A recitation of the various ecclesiastical offices and academic distinctions achieved by Jack Duggan, though a useful reminder of all that he gave in the service of the Church of Ireland over a lifetime of commitment and wise and careful guidance, cannot comprehend the goodness, wisdom, faithfulness, kindness and humour of the man himself.
Jack Duggan came from a line of men and women who served the Church of Ireland and the country with great distinction over many generations with integrity and without self-interest. In each generation they sought a balanced judgment and endeavoured to see life steady and to see it whole.
He was a philosopher, not only by training and academic commitment, but by temperament and inclination. He was never content with a partial view of a situation. He wanted to see it in the round; he wanted to know how any decision he might make would affect anybody involved, including those who might oppose him. Indeed, he gave most care to ensure that those who opposed him received generous and careful consideration.
He was a quiet, thoughtful man, never stampeded into an ill-considered decision; he took his time to think a situation through and always took full responsibility for his actions.
He was a man to be totally relied on in all circumstances. His judicious presence permeated a meeting, calmed less cautious minds, and ensured a balanced and fair consideration of all aspects of the question to be resolved. When Jack Duggan took out his capacious pipe, filled it with tobacco and settled to gently puffing the smoke, one knew that the question would be fairly and exhaustively reviewed and that a fair conclusion would be reached and wise action would ensue. He had the patience and the persistence of the good fisherman that he was.
In his care for justice and fairness he expressed his deepest Christian convictions and commitment. His faith was not likely to be "carried about with every wind of doctrine". He knew where he stood and whom he believed, though he was always gracious and courteous to hear other opinions and to discuss them openly. He knew that the Christian faith consisted of a hierarchy of truths and he carefully distinguished the order of that hierarchy and ordered his own life and led his flock, both as priest and bishop, on that principle.
All his gifts were dedicated to the pastoral ministry at all levels. The humblest cottage on the western seaboard received the same pastoral care as the castle or great estate. The Gospel he preached was without respect of persons. For him all men and women were equal before God and in need of the same message of redemption, forgiveness and grace.
Under Bishop Duggan's influence and leadership the United Dioceses of Tuam, Killala and Achonry were foremost in the promotion of ecumenism, both in understanding and practice. He established a fine ecumenical tradition, which has been faithfully followed and enhanced by his successors in office.
Jack Duggan was, in the words of Second Timothy 2:15, "a workman who has no need to be ashamed". His work stands bedded in humility and truth.
Retiring from the full-time ministry of the Church of Ireland in 1985, he gave equally devoted service to the Reformed Episcopal Churches of Spain and Portugal, where he and Mary, his wife, became widely known and greatly loved. He served not only the indigenous church, but a great many expatriates who had settled on the Iberian Peninsula and even greater numbers of annual visitors. News of his death will be received as a great loss to them all.
A measure of the appreciation in which he and Mary were held can be judged by the fact that earlier this year he was appointed as honorary Assistant Bishop to the Diocese in Europe.
D.A.R.C.