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Graham Charles Chadwick
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Graham Charles Chadwick (January 3 1923 – October 28 2007) was an Anglican missionary and bishop; a gifted linguist (sources credit him with fluency in 11 languages); and an anti-apartheid campaigner. After war-time service in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve he was ordained in the Church of Wales. After an initial period in Basutoland (now Lesotho) he returned to Wales. A second period in Basutoland began in 1970 and he was elected Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in 1976.
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Graham Charles Chadwick (January 3 1923 – October 28 2007) was an Anglican missionary and bishop; a gifted linguist (sources credit him with fluency in 11 languages); and an anti-apartheid campaigner. After war-time service in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve he was ordained in the Church of Wales. After an initial period in Basutoland (now Lesotho) he returned to Wales. A second period in Basutoland began in 1970 and he was elected Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in 1976. His anti-apartheid activities saw him expelled from South Africa in 1982 and necessitated his return to the United Kingdom.
Early life
Chadwick's father was a railway signalman who died when Chadwick was just ten. This prompted the move of the large family to Swansea. He left Swansea Grammar School at the age of sixteen in 1939, and spent three years working on the railways, responsible for station clocks on the line from Swansea to mid-Wales. In 1942 he joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and once his linguistic talents were identified was appointed a midshipman. Japanese language training at the School of Oriental and African Studies was followed by a posting to Ceylon, ultimately being assigned as an intelligence officer in the Pacific theatre, serving on and (losing a close friend in a kamikaze attack) and after VJ day he was involved in the interrogation of Japanese war criminals being held in Australian POW camps. He left the navy with the rank of sub-lieutenant.
Early ministry
Even on leaving school he had felt a call to Holy Orders, and on demobilisation he decided to pursue this. On his first attempt to gain admission to Keble College, Oxford he was told that his academic qualifications were insufficient, so he proceeded to teach himself sufficient Latin, Greek and Hebrew to gain admission, and eventually graduated with a second-class honours degree in theology.
He completed his training at St Michael's College, Llandaff, and was appointed to a curacy in Oystermouth in 1950. Here he met Suzanne Tyrell, and they married in 1955. He had begun to consider missionary work, and a chance meeting with Bishop John Maund saw him move to Basutoland in 1953. He taught himself Sesotho on the voyage to Cape Town and for the next ten years ministered throughout Basutoland, covering up to 2000 miles a year on horseback. A major achievement of this period of ministry was the establishment of St Stephen's High School, Mahals Hoek, even now regarded as one of the finest schools in Southern Africa.
Return to Wales
In 1963 Chadwick returned to Wales, taking up a position as chaplain at University College, Swansea (part of the federal University of Wales) for five years. Here he strongly influenced many students, amongst them one Rowan Williams. He then undertook a sabbatical year at Queen's College, Birmingham, where he studied clinical psychology. He also acted as the college's Senior Bursar during his year there, before undertaking a brief chaplaincy at St Thomas' Hospital, London.
Second period in Africa and anti-apartheid activism
In 1970 Chadwick returned to Africa. Basutoland was now called Lesotho and Chadwick's role had changed too. He was appointed Dicoesan Missioner, and his main focus was building an ecumenical conference and training centre in Maseru. The centre had the aim of building racial equality and reconciliation.
After six years running the centre, the leadership skills he had demonstrated there saw him selected as the next Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman in 1976. He was enthroned in Kimberley Cathedral in a service complete with fanfares from Salvation Army trumpeters.
He was soon involved in events around the schools boycott with many black students refusing to attend schools due to the compulsory teaching of Afrikaans. He and the rest of the diocesan clergy encouraged students to complete their education, but also began to speak out against Apartheid. The Security Police accused clergy of maintaining links with the South African Students' Organisation and six clergy and diocesan youth workers were arrested. One of the youth workers, Pakamile Mabija, a member of the Anglican Nomads Educational Group, was arrested for allegedly vandalising public transport in Galeshewe. Chadwick was then out of the country so it was the Dean of Kimberley, who was first informed that Mabija had died after apparently falling from the seventh-floor of the police station. On Chadwick's return he protested against the death (particularly after the inquest proved to be a whitewash) and continued detention of his clergy. He planted wooden crosses outside his cathedral for each day the detention continued, and encouraged the ringing of church bells in protest. Once the clergy were released, the Chadwicks were placed under police surveillance, responding by taking regular cups of tea out to the policemen watching their house.
He worked closely with other senior South African clergy, including Desmond Tutu (then secretary of the South African Council of Churches), continuing to speak out against injustice. As a result of his activism, in 1982 the authorities refused to renew his work permit. At the time he was visiting the homeland of Bophuthatswana so found himself stranded there. At first he attempted to continue running the diocese from there, basing himself at the Anglican hospital, but it soon became clear that this was not a viable long-term option. He managed to return to Kimberley in order to conduct the Easter services, and in one final show of defiance, preached in both the local languages of Sesotho and Tsetchwana and (for the benefit of the police), Afrikaans. The following day, he and his family were escorted to the airport and deported, watched by a large contingent of armed police with dogs, and 50,000 (mainly black) protesters.
Later ministry
On Chadwick's enforced return to the United Kingdom he settled in St Asaph, working as a chaplain at the cathedral and as diocesan adviser on spirituality. In 1985, with Father Gerard Hughes SJ and Sister Mary Rose Fitzsimmons he co-founded the Llysfasi Spirituality Workshop which developed an international influence. He was also heavily involved in the l'Arche communities.
In 1990 Chadwick was persuaded by Bishop David Sheppard, himself well-known for ecumenical work, to become an Assistant bishop in the Diocese of Liverpool. In 1995, at the age of 72, he moved for the last time, to Salisbury to take up the post of Director of Spirituality at the newly-established Sarum College, finally retiring in 1998. Even in retirement he continued to offer personal counselling until the early part of 2007. After suffering a variety of health problems, he died on October 28 2007, just five minutes after receiving the Eucharist for the final time.
Chadwick's funeral service, and a requiem mass, celebrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, took place in Salisbury Cathedral on 5 November 2007. On 6 November there was a further requiem celebrated in the church at Oystermouth where Chadwick served his curacy. This service was conducted by the Right Revd John Davies, Bishop of St Asaph with the Rt Revd Anthony Pierce, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon and the Rt Revd Saunders Davies, retired Bishop of Bangor, also in attendance. After this service, Chadwick was buried in Oystermouth cemetery.
Languages
Chadwick is said to have been fluent in 11 languages, but no source lists them all. They include English, Japanese, Sesotho, Tsetchwana, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
See also
Trevor Huddleston
External links
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