,
I am very sad to learn of Father Michael's death. He was a great witness
for the Orthodox Faith and his ministry and contribution to its
establishment here will prove a great legacy for future generations.
Memory Eternal ! Prayers for his repose will be offered in all our
British Orthodox Churches for the next 40 days.
Fraternally in XP,
+ Seraphim
Coptic Orthodox Church
Dear (N) ...
Thank you so much for letting us know of the completely unexpected and
shocking and sudden news of the departure for 'the Heavenly altar' of
our dear friend, Father Michael Harper.
Our prayers are with you all to whom he now specially ministered and
very much with our beloved Jeanne, to whom please convey our love and
sympathy and assurance of prayers.
Yours gratefully in Christ's love
+ Simon Barrington-Ward
Assistant Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Ely and at Cambridge
University
Dear Father Gregory,
Christ is in our midst!
I am writing very belatedly to express my condolences on the the death of Fr Michael. I never actually met him, only spoke on the phone. I am sure he will be sadly missed by you all.
May God bless you and all the people of your Deanery.
Yours sincerely,
Fr John Marks
Dean in Britain: Exarchate of parishes of the Russian tradition in Western Europe (Patriarchate of Constantinople)
Appreciation by Charles Whitehead in the "Good News" magazine.
One of the greatest pioneers and servants of the
Charismatic Renewal died in Cambridge on January 6th, 2010 after a short
illness.
Michael Harper was ordained a priest of the Church of England in 1956,
and experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1962, speaking in
tongues the following year. In 1964 he established The Fountain Trust to
further renewal in the power of the Holy Spirit for Christians
throughout the body of Christ. He started Renewal Magazine and was a
prolific author, as he travelled the world serving renewal within the
Anglican Communion and promoting ecumenical relations.
I first met Michael Harper in 1983. We became friends, and from that
time on I worked with him in a number of committees and in the
organisation of a variety of international ecumenical events. In 1999 he
invited me to succeed him as the chairman of ICCOWE, the International
Charismatic Consultation on World Evangelisation, today abbreviated to
ICC. We remained in regular contact over succeeding years, and at the
time of his death he was still a Trustee of ICC and planning to attend
our February Executive meeting, where his wisdom and advice would have
been as much appreciated as ever. His experience of the worldwide
Charismatic renewal was second to none, and he will be hugely missed by
many, many people. He was prophetic, visionary, dynamic, challenging,
and entertaining, but he always had time for the individual who wanted
to seek his advice or receive ministry from him. Underneath the
determined exterior and the incisive mind, beat a loving and caring
pastoral heart. He never tired of proclaiming the good news of the
Gospel wherever he was, and his books on renewal, healing, and growth
have affected the lives of countless readers. It is difficult to realise
the impact he had without seeing how many remarkable organisations and
events he had the vision and courage to start up.
After leaving The Fountain Trust in 1975, Michael Harper became a key
leader in the worldwide Charismatic Renewal. He initiated a charismatic
conference for Anglicans alongside the Lambeth Conference of July 1978,
and in 1981 formed SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad) to share the
grace of renewal with the Anglican Church all over the world. His
ecumenical work was no less significant, and in the early 1970s he
founded the UK Charismatic Leaders' Conference which brought together
leaders from many church traditions and backgrounds, including the new
charismatic independent churches. His ecumenical sympathies found
further expression through both the European Charismatic Consultation
and ICCOWE (later becoming ICC) which he founded with Fr. Tom Forrest
and Rev. Larry Christenson in 1989. He had initiated and chaired ACTS
86, the European charismatic conference held in Birmingham, and similar
international ecumenical charismatic gatherings in Berne (1990),
Brighton (1991), Malaysia (1994 and 2000), and Prague (1997 and 2000).
In March 1995, deeply upset by the ordination of women in the Church of
England, he joined the Orthodox Church, and was soon ordained a priest,
becoming Dean of the new Antiochian Orthodox Deanery for the United
Kingdom and Ireland, which under his loving and dynamic leadership now
numbers more than twenty parishes. In all his work he was wonderfully
encouraged and supported by his wife Jeanne, who joined him in his
pilgrimage to the Orthodox Church.
In a recent interview, Michael stated "I'm as charismatic as ever", and
as we sat in his funeral service at St. George's Orthodox Cathedral,
London, I felt privileged to have been his friend for 27 years, and to
have been blessed by his wisdom, insights, and challenges on so many
occasions. Certainly Fr. Michael Harper was a giant of the worldwide
Charismatic Renewal, and whilst we rejoice in all that he was and did,
we are just beginning to realise how much we are going to miss him.
