John Moorman
Encyclopedia
John Richard Humpidge Moorman, (born Leeds
, Yorkshire
, England
, 4 June 1905; died Durham
, England
, 13 January 1989) was an English divine, ecumenist, and writer, Bishop of Ripon
from 1959 to 1975.
, the son of Frederic William Moorman (1872–1919) and his wife Frances Beatrice Humpidge (1872–1919), Moorman was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
. He gained the B.D. degree in 1940 with his work The Sources for the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi.
of Holbeck
, Leeds
, later of Leighton Buzzard
. In 1935 he was appointed Rector of Fallowfield
in Manchester
. One year later in 1930, Moorman married Mary Caroline Trevelyan (1905–1995).
During the Second World War, Moorman resigned his living and worked as a farmhand in Wharfedale
, and during this period completed his thesis Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century for a doctorate of divinity (Cambridge University, 1945).
In 1945 he went to Lanercost Priory, and in 1946 re-opened Chichester Theological College. While there, he also served as chancellor of Chichester Cathedral
. In 1956 he resigned to concentrate on his Franciscan writings.
In 1959 he was appointed Bishop of Ripon
. He was a frequent visitor to the Vatican
and led a delegation of Anglican observers to the Second Vatican Council
. In 1967 he became the chairman of the Anglican commission which led to the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. He remained a member until 1981. He died aged 84 in Durham
.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 4 June 1905; died Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 13 January 1989) was an English divine, ecumenist, and writer, Bishop of Ripon
Bishop of Ripon and Leeds
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ripon and Leeds in the Province of York.Though one ancient Bishop of Ripon is known, the modern diocese dates from 1836...
from 1959 to 1975.
Background
Born in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, the son of Frederic William Moorman (1872–1919) and his wife Frances Beatrice Humpidge (1872–1919), Moorman was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
. He gained the B.D. degree in 1940 with his work The Sources for the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Career
In 1929 he was ordained and became curateCurate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of Holbeck
Holbeck
Holbeck is a district in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The district begins on the southern edge of the Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 Leeds postcode area. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the only motorway that passes through the area since...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, later of Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
. In 1935 he was appointed Rector of Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. One year later in 1930, Moorman married Mary Caroline Trevelyan (1905–1995).
During the Second World War, Moorman resigned his living and worked as a farmhand in Wharfedale
Wharfedale
Wharfedale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Kettlewell, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Arthington, Collingham, and Wetherby...
, and during this period completed his thesis Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century for a doctorate of divinity (Cambridge University, 1945).
In 1945 he went to Lanercost Priory, and in 1946 re-opened Chichester Theological College. While there, he also served as chancellor of Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
. In 1956 he resigned to concentrate on his Franciscan writings.
In 1959 he was appointed Bishop of Ripon
Bishop of Ripon and Leeds
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ripon and Leeds in the Province of York.Though one ancient Bishop of Ripon is known, the modern diocese dates from 1836...
. He was a frequent visitor to the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
and led a delegation of Anglican observers to the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. In 1967 he became the chairman of the Anglican commission which led to the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. He remained a member until 1981. He died aged 84 in Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
.
Publications
- Sources for the Life of St Francis of Assisi (1940)
- Church Life In England In The Thirteenth Century (Cambridge University Press, 1945)
- A New Fioretti (1946)
- B. K. Cunningham, a Memoir (1947)
- St Francis of Assisi (1950, second edition 1976)
- The Grey Friars in Cambridge (Birkbeck Lectures, 1952)
- A History of the Church in England (Adam & Charles Black, 1953, 3rd revised edition 1973)
- The Curate of Souls (1958)
- The Path to Glory (1960)
- Vatican Observed (1967)
- A History of the Franciscan Order (1968)
- The Franciscans in England (1974)
- Richest of Poor Men (1977)
- The Anglican Spiritual Tradition (1983)
- Medieval Franciscan Houses (1983)