Douglas Feaver

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Peterborough Cathedral

Douglas Russell Feaver (born May 22, 1914 in Bristol , † November 9, 1997 in Bruton , Somerset ) was a British Anglican theologian . He was Bishop of Peterborough in the Church of England from 1972 to 1984 .

Life

Douglas Feaver studied history and theology at Keble College , Oxford , graduated with top marks and received the Liddon Studentship . He was ordained a deacon in 1938 and a priest the following year. From 1938 to 1958 he worked at St. Albans Cathedral , first as vicar , then as canon and sub-dean . This activity was interrupted in World War II , when he served as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve . During this time he became seriously ill in Egypt and while he was lying in bed he heard his grave being dug in front of the hospital, but he recovered. In 1958 he became Vicar and Rural Dean of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham . From 1972 to 1984 he was Bishop of Peterborough. Its episcopal church was Peterborough Cathedral .

Douglas Feaver was married twice. He had three children with his first wife. After her death in 1987, he married a second time.

Feaver as bishop

Feaver was very active in his diocese ; On the other hand, he avoided meetings like that of the General Synod , as he had little sympathy for the central church administration or the growing bureaucracy. When he was not only unexpectedly present at a synod in 1972, but also made a motion, this caused amusement among the bishops, albeit with the qualification “ though none laughed at the time ” (German: “However, nobody laughed in this moment"). Since everyone agreed to this motion, the rapporteur wrote: “ So we arguably had an egg on our faces. ”(German:“ We were stupid there. ”) Feaver was particularly interested in the clergy to ensure that they received a solid education and developed further. As a traditionalist, he felt obliged to the Book of Common Prayer . Of the modern 1980's The Alternative Service Book , he said, “ Taste it and spit out. ”(German:“ Try and spit out again. ”) For twelve years he wrote book reviews for the Church Times .

"Rudest man in the church"

In his time, Feaver was considered one of the “most colorful” personalities of the Church of England , from whom countless anecdotes and sayings have come down to us. In 1985, some of his bonmots were published as a book under the title Purple Feaver . So he said after a wedding “ I prefer funerals ” (German: “I prefer funerals”) and about female colleagues in the synod that they had “ seething bosoms but nothing above ” (German: “flowing breasts, but nothing about it”) .

The Independent wrote in its obituary that Feaver was a man of great understanding and firm and well-founded views, with strong prejudices that he was never afraid to express. The tall churchman often looked like a "bird of prey just before it hit" . For his cleric colleague Eric Abbott he was considered “ the rudest man in the Church of England ” (German: “the rudest man in the Church of England”). When bishops and other high-ranking people met, his sharp tongue was feared, and he had no patience with procrastinators, but was able to deal well with contradictions. Behind it was a friendly, warm-hearted and humorous person who did not take himself or others too seriously, and Feaver was always fun.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Obituary: The Right Rev Douglas Feaver on independent.co.uk v. November 11, 1997
  2. ^ Colin Buchanan: Taking the long way. Three and a half decade of the General Synod . London 2006. p. 292
  3. ↑ a b Bringing life back into the parishes on telegraph.co.uk v. December 8, 2007
predecessor Office successor
Cyril Easthaugh Bishop of Peterborough
1972–1984 		Bill Westwood
personal data
SURNAME Feaver, Douglas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Feaver, Douglas Russell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British theologian and Bishop of Peterborough
DATE OF BIRTH May 22, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Bristol
DATE OF DEATH November 9, 1997
Place of death Bruton , Somerset