Press Releases23 Oct 23

Tributes to Bishop Gordon McMullan

Archbishops John McDowell and Michael Jackson and Bishops Ian Ellis, David McClay, Harold Miller and Robin Eames have paid tribute on the announcement of the death of Bishop Gordon McMullan, at the age of 89, which took place last Sunday (15th October).  Bishop McMullan served as Bishop of Clogher from 1980 to 1986, and as Bishop of Down and Dromore from 1986 to 1997. 

From the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell, who was Bishop of Clogher from 2011 to 2020:

“Bishop Gordon McMullan was a conscientious pastoral bishop with a lifelong love for learning and scholarship, each aspect of his ministry enlivening and informing the other. Gordon was my sponsoring bishop when I went forward for selection for ordained ministry, and I will never forget the quietly searching interviews that I had with him before being sent off to the Selection Conference.

“When I first went to live in the Diocese of Clogher, following my election as bishop, one very experienced clergyman who had served with Gordon, when he was bishop there, told me: ‘Bishop McMullan, he could see round corners’, meaning he had the gifts of wisdom and foresight which allowed him to be well–prepared for what was experienced by those around him as an unforeseen crisis.

“Gordon had a cool and measured intelligence and an insatiable curiosity about the spiritual life as well as the realities of life around him. He never forgot his roots in working class Belfast. He understood the people he ministered to whether in St Brendan’s, Sydenham, leafy Knock, or rural Fermanagh and Monaghan. His scholarship helped him understand more deeply the great movements and upheavals of life in the twentieth century, but his trust was always in the Lord of History, who Himself had hurried on events on a world scale.

“He had a deep sense of the distinctive role which the Church of Ireland could play in the religious and civic life, particularly of Northern Ireland, and never tired of proving good relationships and a sense of hope.

“My thoughts and prayers are with Gordon’s sons, Philip and Stephen, as they mourn the loss of a wise and caring father and grandfather, just as we in the Church of Ireland mourn the loss of a great bishop.”

From the Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, who was Bishop of Clogher from 2002 to 2011:

“Having lived in Clogher Diocese when Bishop Gordon McMullan was bishop, I remember with affection his own care for the people of the diocese in what were troubled times. He is remembered for facilitating an administrative structure for the diocese that stood the test of time and enabled both parishes and the diocese itself to flourish with calm confidence. His untiring work ethic and attention to detail ran hand–in–hand with his commitment to learning and the education of others. It was an honour and a pleasure some years later to succeed him as bishop.

“His sons, Philip and Stephen, and their families are in our thoughts and in our prayers as they mourn a devoted servant of civic society and of the Church of God.”

From the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd Dr Ian Ellis:

“Bishop Gordon McMullan is remembered fondly here in Clogher Diocese.  He was a very pastoral bishop who was across the detail of diocesan life and kept an attentive watch over the flock in his care.  His deep interest in learning meant he gave considerable time to young people and education in this diocese.

“We offer our sincere condolences and the assurance of our prayers to his children and the wider family circle at this time of loss.”

From the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd David McClay:

“Bishop Gordon McMullan served as bishop in the Dioceses of Down and Dromore from 1986 to 1997. Prior to his election as Bishop of Clogher in 1980, Bishop Gordon served all of his ministry in the Diocese of Down, having grown up in the Parish of Willowfield.  To this day he is remembered in Willowfield for his skills as a footballer and indeed might well have had a career in football had he not chosen the path of ordination. 

“Bishop Gordon once said to me that the Church of Ireland was a pastoral church and this was something I should never forget.  He lived this out in how he loved and cared for his clergy particularly at times of illness, bereavement or any other sort of trouble.  I personally experienced his pastoral care firsthand and his love and support during what were for me dark and difficult days; this is something I will never forget and will always be thankful for.

“Bishop Gordon also led the diocese during what was then known as the ‘Decade of Evangelism’, and his leadership in this laid very good foundations in many parishes.  Along with his wife Kathleen, Bishop Gordon always ensured that the See House was always a place of welcome, warmth, care and generosity.  I would like to extend my personal sympathy to Bishop Gordon’s sons, Stephen and Philip, their families and the wider family circle.”

I am the resurrection and the life saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. John 11:25–26

From Bishop Harold Miller, who was Bishop of Down and Dromore from 1997 to 2019:

“I remember the first phone call I ever received from bishop Gordon McMullan. It began: ‘This is Gordon McMullan.’ In those days that surprised me. I expected him to introduce himself by a title – ‘The Bishop of Down and Dromore’ – but he introduced himself personally. That was true of his letters as well. They were always handwritten, and very warm. Gordon and I shared a secretary called Betty McLaughlin, and she summed him up beautifully in these words: ‘He was both ordinary and extraordinary.’

“Gordon never forgot his roots in inner city East Belfast. He had the rootedness of that background, the strong independence of an only child, and the carefulness and caution of someone who grew up in hard times. He could be both firm and caring in equal measure, and he left a diocese which was well–administered and on a good financial footing. But he was also a very good scholar, who completed several doctorates.

“Unlike most of us, his holidays were simply ‘working away from home’, and he had many good friends and helpful connections in the USA, which continued after his retirement. As the years of troubles began to abate, Gordon also revitalised the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Downpatrick, inviting people from across the community, young and old, to join him in worship, and for lunch, on the day of our common patron saint.

“I often visited Gordon in my years as Bishop of Down and Dromore and found someone who was very gentle and appreciative in his old age. He would often thank God for his long life, as he remembered his father’s early death, or for the kindness of those who cared for him, or for his youth in Willowfield; and now, in our turn, we gratefully thank the Lord for him.”

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.  Psalm 116:15

From Bishop Robin Eames, who was Bishop of Down and Dromore (from 1980 to 1986) and subsequently Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland (from 1986 to 2006):

“I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Bishop Gordon McMullan and express my deepest sympathy to the members of his family.

“As a colleague for many years, I saw at first hand his devoted pastoral ministry firstly as a parish priest and then as a bishop in Clogher Diocese and then in Down and Dromore during years of suffering and violence for the community.  His gifts of pastoral compassion for so many people will be long remembered.  In particular I recall his support and care for clergy in those years.

“He brought wisdom and personal strength to his calling as a bishop and contributed so much to the leadership of the Church in difficult times.”

Biography:

The Rt Revd Dr Gordon McMullan (born 1934) grew up in the parish of Willowfield, in East Belfast, and worked in the aircraft manufacturing and petroleum industries prior to his ordination in 1962.  He initially served as Curate in St Patrick’s, Ballymacarrett (1962–1967), and subsequently as the Church of Ireland’s Central Advisor on Christian Stewardship (1967–1970).  His ministry continued in the Diocese of Down and Dromore as Curate in St Columba’s, Knock (1970–1971), and Bishop’s Curate of St Brendan’s, Sydenham (1971–1976), before he returned to Knock as Rector (1976–1980), during which time he was also Archdeacon of Down (1979–1980).

He was elected as Bishop of Clogher in June 1980, and was consecrated in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, in September of that year.  Bishop McMullan was subsequently elected as Bishop of Down and Dromore in March 1986.  He was deeply involved in cross–community bridge–building and mutual understanding, pastoral care, and active concern for the unemployed and people living in areas of social and economic disadvantage.  He retired in 1997.  He was predeceased by his wife, Kathleen, in 2006 and is survived by their two sons, Philip and Stephen.

Bishop McMullan was a keen footballer in his youth and one of the founding members of Willowfield Parish Football Club.  He attended Belfast Technical High School and Belfast College of Technology before studying at Queen’s University Belfast from where he graduated with a BSc in economics in 1961.  He then studied for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.  Bishop McMullan was considered an authority on the history of the white–collar trade union movement in Ireland, and held three doctorates – a PhD in Irish economic and social history (Queen’s, 1971), a ThD in the interaction of doctrine, politics and economics in the Church of Ireland in the mid–19th century (Irish School of Ecumenics, 1987), and an honorary D.Min from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, in 1995.

Bishop McMullan also completed an MPhil in peace studies, through Trinity College Dublin, in 1990.  He was an accomplished author on Christian discipleship whose publications included A Cross and Beyond, We are Called …, Everyday Discipleship, Growing Together in Prayer, and reflections on the gospels of Mark and Luke.