Bishop Robert Beal

1 Funeral Address given by The Rev'd. Donald McMonigle Sometime Dean of Wangaratta. Bishop Robert Beal “Any man that but man is, With nothing shall be pleas’d, til he be eas’d With being nothing.” Shakespeare Richard II As a king divests himself of his kingly regalia, his crown, his sceptre and the balm used to anoint him at his coronation, and then stripped bare, prepares to confront his end, Shakespeare verbalises Richard’s inner thoughts and grief’s with these words which within a wider context, remain a fundamental teaching of all the great spiritual traditions. A man with nothing shall be pleas’d, til he be eas’d With being nothing.” It is a hard saying - particularly as we grieve the loss of our friend, but if we take our Lord’s words seriously this is what the Christian journey is all about. It is that great movement from I to Thou, the acknowledgement of the need for one another and ultimately, our need for God. It is what dying to self is all about. It is not just about self-denial and acts of mortification; rather, it is a positive dynamic movement to becoming whole. Robert’s life as a husband, father, priest and bishop and above all, as a human being, has exemplified this journey. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone but if it dies it bears much fruit.” We have heard something of Robert’s family life from Frances and Christopher but it is in his life as pastor in both priestly and Episcopal ministry that Robert not only proclaimed this mystery but has consistently and faithfully incarnated this great truth. Fr Robert in his priestly life offered sacrifice, the offering of Christ, the offering of people, the offering of family and all of creation, and perhaps above all, a personal self-offering. All present here in this Church, and those who are not with us today but with us in prayer, whether is this world or the heavenly realm, bear witness to the gracious offering of this man. And now, he has completed the last and greatest act, he has fully given himself to become nothing so that he may by God’s grace become everything. As a young secondary student I vividly recall my first encounter with the then Dean of Wangaratta. Having lived in the countryside and worshipping at one of 2 the Cathedral out-centres I had never managed to see the Dean in person but a seminar for senior students in 1966 saw him walking through the classroom door. I was immediately struck by his size, larger than life, his enormous hands, a commanding presence, confident, but gracious and despite the size and presence, a gentleness of spirit. He placed his pipe on the table before us, sat down and invited us into a discussion about the big questions of life – Where are we going? What was life all about? Why are we here? His directness, his utter frankness, the care and tenderness with which he shared his personal beliefs, his desire to hear what we had to say gave us confidence to share our thoughts and as with his best sermons, pushing his notes aside, he began to speak from the heart about his understanding of life and how the figure of Christ, his teaching and his example gave him hope and meaning in a world that often appears so hope-less … I had never forgotten that first encounter, and amazingly, at a future meeting some 15 or so years later, he was able to recall that actual day himself. I seek your understanding as I begin on a personal note but I am sure that many of the qualities of which I speak resonate with your own personal experiences of this man in whatever capacity you came into contact with him, be it as one of the leaders of this city, as a friend, a parishioner, fellow priest or bishop, one who experienced his ministry as confirmee, marriage couple, the bereaved or in one of the myriad ways in which this man walked into the lives of many of us gathered here today as well as those beyond. Robert George Beal was born in 1929, in Randwick, Sydney and educated at Waverley Marist Brothers and later, Sydney Grammar. His parish church St Jude’s Randwick and the colourful Rector, The Rev’d. Oscar Abrahams (whom he always recalled so affectionately) played a significant part in his faith journey and the eventual decision to offer himself as a candidate for ordination. To some extent his later exposure to Christ Church St Laurence and St James King Street were also formative. He entered St Francis College, Brisbane in 1952 as a candidate for the Diocese of Brisbane. His formation at St Francis College became the crucible which not only helped shaped his ministry but introduced him to fellow students who would become lifelong friends – Bishop Keith Rayner, former Primate of Australia, Bishop Barry Hunter, former Bishop of The Riverina and Fr David Morrison among others. He was made deacon in 1953 and appointed assistant curate at Nundah, a suburb of Brisbane and then following his ordination to the priesthood moved to the Diocese of Nth Queensland to his first parish of St John’s South Townsville. And it was here he met a Miss Valerie Illych. Valerie has been the love of his life. Many of us have heard of the beginnings of the romance, the debonair young priest arriving in his first parish, the attractive young Valerie Illych, parish organist and daily communicant and former Miss Queensland. It was a marriage made in heaven, faithful companions throughout life, 53 years of marriage, six children, 3 18 grandchildren and one great grand-child. The coming years as parish priest, Dean on two occasions, and later, Bishop are testimony to a team effort where their gracious hospitality, genuine interest in people and love for the Church touched the lives of so many people. Following another appointment as Rector of Auchenflower, Queensland, he was appointed Dean of Wangaratta in 1965. He always saw this appointment as a formative experience in his ministry and during which time there grew a lasting love for the Diocese and the natural beauty of north-eastern Victoria. It is fitting that his ashes will return there for internment in that Cathedral later next month. He left Wangaratta to become Rector of Ipswich in 1972, and three years later was appointed Dean of this Cathedral, a ministry which continued for the next 8 years. No doubt, one of the most significant legacies of his ministry as Dean was overseeing the completion of this cathedral Church as it stands today. A central part of this building program was the erection of the great bulk of this tower rising above us this morning, now such a totally accepted and distinctive aspect of the skyline of this city. So today represents something of a homecoming as we gather in this place which he knew and loved. He returned to the Diocese of Wangaratta as Rector and Archdeacon of Albury, which by then was in transition from the Diocese of Canberra Goulburn to Wangaratta. His time there cut short by his call to be the seventh Bishop of the Diocese. As his Chancellor of the time, Dr Robin Sharwood mentioned just the other day, “He was a born priest and a true father in God in the Episcopal sense, and it was something that expressed itself so naturally”. He came to the episcopate at the right time, very well equipped to offer those gifts which became the hallmark of his episcopate. I was later appointed his Dean. Now some Deans and Bishops gathered here today may well testify, in contrast to my earlier cliché - relations between Bishops and Deans are not always a marriage made in heaven! But this was not so in our case. There was the daily rhythm we shared together alongside the Cathedral staff– 7.00am Meditation, Mass, Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer - these anchored his day. This rhythm continued throughout the rest of his life to the end. As a guest over the years during his retirement, one was always conscious of Robert withdrawing in the morning and each evening to his private room where he would recite the office and as the true priest, bring before God those whom he continued to bear on his heart. His specific gift that he brought to the episcopate was primarily that of pastor, to both priest and people- this for him was fundamental. He was the consummate pastor as well as an indefatigable pastoral visitor. He rejoiced in being responsible for a relatively small diocese of 29 parishes where his annual diary included a pastoral overnight visit to every rectory in the diocese as well as provision for every priest and spouse to visit Bishop’s Lodge for a private chat, 4 prayer and a meal. I know how much his clergy cherished that care and personal contact. One of the joys for him as Bishop was each year presiding over the gathering together of diocesan clergy and theological students in retreat and clergy conference. Confident Anglican churchman that he was, he delighted on these occasions to bring in a range of leading church men from across the traditions – to bring this diversity to Wangaratta and Wangaratta to this diversity - I think on two occasions the then Archbishop of Sydney, Donald Robinson on the riches of the Book of Common Prayer and later Bishop Donald Cameron as well as leading Roman Catholic scholars such as Austin Cooper.

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