Obituary Notice
This obituary notice has been digitally processed from a scanned archival document. Some words may be imperfectly rendered.
AELRED SMITH C.P. 1933 - 1999 Fr. Aelred died on 24" July 1999 on the eve of his 66" Birthday. He suffered a major stroke following heart surgery. He was born.in Wakefield on 25% July 1933; the second child of Thomas and Harriette Smith, and named Peter Brian. He attended St. Austin’s School, where the first seeds of vocation were sown by the Sisters of Charity of St. Paul (Selly Park), who were in charge of the school at that time. Much of his early years were influenced by the difficulties and hardships of the 1939-45 war. He joined the Guild of S. Gabriel, which helped with the work of the Retreat House at Ilkley, paying regular visits there. I well remember this lanky lad who used to come and visit us when we were junior students. In 1947 he went to study at St. Gabriel’s College, Ormskirk, the Juniorate of the Province. He joined the Novitiate in Broadway, Worcestershire in 1951, and faithful to his Yorkshire roots, took the religious name of Aelred. He made his profession as a Passionist on 16 April 1952. His years as a student were spent in Minsteracres, and Aelred had many recollections of life in a building where the adaptations from mansion to monastery were still in process, and one could walk through doors into space or meet bats in the corridor. Aelred was. ordained on 9° February 1958. He was sent to Rome for further studies, where he took a degree in Theology in preparation for his degree in Scripture. When he returned to England in 1963, he was stationed in the Juniorate before his appointment to Broadway as Spiritual Director to our Heythrop students. . When Mgr. Thomas Worden, who was Scripture Professor in the Seminary at Upholland, became ill, Aelred was seconded to replace him. When Upholland closed as a Major Seminary, Aelred stayed on as a founding member of the Upholland Northern Institute which did so much to bring the new emphases of the Vatican Council to so many. On his departure in 1982, Archbishop Worlock, on behalf of the Bishops of the Northern Province and Shrewsbury, wrote to express their gratitude for the work he had done in building up that Institute.
Aelred then came to Minsteracres to be part of the retreat team, and from there he travelled extensively leading retreats for clergy, religious and laity, and lecturing in Scripture. He also taught Scripture in the Major Seminary at Ushaw, and conducted the Scripture Modules for teachers studying for the Certificate in Religious Education. He was appointed Novice Master of our Province in 1982, and then became Novice Master for the North European Provinces. As part of his sabbatical in 1985/86 he took a course in Human Relationships at the Richmond Fellowship in London. He was appointed as Rector and Parish Priest in Minsteracres in 1987, and continued in that role till his death. He also served as Provincial Consultor from 1989- 93. Aelred was currently engaged as Scripture consultant to the Religious Education Advisers of the dioceses of England and Wales, and was actively involved in the production of Scripture resources to support the second edition of “Here I am”, the Religious Education programme approved by the Bishops of England and Wales. Dates and roles may be able tae indicate a full engagement in life, but they tell us little of the man and his qualities. Aelred was a simple man in the best sense of that word. He had never lost the sense of wonder that is characteristic of the child. Whether he was engaged at an intellectual level, exploring the mystery of the Trinity, or at a more practical level kneading the dough for the bread he loved to bake, he would approach both with a sense of awe. a The contents of his room, and the books on his shelves are indicative of a life lived on a large canvas. Tt would be impossible to give an account that would do justice to the wide-ranging interests he enjoyed in life. He remained a student with an insatiable curiosity. A guitar, garden shears, Lego models, maps, jigsaws, kites, sit side by side with theological and scriptural tomes, and books on every subject. The latest manifestation of this was the delight he took in mastering electronic mail, acquiring the language of cyberspace ~- touring the museums and galleries of the world on the net.
It was appropriate that he died at the height of summer when his flowers were in bloom. Year after year he found time in a busy schedule to grow the flowers from seed, and plant out the beds. But the over-riding passion of his life was his love for the Word of God and his desire to share the riches he found there. His constant advice to us was simply “Sit with the Word till it gives up it treasures.” I wonder how conscious Aelred was of his state of health when he drafted the theme of this year’s retreats for us. It was entitled “Lanterns on the Father’s Face”, and it uses the parables as Jesus used them, because He wanted people to see the loving face of His Father. Aelred states: “To see the face of God was the longing of God’s people. From Moses to the Psalmist, the devout believer sought to see the face of God; to be dazzled by the glory of Vision.” Aelred took only two books to the hospital with him. One was the small book of Psalms which was his constant companion. The other was “Poverty of Spirit” by J.B. Metz. The Psalms he had marked the evening prior to surgery, the phrases underlined, reflected his own poverty of spirit, and his longing to see the face of God. “My eyes are wasted away, from looking for my God.” “Tt is your face, O Lord, that I seek, hide not your face.” “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips.” “Look towards him and be radiant.” May the Passion of Christ be always in our hearts. Luke Magee cp 29 July 1999
Source: Obituary Notices, Provincial Archive, St Joseph's Province. Passionist Congregation.