Précisions sur l’indépendance de l’Archevêché survenue le 30 décembre 1965

L’Archiprêtre John Lee s’est endormi dans le Seigneur le soir du 18 juin 2014 à Londres. Un des clercs les plus anciens du Doyenné de Grande-Bretagne, il était le recteur de la Paroisse de la Dormition à Londres (Holborn).

L’horaire des funérailles sera annoncé dans les jours qui viennent.

L’Archevêque Job exprime ses condoléances à la famille du Père John et à ses nombreux enfants spirituels.

Mémoire éternelle!

Father John Lee was born on 12 August 1938 in Pennsylvania, USA. He grew up on a farm, living there with his grandparents. After finishing high school, he decided to join a Catholic seminary. Upon completion of his studies, he decided not to become a Catholic priest and instead travelled to distant places to teach. He taught the Inuits in the regions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada. He then moved to South America and taught in Bogota, Colombia. After the Second Vatican Council, Father John was received into the Orthodox Church, the faith of his maternal grandmother. Then came a move to England where Father John trained as a nurse at St Mary’s hospital in London. He was one of the first male nurses at St Mary’s. There, he met Shanta, whom he married in late 1975. In London, he also met Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Father John had a special relationship with Metropolitan Anthony with whom he stayed very close throughout his life. Father John was ordained to the priesthood on 18 March 1979, later becoming Archpriest and Dean of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral at Ennismore Gardens. He was a very good and popular priest, loved by many, and remembered fondly by many generations who attended the children’s summer camp he ran for many years. Since 2006 when it became part of the Exarchate in Western Europe, Father John had been Rector of the parish of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Father John had two children, Nathan and Hannah, a son-in-law Marc, and two grand-children, Gabriel and Jude.

The funeral of our Archpriest John (Lee) is scheduled to take place at 11:00 am on Tuesday 1st July 2014 at St Andrew’s Church, Holborn. We expect the coffin to arrive at about 9:30am allowing, for those who wish, time to pray by its side. The funeral will start at 11:00am, followed by the burial at 2:30pm in Richmond cemetery. A coach with limited number of seats will be provided to take people from St Andrew’s Church to the burial at Richmond Cemetery. After the burial, the coach will make its way to the Wildwood Kitchen in Barnes where refreshments will be served, after which people will need to make their own way back home. From Barnes, there is good public transport available, with trains from Barnes railway station and several buses to Hammersmith underground situation.

Please note that on a weekday, parking near St Andrew’s church is difficult and expensive, and it is within the congestion charge zone. The nearest tube stations are Farringdon and Chancery Lane.

If people wish to make a donation in lieu of flowers, the family have suggested a donation to Unicef, a charity close to Father John’s heart, which helps suffering children from around the world.

Addresses:

– Church: St Andrew Holborn, 5 St Andrew St, London EC4A 3AB

– Cemetery: Richmond Cemetery, Grove Road, Richmond, TW10

– Refreshments: Wildwood Kitchen, The Old Sorting Office, 21 Station Road, London SW13 0LW

– UNICEF