Graham Charles Chadwick (January 3 1923 – October 28 2007) was an Anglican missionary and
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
; a gifted linguist (sources credit him with fluency in 11 languages); and an
anti-apartheidAnti-apartheid may refer to:* Anti-Apartheid Movement, British organisation* Internal resistance to South African apartheid, within South Africa...
campaigner. After war-time service in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve he was ordained in the Church of Wales. After an initial period in
BasutolandBasutoland or officially the Territory of Basutoland, was a British crown colony established in 1884 after the Cape Colony's inability to control the territory...
(now
LesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave — entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km² in size with an estimated population of almost 1,800,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is the southernmost...
) he returned to Wales. A second period in Basutoland began in 1970 and he was elected
Bishop of Kimberley and KurumanThe Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman is the Bishop of the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, which encompasses the area around Kimberley and Kuruman and overlaps the Northern Cape Province and North West Province of South Africa. The current bishop is Oswald...
in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in 1976. His anti-apartheid activities saw him expelled from
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
in 1982 and necessitated his return to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
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
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. 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
midshipmanA midshipman is an officer cadet, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies.The word derives from the area aboard a ship, amidships, where these officers were berthed...
.
Japanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none have gained general acceptance...
training at the
School of Oriental and African StudiesThe School of Oriental and African Studies is a constituent college of the University of London, specialising in languages, humanities, economics, law and politics concerning Asia, Africa and the Middle East...
was followed by a posting to Ceylon, ultimately being assigned as an intelligence officer in the
Pacific theatreThe Pacific War was the part of World War II—and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia. The war began as a conflict with the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China on July 7, 1937, but by December 1941, became part of the greater World War II,...
, serving on and (losing a close friend in a
kamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
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-lieutenantSub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
.
Early ministry
Even on leaving school he had felt a call to
Holy OrdersThe term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to a group of individuals who are set apart for a special role or ministry....
, and on demobilisation he decided to pursue this. On his first attempt to gain admission to
Keble CollegeKeble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
,
OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
he was told that his academic qualifications were insufficient, so he proceeded to teach himself sufficient
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
,
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
and Hebrew to gain admission, and eventually graduated with a second-class honours degree in
theologyThe term "theology" literally means the study of God, deriving from the Greek word theos, meaning 'God', and the suffix -ology from the Greek word logos meaning "discourse", "theory", or "reasoning"...
.
He completed his training at St Michael's College, Llandaff, and was appointed to a curacy in
OystermouthOystermouth is an electoral ward and a village in the Mumbles community and also the City and County of Swansea, Wales...
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 TownCape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
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, Mohales 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 WalesThe University of Wales is a confederal university founded in 1893. It has accredited institutions throughout Wales, ranging from nineteenth-century establishments like Aberystwyth and Bangor to post-1992 universities like Newport and institutes of higher education such as UWIC and Glyndŵr...
) for five years. Here he strongly influenced many students, amongst them one
Rowan WilliamsRowan Douglas Williams is an Anglican bishop and theologian. He is the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003....
. He then undertook a sabbatical year at
Queen's College, BirminghamThe Birmingham Medical School was founded by surgeon William Sands Cox in 1828 as a residential college for medical students in central Birmingham, England. It was the first Birmingham institution to award degrees, through the University of London. Cox went on to found the Queen's Hospital in Bath...
, where he studied
clinical psychologyClinical psychology includes the scientific study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
. He also acted as the college's Senior
BursarA bursar is a senior professional financial administrator in a school or university.Bursa is a Latin word meaning "purse". Billing of student tuition accounts are the responsibility of the Office of the Bursar. This involves sending bills and making payment plans with the ultimate goal of getting...
during his year there, before undertaking a brief chaplaincy at
St Thomas' HospitalSt Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy’s & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
, 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
MaseruMaseru is the capital of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Mohokare River, bordering South Africa, Maseru is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 227,880 . The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the...
. 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
KimberleyKimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
Cathedral in a service complete with fanfares from
Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an international movement, describes itself as an armed evangelical movement part of the Christian Church. It has a quasi-military structure and was founded in 1865 in the United Kingdom as the East London Christian Liberation Mission by William and Catherine Booth. It is well...
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
AfrikaansAfrikaans is an Indo-European language derived from Dutch and thus classified as Low Franconian West Germanic. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, the United...
. He and the rest of the diocesan clergy encouraged students to complete their education, but also began to speak out against Apartheid. The
Security PoliceThe South African Police traces its origin to the Dutch Watch, a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order. In 1795 British officials assumed control over the Dutch Watch and in 1825 they...
accused clergy of maintaining links with the
South African Students' OrganisationThe South African Students' Organisation was a body of South African students who resisted apartheid through political action. The organisation was formed in 1968, spearheaded by Steve Biko, and played a major role in the Black Consciousness Movement....
and six clergy and diocesan youth workers were arrested. One of the youth workers,
Phakamile MabijaPhakamile Mabija was an African anti-Apartheid activist, and member of the Anglican Nomads Educational Group, who was detained by the South African Police on 27 June 1977 for alleged involvement in an incident when African and Coloured commuters stoned public transport during a bus boycott in...
, a member of the Anglican Nomads Educational Group, was arrested for allegedly vandalising public transport in
GalesheweGaleshewe is a township located in the Sol Plaatje Municipality, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. It is named after Kgosi Galeshewe....
. Chadwick was then out of the country so it was the
DeanA dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Kimberley,
Thomas StanageThomas Shaun Stanage was Bishop of Bloemfontein in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa from 1982 until 1997.-Biography:...
, 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 TutuDesmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984, Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize...
(then secretary of the
South African Council of ChurchesThe South African Council of Churches is an interdenominational forum in South Africa. It was a prominent anti-apartheid organisation during the years of apartheid in South Africa. Its leaders have included Desmond Tutu, Beyers Naudé and Frank Chikane....
), 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
homelandA bantustan, black African homeland or simply homeland, was territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
of
BophuthatswanaBophuthatswana , officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana was a Bantustan – an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity – and nominal parliamentary democracy in the northwestern region of South Africa...
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
EasterEaster is the most important annual religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day from his crucifixion...
services, and in one final show of defiance, preached in both the local languages of Sesotho and Setswana 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 KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
he settled in
St AsaphSt Asaph is a town on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,491.The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd. It is situated close to a number of busy coastal towns such as Rhyl, Prestatyn, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno...
, working as a chaplain at the cathedral and as diocesan
adviser on spiritualitySpiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...
. In 1985, with Father Gerard Hughes
SJThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
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'ArcheL'Arche is an international network of faith-based communities centered around people who have developmental disabilities . L'Arche communities typically include homes and day programs...
communities.
In 1990 Chadwick was persuaded by Bishop
David SheppardDavid Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was a high-profile bishop of the Church of England and, previously, an English cricketer....
, himself well-known for ecumenical work, to become an
Assistant bishopA bishop of the Anglican Church appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Usually they are retired diocesan or suffragan bishops, though occasionally active bishops are appointed. Unlike a diocesan or suffragan they do not hold a title: they are not the "Bishop of Somewhere"....
in the
Diocese of LiverpoolThe Diocese of Liverpool is a Church of England diocese based in Liverpool, covering Merseyside north of the River Mersey along with West Lancashire, Wigan in Greater Manchester, Warrington and Widnes in Cheshire...
. In 1995, at the age of 72, he moved for the last time, to
SalisburySalisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England. It has also been called New Sarum to distinguish it from the original site of settlement to the north of the city at Old Sarum, but this alternative name is not in common use. Similarly, a native of Salisbury may be known as a "Sarumite", but...
to take up the post of Director of Spirituality at the newly-established
Sarum CollegeSarum College is an ecumenical Christian institution in Salisbury, England. The College was established in 1995, and occupies the buildings formerly home to the Salisbury and Wells Theological 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
EucharistThe Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, Sacrament of the Table, the Blessed Sacrament, or The Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance, generally considered to be a commemoration of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his...
for the final time.
Chadwick's funeral service, and a requiem mass, celebrated by the
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, took place in
Salisbury CathedralSalisbury Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture.The main body was completed in only 38 years....
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 AsaphThe Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
with the Rt Revd Anthony Pierce,
Bishop of Swansea and BreconThe Bishop of Swansea and Brecon is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Swansea and Brecon.The diocese covers the City and County of Swansea and the ancient counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire...
and the Rt Revd
Saunders Davies The Rt Rev Saunders Davies was the Anglican Bishop of Bangor from 2000 until 2004. Born on 30 December 1937, he was educated at the University College of North Wales and Selwyn College, Cambridge...
, retired
Bishop of BangorThe Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire. The see is in the city of Bangor where the seat is located at Cathedral Church of Saint...
, 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, Setswana, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/lastword_16nov2007.shtml