To me, over these past nearly 30 years, Howard Dillon has been a great brother in Christ and mentor who exemplified the life and ministry of a consistent Christ follower. Howard died in July and an article about him appears in the Sydney Morning Herald on this the last day of 2009. The encouragement and challenge of Howard’s life seems a fitting way to both end this year and face the new year.
“When Howard Dillon served as chaplain to the Australian Task Force in South Vietnam, he saw some dreadfully injured men brought into the First Military Hospital at Vung Tau, including one who had had his leg blown off. The man held Dillon’s hand and asked pleadingly: ”Padre, was it worth all this?” The full smh article here, ‘Vietnam tested chaplain’s ability’.
My farewell letter to Howard as he lay critically ill further illustrates what he meant to me and to so many. In the letter, which the family read at his funeral, some of the intimacy and allusions are between two good mates. I noted later that I had written the letter to Howard on the ninth anniversary of my ordination as Bishop of Tasmania: he would have met this coincidence with a knowing and mischievous grin.
To: His Most Holy and Reverend Howard Dillon
From: His Less Holy and EpiscoPal John Harrower
25 July 2009
Dear Howard,
You always were ahead of me!
You were ahead of me in your discipleship.
Thank you for your example of following Jesus in your lifestyle and ministry ethic.
You were ahead of me in wisdom.
You are a sage: a wise one of the tribe. My rather boisterous approach was gently channeled by that kind smile and twinkle in your eye.
You were ahead of me in political nous.
I recall sitting in near despair in those excrutiating council and committee meetings in Melbourne with my inclination to flee to the safety and possibilities of my parish, but your persistence and your written papers, born of faith, propelled by a greater vision and endured with a fortitude that inspired myself and others to plead to God for the resilience we saw in you, kept us going.
You were ahead of me in leadership.
You led a small band who wanted so much more for the kingdom of God. You led through a vision of a greater good and for the glory of our great and glorious Lord.
You were ahead of me in love and care of your bride and family.
Transparent love, care and consideration for your bride and family were evident and your affection never far from lips and heart. Thank you for unconsciously sharing your love for your treasured family amidst the turmoil of the institutional Church and its myriad groans, joys and lost opportunities.
You were ahead of me in my own walk of leadership.
In your prophetic voice, coming back from a disastrous Diocesan Council in Geelong, you were driving and said to me, “Now just remember this when you are a Bishop.” And I laughingly replied, “Yes. And pigs might fly.” You turned to look at me momentarily and said, “You remember this (our talking on leadership). You will be a Bishop one day.”
And now you are ahead of me in seeing the Lord!
Well, it is an honour that of course rightly sits with you and when you behold the glory of the Lord your worship will truly fill your heart and mind with all the glory and goodness you have worked and longed for; ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven’.
The Lord be with you my dear brother as you pass through the door (and yes, ahead of me again) and enter in to the Glory of the Lord.
In Christ we will meet again and maybe then I can give you the BIG South American hug that I long to give you now.
You are in Christ, and so you go in Christ, to have eternal life in Christ.
Thank you, and I thank your beautiful bride for giving me this opportunity to express my gratitude and love and affection for you.
I am sure that in heaven we will have even more joy than we did when enjoying Tassie scallops at the ‘Drunken Admiral’!
Your brother and sister in Christ,
John and Gayelene Harrower
