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Episcopalians: Bishop Paul Moore of New York, outspoken advocate for peace and u


From dmack@episcopalchurch.org
Date Fri, 2 May 2003 15:55:28 -0400

May 2, 2003

2003-092

Episcopalians: Bishop Paul Moore of New York, outspoken advocate 
for peace and u

by Neva Rae Fox

(ENS) The Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Jr., the 13th bishop of the 
Episcopal Diocese of New York, died May 1 after a long illness.  
He was 83 years old. 

"Paul Moore was a great man, who lived his whole life fighting 
for justice and for the rights of the oppressed," commented 
Bishop Mark S. Sisk, bishop of the diocese. "He was a man whose 
passion for life grew out of his love for people--a love 
returned by so many who cherished him deeply."

In many respects, Bishop Moore was a pioneer on many fronts. He 
advocated for social causes and peace until the last weeks of 
his life.  He helped open the Episcopal Church to the ordination 
of women.  He was known for his social activism, deep religious 
convictions and dedication to welcoming all to the church. He 
was also a decorated war hero.

A tall man with a stately presence, Moore never hesitated to use 
the pulpit to express his opinions on social causes and civil 
rights. Whether he was marching for peace with Dr. Martin Luther 
King Jr. during the tumultuous 1960s, or offering aid and 
assistance to the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy 40 
years later, he spoke out for peace in all places for all 
people. At the end of his life, when he was barely able to mount 
the steps of the pulpit in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 
Moore was outspoken against President George W. Bush and the war 
in Iraq.

"Over and against that force of millions of people of all faiths 
is one solitary man named George W. Bush, alone in a room, 
telling his staff he needed to be alone for a few minutes of 
prayer," Moore said at an Evensong for Peace on March 23, 2003. 
"I think it's strange the whole world--literally millions of 
people, little children, people in the jungle, people in the 
city, people outside here, you--that your fate will be 
determined on the power of millions of people of all faiths 
against the war, and one solitary Texas politician being alone 
with Jesus... This has to do with two different kinds of 
religions, it seems to me. The religion that says 'I talk to 
Jesus and therefore I am right,' and millions and millions of 
people of all faiths who disagree."

War hero

Paul Moore was born in Morristown, New Jersey, on November 15, 
1919, the son of Paul Moore and Fanny Hanna. He attended St. 
Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and graduated from Yale 
in 1941.

He served in the US Marine Corp 1941-1945. As a platoon leader 
in the Tulagi-Guadalcanal operation of the First Marine Corp 
Division, he was seriously wounded.  Later he served as officer 
in charge of Marine V-12 program at the University of Washington 
Command and Staff School, and as company commander and 
operations officer at Guam. 

During his years in the armed service, he earned the Navy Cross, 
the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. He left the Marine Corps 
with the rank of Captain. Throughout his life, he maintained his 
membership in the Manhattan District of the 369th Veterans 
Association.

When WWII ended, Moore returned to New York City and studied at 
the General Theological Seminary, graduating in 1949. He was 
ordained on December 17, 1949 by Bishop Washburn of the 
Episcopal Diocese of Newark. He served as a seminarian at St. 
Peter's Episcopal Church in the Chelsea area of New York City, 
where he revived an interest in the work of that downtown 
mission.  His first church as a rector was Grace Van Vorst in 
Jersey City, New Jersey, where he served until 1957. From there, 
he and his family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was 
called as dean of Christ Church Cathedral. 

In 1963 he was elected suffragan bishop of  the Diocese of 
Washington (DC) and was consecrated on January 25, 1964. He 
served as  for five years, continuing his work with inner city 
churches. He again came back to New York City when he was 
elected bishop coadjutor in December 1969 and was installed as 
diocesan bishop of New York on September 23, 1972, succeeding 
Bishop Horace Donegan.

Moore retired as bishop in 1989, but never slowed and maintained 
an active interest in the church and other causes important to 
him.

Moore was the author of three books: a study on the urban work 
of the church, "The Church Reclaims the City" in 1965; "Take A 
Bishop Like Me" in 1979, in which he chronicles his ordination 
of a lesbian and describes the struggle for women's ordination 
and gay rights in the church; and his memoir, "Presences: A 
Bishop's Life in the City" in 1997.

------

The Mass of the Resurrection for Bishop Paul Moore will be held 
on Saturday, May 10 at 4 pm at the Cathedral Church of St. John 
the Divine, New York City.

Lying in State: Friday, May 9, 5 pm to 8 pm and Saturday, May 
10, 9 am to 2 pm at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

--Neva Rae Fox is director of communications at the Diocese of 
New York. For a more complete obituary go to the diocesan web 
site at www.dioceseny.org.


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