In Memoriam: Bishop James Montgomery, 1921-2019
October 23, 2019
A Pastoral Letter from the Dean
Today on the feast of Saint James of Jerusalem, we learned that Bishop James Montgomery had died peacefully at the age of 98. Bishop Montgomery was already well into his nineties when I came to the cathedral, and I had little opportunity to get to know him personally. But it was plain to me - both through personal contact, and through the words of others - that he was a remarkable servant of Christ, whose ministry as bishop in this diocese was enormously impactful and very widely respected.
The saint on whose feast day Bishop Montgomery died was a brother of Jesus, a bishop, a reconciler and unifier of the Church of God, and a witness to Christ (for such is the meaning of the word martyr). The name of Bishop James Montgomery will probably not end up in the calendar of the saints of the church, but he, too, was a brother of Jesus, a bishop, one who sought reconciliation and unity (in an era of complexity and significant disunity within the church), and a faithful witness to Christ. It was a privilege to have encountered him, and I know that in many ways the life of this cathedral was blessed by his ministry. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
-The Very Rev. Dominic Barrington, Dean of the Cathedral