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Funeral takes place of Churchwoman Lynda Patterson

Funeral takes place of Churchwoman Lynda Patterson

THE Funeral has taken place in County Down of the Very Reverend Lynda Patterson, who passed away suddenly in New Zealand where she was the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral.

Dean Patterson, who was 40, died of natural causes at her home in Christchurch on July 20.

More than 800 mourners, including 200 members of the clergy, attended a Funeral Service in Christchurch on Tuesday (July 29) before her remains were returned to Northern Ireland.

The Funeral was from her parents’ home in Dromore on Sunday, August 3 wiith a Service being held in the local Cathedral. The Bishop of Christchurch, Victoria Matthews took part in the Service along with local clergy. For full details of the Funeral arrangements click here.

Dean Patterson had originally studied and then taught theology at Mansfield College, Oxford. After emigrating to New Zealand in the early 2000s, she had studied for the Anglican ministry and was ordained as a Deacon in 2004, becoming the first woman Dean of Christchurch Cathedral in 2013.

A former Dean, Peter Beck, paid tribute to his friend, describing her as an “amazing woman”. He said: “She was probably the best preacher I had ever heard in my life. She was amazing. Always her sermons [see below] began with a little anecdote, often about a time during her childhood. She would have us rolling in the aisles, then leading us into an extraordinary exposition of our faith.

“She had the ability, as an amazingly competent and trained theologian, to make it all accessible for ordinary people like us.”

The Very Reverend Lynda Patterson is survived by her parents, Cedric and Evelyn Patterson.

To view an excerpt from a Sermon given by the Very Reverend Patterson, click here.

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