Vigil, Wake and Requiem Eucharist for Bishop Taylor

rip-taylorThree Bishops from the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands will join Bishops from across the Anglican Communion, including the Province of the West Indies, on Wednesday, June 4 for the funeral of the Rt. Rev. E. Don Taylor, late Rector of the Kingston Parish Church and retired Vicar Bishop for New York City.

The Requiem Eucharist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York will be attended by the Lord Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Howard Gregory, the Suffragan Bishop of Kingston, the Rt. Rev. Robert Thompson, and retired Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the Rt. Rev. Alfred Reid.

The funeral will be preceded by a Vigil Watch from 12 Noon to 9.00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3 at the St. James’ Chapel of the Cathedral. Bishop Taylor’s body will be received into the Cathedral by the Rt. Rev. Andrew M. L. Dietsche, Bishop of New York; and persons who wish to pay their respects will be able to join in the silent prayer of clergy from the Diocese who will keep watch at Bishop Taylor’s side. The Vigil Watch will resume on Wednesday morning at 7.30 and continue to mid-day. The funeral service will begin at 2.00 p.m.

Communication from the Diocese of New York explained that the funeral liturgy at the High Altar of the Cathedral would be a solemn occasion and “a sacred moment of bidding farewell to a beloved Brother and Father, and commending him to God’s eternal care.”

Bishop Gregory will be among those paying tribute to Bishop Taylor at a Wake which will be hosted on Tuesday evening by the Rev. Pierre Andre H. Duvert and the congregation of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx starting at 7.00 p.m.

Bishop Taylor, whose career spanned some 52 years’ service in Jamaica and the United States of America, died on May 24 in New York. A Thanksgiving Mass for his life and ministry will be held at the Kingston Parish Church, King Street, Kingston on Monday, June 16 at 2.00 p.m.