{"id":186,"date":"2016-07-27T13:21:32","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T17:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/andonewasapriest.com\/?p=186"},"modified":"2020-02-20T16:39:25","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T20:39:25","slug":"duncan-montgomery-gray-jr-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andonewasapriest.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/27\/duncan-montgomery-gray-jr-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"Duncan Montgomery Gray Jr. dies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bishop<\/a>
Bishop Gray in Natchez, 2014; St. Peter’s Oxford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 27, 2016<\/p>\n

The Rt. Rev. Duncan Montgomery Gray Jr., 89, died July 15, 2016 at home in Jackson, Miss. The retired seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi was 89.<\/p>\n

He was buried in Canton July 19 after a Requiem Eucharist at the Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew in Jackson.<\/p>\n

In his homily, the Rev. Canon David H. Johnson said, in part:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe seek the spiritual North Star.\u00a0Duncan Montgomery Gray Jr. was not the North Star. But he pointed us toward it. His life was a persistent pointing toward that which would ground us \u2013 faith in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be easy and tempting to reduce his nearly 90 years to one event, significant and important though it was\u2026.\u00a0The story of his attempt to quell the rioting crowd at Ole Miss on Sept. 30, 1962 is well known. Less well known is the stance he took as president of [University of the South] School of Theology student body in 1953, even in opposition to the University\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there was the courageous leadership he provided in the tense days in Meridian, when, synagogues, churches and homes were being bombed and deadly threats were a part of life.\u00a0But he was not the North Star\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was an evangelist. He preached the word. He led by example. He brought people into the faith, and he showed them the pathway toward the light. During his episcopate, he baptized 852 new Christians. He confirmed or received 11,446 Episcopalians. He preached 2,034 sermons, and Lord knows how many miles he traveled. But he was not the North Star\u2026.”<\/p>\n

The video below includes excerpts from the Requiem Eucharist in Jackson, the burial service in Canton, and the full homily by the Rev. Canon David H. Johnson.<\/p>\n