David Sheppard and Derek Worlock and George Fox

We've got three heroes this week, because two of them are linked together forever in memory of many in their home city and the ecumenical movement in this country as a whole !

David Sheppard - Anglican - Bishop (6 March 1929–5 March 2005)

David Sheppard was one of those unusual people who were famous for more than one thing. An accomplished England Cricketer, whose career included being 1953 Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He continued to play test cricket even after his ordination as an Anglican priest. He became Bishop of Woolwich in 1969 and Bishop of Liverpool in 1975. It was in this role that he rose to prominence, speaking out on social justice issues and forming a close relationship with his Catholic counterpart in the city. He retired in 1997 and was made a life peer sitting on the Labour benches. His memorial states "He went to bat for the poor "He died in 2005.

Derek Worlock - Roman Catholic - Archbishop (4 February 1920 – 8 February 1996)

Derek Worlock was born in 1920 and ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in 1944 and served the Cardinal Archbishops as their secretary for 19years. He became Bishop of Portsmouth in 1965 and went onto be appointed Archbishop of Liverpool in 1976. He was made a freeman of the city along with his Anglican counterpart and was awarded the Companion of Honour by the Queen just before his death from Cancer in 1996.

The two ordinaries of Liverpool were known locally as "Fish and Chips" because they were always together and always in the papers. Their example of ecumenical co-operation for the good of the local communities is an example to us all. Their statue stands half way down the aptly names Hope Street which joins the two Cathedrals in the city which "has one to spare!"

George Fox- Quaker - Religious Founder ( July 1624 -13th July 1691)

George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.
The son of a weaver from rural England , Fox was apprenticed to a cobbler. Living in a time of great social upheaval and war, he rebelled against the religious and political consensus by proposing an unusual and uncompromising approach to the Christian faith. Abandoning his trade, he toured Britain as a dissenting preacher, for which he was often persecuted by the authorities who disapproved of his beliefs.
Fox married Margaret Fell, the widow of one of his wealthier supporters; she was a leading Friend. His ministry expanded and he undertook tours of North America, and the Low Countries, between which he was imprisoned for over a year. He spent the final decade of his life working in London to organize the expanding Quaker movement.
Though his movement attracted disdain from some, others such as William Penn and Oliver Cromwell viewed Fox with respect. His journal, first published after his death, is known even among non-Quakers for its vivid account of his personal journey.