The Rt. Rev. James Michael Mark Dyer, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem from 1982 to 1995, died Nov. 11 after battling multiple myeloma for several years.
From the Episcopal News Service article:
Bishop Provisional of Bethlehem Sean W. Rowe said that Dyer’s death “represents a significant loss to our diocese and to the church.
“Whether as an advisor to several archbishops of Canterbury, chief pastor to his diocese, mentor to countless priests and seminarians, or advocate for the poor, he represented the very essence of the servanthood that can be found at the heart of the episcopate,” Rowe said. “A master teacher, Bishop Mark drew on the joy and tragedy of the human condition, including his own, to bring to life the ministry of Jesus and the narrative of God’s work in the world in ways that made for real and lasting transformation. Those of us who had the privilege of sitting at his feet as students caught a glimpse of what it must have been like to sit at the feet of Jesus.”
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Mark was a humble giant in Anglicanism. My wife, Kay and I first became friends of he and his bride, Marie Elizabeth while he was awaiting recognition of orders in the Diocese of Massachusetts. At the time I was p/t Chaplain/confessor to Marie Elizabeth’s previous convent of OSA as well as a rector. Most of the clergy in the diocese valued his regular missioner to clergy responsibilities. He graciously led parish retreats in 2 of my former parishes later on and Kay participated in Marie Elizabeth’s ordination.
All of the remembrances of his ministry substantiate just how incredibly respected he was throughout the Anglican Communion. His treasure trove of stories especially during his RC monastic years at St. Anselm’s deserve to be published both for their profundity and their incredible humor. Rest in peace and rise in glory, indeed.