News & Events

Words Spoken to the congregation at St George’s Church, Lisbon, at Andrew Bull’s funeral

Publish Date: 18/03/2009

If I am allowed to adapt the words of the Lord in St. John’s gospel, ‘Behold a schoolmaster indeed, in whom there is no guile!’ I first met Andy Bull soon after my arrival here nine years ago, because you couldn’t begin to know the community without coming to know Andy. I saw him chairing the British Community Council, often regretting what was happening to the British community in Portugal, but always aware of what was going on. That was my first impression of Andy Bull: a quintessential English schoolmaster of unquestionable probity. Of course there is always more to a person than first impressions. I came to realise how rooted he was in Portugal and to appreciate his love of this country. I came to realise how firm he was in his Christian faith. I remember an early conversation with him, of all places on a British Historical Society outing, when he told me with deep and quite unexpected passion how he longed to see the unity of the two churches to which we respectively belonged. That is why it is so right that this service is happening in this church this afternoon and I myself am honoured to have been invited by Vivian and the family to say some words. Andy was immensely knowledgeable about this cemetery, in which his father is buried, and he was a valued member of the committee which manages it. His contributions to our meetings were strongly and clearly expressed, and always valuable. But although he was knowledgeable about what I heard him call ‘my cemetery’, he had more than that, he had the wisdom to realise that this is, in the words of Philip Larkin, ‘a serious place’, a place where human beings are confronted with the issues of life, death, faith and eternity. As far as this church is concerned, I believe Andy understood the words of another poet, this time T.S. Eliot: You are not here to verify, Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity Or carry report. You are here to kneel Where prayer has been valid. I have spoken of Andy’s involvement with what he called the History Society, and there will be an enormous gap at our next committee meeting. But history to him was never a game or a jaunt: he knew that it involved real people, real horrors, a few real joys, and the Providence of God. Perhaps as a schoolmaster you especially need to possess and develop a sense of the complexity of human beings and their actions under God. Some of you here will have been taught by him or indeed taught with him and bring memories of his stewardship as headmaster during what the Chinese call interesting times. I have forgotten what his specialist subject was - I did ask him once and he told me, but he did seem to be the master of everything. Once when I was asked to speak at a Trafalgar Night dinner I reckoned I needed to read up about Nelson, so that Andy was the natural person to ask if he had anything to lend me; I remember going away from his well-stocked bookshelves with the loan of two volumes of Anglican theology, and, yes, a biography of Nelson. A well rounded man. The last five years of his life were difficult, but he showed wonted determination not to submit to the challenges. A man who loved his community, who loved Portugal, who loved and understood people, who loved God. I trust that it is not fanciful or untheological to imagine his Lord saying to him as he moves into the nearer presence, ‘Behold a schoolmaster indeed, in whom there is no guile!’

Source:
Revd. Michael Bullock