The Reverend Monsignor Peter Donald Wilkinson died, surrounded by friends, on Saturday June 6th, the Eve of Corpus Christi, fortified by the Rites of Holy Mother Church, after a lifetime of service to the Church, in both Anglican and Roman Catholic ministries.
Peter was born in Victoria on April 13, 1940, the son of Donald and Mary Wilkinson, and was educated at the University of British Columbia (BA English Literature, History & Classics), with post-ordination study (BD Prelim) at the University of London, England under the tutelage of Dr Eric Mascall.
Peter trained for the Anglican ministry at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, Yorkshire. Following ordination by Archbishop Michael Ramsey in Canterbury Cathedral in 1965, he served his curacy in the Diocese of Canterbury at St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood, before returning to Mirfield as a novice of the Community of the Resurrection. Coming back to Canada in 1970, Peter served in the Diocese of British Columbia as a hospital chaplain and assistant at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria.
In 1977 Peter was a participant in the Congress of Concerned Churchmen in St Louis, Missouri, which led him to found the first Continuing Anglican parish in Canada. He assisted in the formation of the Diocese of Canada and in 1985 was appointed Honorary Canon of the diocese. In 1999 Peter was elected Suffragan Bishop of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, within the Traditional Anglican Communion, becoming Bishop Ordinary in 2005, in succession to Bishop Robert Mercer CR.
In the years before the establishment of the Ordinariate, Peter was amongst the bishops of the Traditional Anglian Communion who petitioned for corporate unity with the Catholic Church. Having realised this goal, he was received into the Church and ordained priest in 2012, serving as St John Henry’s first Parochial Administrator until 2014. In October 2012 he was appointed Consultor to the Anglicanae Traditiones Commission by Archbishop Augustine Di Noia OP to supply texts for Divine Worship: The Missal and Divine Worship: Occasional Services. He served the commission for three years. In 2013 Peter was appointed Prelate of Honour by Pope Benedict XVI, with whom, as Cardinal Ratzinger, he had been in regular correspondence.
His body will be received into Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church, 849 Old Esquimalt Road, Victoria, on Sunday June 14th at 5:15 pm, and will be followed by a Vigil Service. A Solemn Pontifical Requiem Funeral Mass will be offered at Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church, on Monday, June 15th at 1:00 pm.
Donations in his honour and to support the work he began in Victoria, the parish of St John Henry Newman, may be made to donate.sjhn@ordinariate.ca
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens
This obituary is the property of the “Wilkinson” family and may not be reproduced, distributed, or altered in any way without prior written consent.
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Paul Redchurch
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Wendell Clanton I am grateful to God for the many afternoons spent in heartfelt conversation with Monsignor Wilkinson, hearing his insightful stories about faith, the sacred Liturgy and Office, and music—especially his deep appreciation for the works of Herbert Howells. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
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Kealy Wilkinson Hansen Peter was not only a man of God, he was first a son (to his parents Mary and Donald), he was a younger brother to Philip, who helped to raise him while his father was overseas for several years during the Second World War. Peter was an uncle to me and my sister, Tracy, and we both greatly enjoyed his visits as he shared his dry wit and family stories with us all at family dinners. Mostly, my favourite memory of my uncle P., was his regular Saturday morning visits with my father, when they would banter over toast and coffee, debating the current events of the day. His intelligence and humour was on full display and for me, it was a wonderful way to spend the morning. My uncle devoted his life to the church, but to me, he will always be my Uncle P.
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Rob Taylor I got to know Peter when we were students at Victoria College in the late ‘fifties. He was witty and companiable. We enjoyed concerts and goofy camping trips and survived summer jobs at the provincial Department of Education. We sailed to Europe together in 1962, he to study theology in northern England and I to the University Hamburg. On that trip, pausing in London, we enjoyed the city’s concerts, plays, museums and art galleries. We agreed to meet again in London at New Year’s 1962-63 to “compare notes.” After that date, we lost touch with each other and our careers divurged radically but I followed his life trajectory with interest.
Rest in peace, old friend!
Rob Taylor
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Deacon Chris Morash So very sad to learn of the death of Msgr. Peter Wilkinson, a friend of many years.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory!
Deacon Chris Morash, Charlottesville, Virginia.
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Ann Barry I remember you fondly when you worked in the Ministry of Justice. We had a few “church chats”. God bless you on this final journey.
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Carlos Soler Monsignor Peter Donald Wilkinson, thank you for a lifetime of service to the church. Rest in peace
Carlos and Rocio Soler.
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Murray and Shauna Love God certainly did create our dear friend for some definite service that was not committed to another.
Msgr Peter will be dearly missed.
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Roy and Sheila Castelino Rest in peace, Msgr. Peter. Thank you for being a great shepherd to your flock.
While working with Peter’s brother Phil for so many years (30+/-), Father Peter’s name often ‘popped up’ in our conversation and I feel that I knew him before I ever met him – which was just a few years ago.
I had every intention of attending the funeral because of my years’ long association and affection for the Wilkinson family – unfortuntely, a seasonal bug made attendance impossible.
Know that I am thinking of you and happier times.