Leeds Minster was filled on Sunday evening with colleagues, parishioners, friends and family of the Archdeacon of Leeds, Paul Hooper who has retired after 35 years of continuous ministry in the diocese.
In a Thanksgiving Service led by the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, tributes were paid to Paul for his ordained ministry and service which began at St George’s Leeds where he served his curacy from 1981 to 1984. He then became the diocesan youth officer before being made the Bishop of Ripon’s Chaplain and Diocesan Communications Officer in 1987.
Many of those who had come to say a formal farewell to Paul and his wife Judy were from St Mark’s Church Harrogate, where Paul had his longest period of service as Vicar from 1995 until he became Director of Clergy Development in 2009 in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds. In 2012 he was appointed as Archdeacon of Leeds.
Bishop Nick paid tribute to Paul’s “generosity and enormous wisdom… “. He said that Paul had shown great wisdom and patience as the Archdeacon of Leeds at a time of huge upheaval and transition with the change from three dioceses to the single Diocese of Leeds in 2014. “We owe Paul a great debt”, he said.
Bishop James Bell, pictured right, said “In the twenty years I have known Paul I don’t remember one expression of irritability or one expression of negativity.” He spoke of Paul’s energy and vision as Vicar of St Mark’s and said that Paul “was a person of deep theological reflection who is connected to the contemporary world.” The word that marked Paul out more than any other he said was ‘Gracious’….”That is the word which has characterised what Paul has been about.”
Presenting Paul and his wife Judy with gifts from the people of Leeds, the Bishop of Richmond, Paul Slater (pictured left), said “We want to thank you for all you’ve given to us and for the fact that we have glimpsed the generosity of God both in you and in Judy.”