BISHOP Noel Willoughby has become the second bishop within a matter of weeks to announce his imminent retirement from the bench of bishops of the Church of Ireland.
Last month, Dr Gordon McMullan announced his decision to retire as Bishop of Down and Dromore in January, and last week, at the Ferns diocesan synod in Wexford, Bishop Willoughby announced his plans to retire in March.
Since 1980, Noel Willoughby has been bishop of the far flung united dioceses in the south east that give him the lengthy title of Bishop of Cashel, Waterford, Lismore, Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin: six dioceses spread throughout the counties of Tipperary, Kilkenny, Laois, Waterford, Carlow, Wexford, and parts of Wicklow, and with historic cathedrals in Waterford, Lismore, Cashel, Kilkenny, Ferns, and in Old Leighlin outside Carlow.
His election as bishop of the diocese in March 1980 came as a great personal pleasure to this native born son of the Diocese of Ferns: he was born in Tinahely, Co Wicklow, in 1926, and was educated at the Tate, School in Wexford.
First class record
At Trinity College Dublin, he was a scholar and a gold medallist, and graduated with a first class degree. After ordination in 1950, the young Noel Willoughby served his first two curacies in Drumglass in the Diocese of Armagh and in St Catherine's in Dublin's inner city, before returning to his native Co Wicklow, first as Curate of Bray and then as Rector of Delgany.
In 1969, he was appointed Rector of Glenageary, a Dublin parish famed for providing future bishops. His immediate predecessor was John Coote Duggan, who became Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achony, and former curates bad included Edwin Owen, later Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, and the present Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev Walton Empey.
In Glenageary his curate was John Neill, who had arrived only weeks before. Today, Bishop Neill recalls that he was ordained on a Sunday morning and his rector moved out on the Monday to become rector of Westport, Co Mayo: "I rather enjoyed starting my training as my own boss, and fortunately, the parish was tolerant for three months."
When Noel Willoughby arrived in Glenageary, John Neill found a rector who was to teach him thigh standards of pastoral work, not by word but by inspired example".
In a recent article for the parish magazine, Parish Chimes, he recalled with humour. "The rector even forgave me when a sermon on the Ten Virgins concluded with the interesting statement that of those 10 virgins, five were virgins and five were wise!"
In Glenageary, the new rector developed a special ecumenical relationship with the neighbouring Roman Catholic parish of St. Joseph's, Glasthule, and priests such as Father Paddy Lyons. But he was earning a strong reputation in the Church of Ireland, too, and was appointed honorary secretary of the General Synod in 1975, treasurer of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, in 1977, and Archdeacon of Dublin in succession to Bishop Samuel Poyntz in 1978.
Ecumenical reputation
At Glenageary, Bishop Willoughby admits thinking that there is only one thing to do with a safe man - make him a bishop." In 1980, he was elected to Cashel and Ossory in succession to John Armstrong, who had become Archbishop of Armagh.
His consecration in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, was attended by two Roman Catholic bishops. By then, he had a strong reputation for his ecumenism and ties with his Roman Catholic counterparts went far beyond the standard cordial and polite formalities in other, less ecumenical dioceses.
In the south east, he has worked hard with Bishop Brendan Comiskey on a report on inter church marriages, describing it as the first positive and practical step forward in this area of such constant and continuing conflict between our two churches."
Their efforts moved the question of inter church marriages out of the area of confrontation and win or lose to one of shared responsibility and co operation.
At last week's synod in Wexford, Bishop Brendan Comiskey warmly thanked Bishop Willoughby for his support in the last few difficult months, and paid particular tribute" to his commitment to ecumenism in, the Diocese of Ferns.
The bishop's discerning eye has helped him to recognise talent he encouraged people like Cecil Weekes and Barbara Fryday to move from the auxiliary or part time ministry into full time parochial work. The wisdom of these decisions was proved when Cecil Weekes, who had once worked with him. In Glenageary, proved to be a gifted Dean of Lismore until his early retirement last month.
Bishop Willoughby has also been keen to develop the church's involvement with life in the wider community. He has encouraged Ferns Diocese to take part in the planned commemorations of the 1798 Rising, and he has close pastoral "ties with the Garda College, conscientiously and regularly attending functions and official events. Those close ties resulted in the surprising offer of Templemore as a venue for the Cashel and Ossory diocesan synods today.
Clerical tradition
The Willoughby family has a strong clerical tradition the bishop's brother, the Ven George Willoughby, is a former Archdeacon of Derry, and his son, the Rev Paul Willoughby, is rector of Bantry, Co Cork. But there are strong sporting interests, too the bishop has a passionate interest in golf, and his son in law is the Mayo footballer, Dermot Flanagan.
With all those achievements in his career, Noel Willoughby approaches his 70th birthday in December with one crowning honour Wexford Corporation plans to confer on him the freedom of the borough. In the past, this honour has been bestowed on the Roman Catholic Bishops of Ferns, on visiting cardinals and papal nuncios, and on the Community of Adoration nuns in the town. But this is the first time a serving Church of Ireland bishop has been so honoured.
When Bishop Willoughby becomes a Freeman of Wexford he joins a distinguished list that includes Charles Stewart Parnell, John Dillon, Eamon de Valera, Brendan Corish, and members of the Church of Ireland who were leading figures in the United Irishmen in 1798, such as Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey and Matthew Keugh.
Appropriately, the Freedom of Wexford will be marked with a reception to honour Bishop Willoughby in his old school the corporation's headquarters at the former Tate School.