Father Gerard Postlethwaite RIP

Fr Gerard preaching at a Chaplaincy Mass

Father Gerard Postlethwaite

The Camino Chaplaincy mourns the sudden death of our friend and colleague Fr Gerard and we extend our condolences to his family and all who loved him.

 

Gerard Postlethwaite joined the Benedictines, studying at Saint Benet's Hall Oxford, and was at Ampleforth in Basil Hume's time there. As a Benedictine he took the name Basil. He went to the Edinburgh Archdiocese to do parish work and was seconded to El Salvador to work in a parish for over ten years. On his return to the UK he served as school chaplain at Saint Mary's School, Shaftesbury, and then at Saint Edward's School, Cheltenham. In both places he also assisted at local parishes. In 2013 he went as parish priest of Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster.

In that year he completed his first walking pilgrimage from Le Puy in France to Santiago de Compostela. He was very taken with the Camino and subsequently led a parish Pilgrimage from Sarria, and served with the Chaplaincy both in Santiago and as a peripatetic chaplain on the Camino Frances. He also completed the Camino Portugués, doing it again with his brother Bob. Fr Gerard wanted to develop a new model of religious retreat – a retreat whilst whilst walking the Camino to Santiago. So it was he embarked on the first retreat from Barcelos in Portugal on 12 September. Sadly only four days later having arrived in Valença do Minho he died suddenly.

Fr Gerard’s group were understandably shocked but decided to carry on their pilgrim way praying for Gerard and his family and friends. On Friday last they attended the evening Pilgrims’ Mass in the cathedral of Santiago which was dedicated to Fr Gerard and on Saturday a very beautiful Mass of Thanksgiving for his life was held in the Church of San Agustin in Santiago. Gerard’s brother Bob came to Santiago to attend this mass. The following is an extract of the Eulogy he gave:

"Gerard’s passionate commitment to the Camino is well known to everybody here.  Some years after he had completed the Camino my wife asked him what did it feel like to pack up all your personal belongings and set out on the long journey?  His reply was that it was like stepping out into space. Journeying through that space was a transformative experience, an epiphany, out of which his Camino ministry grew.

As you are probably aware exactly 1 year ago Gerard and I followed very much the route you have just traversed. On the 16^th September last year we reached Pontevedra.  The pilgrimage was all Gerard’s initiative. He reminded me that I was the first person to make him aware of the Camino when I gave him a Cicerone Guide to the Way of St James. It was important to him that I obtained a compostela before my 70^th birthday. 

In that week, when I could keep up with him, he set out his vision for the Camino Ministry. This seemed a fitting culmination to his many roles and he saw great pastoral opportunities. Additionally he was hoping to host family members, not least nieces and nephews, in Santiago.

We are all sad that his untimely death has taken all this from us and, more importantly, from other people who might have been in need of his ministry.

The family have been devastated by his untimely death but have gained considerable comfort from the fact that this fate befell him in a place he loved, doing something he was passionately committed to, surrounded by fellow pilgrims who cherished him and shared his vision".

Eternal Rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.