ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE RELEASE:
Vale Fr Bill Jordan
Communications Office 9 August 2013
Father William ‘Bill’ Jordan died yesterday 8 August on the Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop after a short illness at Melbourne Private Hospital.
Fr Bill was born on 31 August 1935. He studied for the priesthood at Corpus Christi College, Werribee and Propaganda Fide College, Rome where he was ordained on 21 December 1960 by Cardinal Agagianian. Fr Bill remained in Rome gaining his Licentiate in Theology in 1961, followed by doctoral studies at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, graduating in 1967.
On his return to Melbourne he served as assistant priest at Carlton (1967), Caulfield South (1969), and West Melbourne (1971). In 1984 he was appointed Director of Sacred Music. On 26 January 1985 he was appointed Parish Priest of St Brendan’s, Flemington which in 1993 was partnered with Holy Rosary, Kensington. Fr Bill retired as Pastor Emeritus on 12 January 2011.
The funeral arrangements are as follows:
Monday 12th August 2013: Vigil Mass to be celebrated at St. Brendan’s, Flemington at 7.30pm
Tuesday 13th August 2013: Pontifical Requiem Mass to be celebrated at St. Brendan’s, Flemington at 1.30pm
In an obituary sent to all priests of the archdiocese, archdiocesan staff and parish offices, the Vicar General Monsignor Greg Bennet said that, “Throughout his many happy years at Flemington and Kensington, Fr Bill was known for his genuine kindness, generosity to the poor, commitment to service and his joyful ministry.”
Monsignor Bennet said, “This inner city setting allowed him to continue to use his Italian, which to a musician, was poetry itself. He watched the parishes of Flemington and Kensington change and develop. He observed the diversity of cultures and the shifting demographic. Fr Bill trusted his staff to assist him in the mission of the parish and he befriended them as members of his “paese”.”
“Fr Bill was a man who found in his life the music of God. Being an accomplished musician, his desire was to lead others to the source of all beauty - God himself. His commitment to liturgy saw him Chair the Diocesan Liturgical Music Committee for many years, participate in national liturgical ventures, the Australian Hymn Book, the Catholic Worship Book and committees. He was a member of the Advisory Committee of ICEL and a Music Consultant to ICEL for many years. He always responded positively to invitations where his expertise, knowledge and faith could shape the renewal of the liturgy which honoured the tradition of the Church with the imagination of Sacrosanctum Concilium.
“Fr Bill was a man whose dedication to ministry and to responding to people’s many pastoral requests was simply exemplary. Even in retirement, Fr Bill assumed a ministry load which would have him visiting hospitals, Mass supply across the Archdiocese, presiding at funerals, baptising children, leading Italian festas, assisting couples with countless weddings in a myriad of settings and being available to support and assist his brother priests in any way he could. It was the nature of the man to be on the move, so much so, many of us often wondered whether he had retired at all.
The Vicar General said, “Fr Bill loved his family. He had a wide circle of friends with whom he was extremely loyal. He was kind to priests and seminarians. He made chaplains welcome from other countries and made them feel at home and helped them sing of God in a foreign land.”
“Fr Bill’s illness has taken everyone by surprise. In a matter of a short few days, he went from being a man who appeared to be tireless in his service of the Lord, to a stillness which he had rarely experienced. He died peacefully surrounded by the love of his family and was carried by the prayers of so many who loved him into the arms of God.
Composers, animated by the Christian Spirit, should accept that it pertains to their vocation to cultivate sacred music and increase its store of treasures. (Sacrosanctum Concilium #121)
“Fr Bill was truly a priest animated by the Spirit of the Risen Lord whose vocation served to cultivate the beauty of God’s good news. We will treasure his contribution to the Archdiocese and to the Church which he served for 52 years with such integrity.”
May he rest in peace.
Father William ‘Bill’ Jordan died yesterday 8 August on the Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop after a short illness at Melbourne Private Hospital.Fr Bill was born on 31 August 1935. He studied for the priesthood at Corpus Christi College, Werribee and Propaganda Fide College, Rome where he was ordained on 21 December 1960 by Cardinal Agagianian. Fr Bill remained in Rome gaining his Licentiate in Theology in 1961, followed by doctoral studies at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, graduating in 1967.
On his return to Melbourne he served as assistant priest at Carlton (1967), Caulfield South (1969), and West Melbourne (1971). In 1984 he was appointed Director of Sacred Music. On 26 January 1985 he was appointed Parish Priest of St Brendan’s, Flemington which in 1993 was partnered with Holy Rosary, Kensington. Fr Bill retired as Pastor Emeritus on 12 January 2011.
The funeral arrangements are as follows:Monday 12th August 2013: Vigil Mass to be celebrated at St. Brendan’s, Flemington at 7.30pm
Tuesday 13th August 2013: Pontifical Requiem Mass to be celebrated at St. Brendan’s, Flemington at 1.30pm
In an obituary sent to all priests of the archdiocese, archdiocesan staff and parish offices, the Vicar General Monsignor Greg Bennet said that, “Throughout his many happy years at Flemington and Kensington, Fr Bill was known for his genuine kindness, generosity to the poor, commitment to service and his joyful ministry.”
Monsignor Bennet said, “This inner city setting allowed him to continue to use his Italian, which to a musician, was poetry itself. He watched the parishes of Flemington and Kensington change and develop. He observed the diversity of cultures and the shifting demographic. Fr Bill trusted his staff to assist him in the mission of the parish and he befriended them as members of his “paese”.”
“Fr Bill was a man who found in his life the music of God. Being an accomplished musician, his desire was to lead others to the source of all beauty - God himself. His commitment to liturgy saw him Chair the Diocesan Liturgical Music Committee for many years, participate in national liturgical ventures, the Australian Hymn Book, the Catholic Worship Book and committees. He was a member of the Advisory Committee of ICEL and a Music Consultant to ICEL for many years. He always responded positively to invitations where his expertise, knowledge and faith could shape the renewal of the liturgy which honoured the tradition of the Church with the imagination of Sacrosanctum Concilium.
“Fr Bill was a man whose dedication to ministry and to responding to people’s many pastoral requests was simply exemplary. Even in retirement, Fr Bill assumed a ministry load which would have him visiting hospitals, Mass supply across the Archdiocese, presiding at funerals, baptising children, leading Italian festas, assisting couples with countless weddings in a myriad of settings and being available to support and assist his brother priests in any way he could. It was the nature of the man to be on the move, so much so, many of us often wondered whether he had retired at all.
The Vicar General said, “Fr Bill loved his family. He had a wide circle of friends with whom he was extremely loyal. He was kind to priests and seminarians. He made chaplains welcome from other countries and made them feel at home and helped them sing of God in a foreign land.”
“Fr Bill’s illness has taken everyone by surprise. In a matter of a short few days, he went from being a man who appeared to be tireless in his service of the Lord, to a stillness which he had rarely experienced. He died peacefully surrounded by the love of his family and was carried by the prayers of so many who loved him into the arms of God.
Composers, animated by the Christian Spirit, should accept that it pertains to their vocation to cultivate sacred music and increase its store of treasures. (Sacrosanctum Concilium #121)
“Fr Bill was truly a priest animated by the Spirit of the Risen Lord whose vocation served to cultivate the beauty of God’s good news. We will treasure his contribution to the Archdiocese and to the Church which he served for 52 years with such integrity.”
May he rest in peace.
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE
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