John Roden Stringer RIP
Bishop.Chaplain
One of the sadder parts of my responsibility as Bishop’s Chaplain is to make posts on this forum advising of the deaths of current and former clergy of the Diocese. But this is the first time I have had the challenge of composing such a post about a member of my own family, for John Roden Stringer was my father-in-law. He died on 23rd May at the age of 92.
John lived in the Durham Diocese for the first 70 years of his life and he served his entire stipendiary ministry here (1962-1998) and then held PTO here (1998-2003).
Born in Bensham in 1933, he was a member of St Chad’s Church as a child, youth and young man. After National Service, he initially worked as a Chartered Ship Broker in Newcastle, before training for ordination at King’s College London and St Boniface’s College Warminster. He was ordained deacon in 1962, as curate of St Helen’s Auckland. It was here that he met and married Margaret. In those days, if a curate married a parishioner, he had to move parish, so John finished his curacy at St Cuthbert’s Hebburn 1963-1967. During this time, my wife, his daughter, Catherine, was born.
Then, in 1967, he became Vicar of Cassop-cum-Quarrington with Bowburn. His son, Paul, was born the following year, and he went on to spend 21 years in this Parish, serving also as Rural Dean of Sedgefield 1984-1988. Towards the end of this time, he was made an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral. In late 1988, he moved to be Vicar of Christ Church, Lumley, where he remained until he retired in 1998.
Two other things are particularly worthy of mention here. All who knew John would affirm that his ministry was very much a partnership with his wife, Margaret, where the total they offered together was far greater than the sum of their two parts. John was also an early member of Forward in Faith, and one of the first to place himself under the episcopal care of the Bishop of Beverley.
In 1998, he retired, with Margaret, to Tudhoe. Very sadly, however, Margaret died in 1999. Her loss was immense to him and led to change. In 2003, he left the Diocese, moving initially to Carlisle. There he made the decision to become a Roman Catholic. Then in 2009 he moved to Walsall to be with close friends. He remained active in his faith and committed to sharing it right to the end, including in the rehab unit where he died, following a fall in January.
Despite leaving the Diocese over 20 years ago, he is still warmly remembered by many within it. Indeed, his son, Paul, has now worked in the diocesan office for over 30 years.
His funeral will be at St Peter’s RC Church, Bloxwich, Walsall. I can supply the details on request.
I ask you to remember John with thanksgiving, and to pray for me and my family, for John’s friends, with whom he had lived since 2009, and for all who mourn his death. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Chris Knights
Chaplain to the Bishop of Durham