Douglas Home, who died this week, that the last communication received from him at the Catholic Herald was a short note speculating what damages he might expect becuase we had described him as a Catholic playwright!
Although William Douglas Home was not a Catholic he had a deep understanding of the Church, as was evident from one of his plays, The Bad Samaritan.
It is inevitable that he will be remembered as a master of English comedy, because of his string of West End successes.
Humour was his trade, but it was also a mask that he wore to disguise love and care. There are few men who are prepared to go to jail for what they believe. William Douglas Home was such a one he did. OH FR Joseph Russell has died at the age of 67. After his ordination in 1951, Fr Russell's first appointment was as assistant priest at St Vincent's, Ahrincham, then at Our Lady's Stockport, where he remained for over 25 years.
He became parish priest of St Joseph's in 1961 and moved to Hazel Grove in 1970 as priest of SS Catherine and Martina. He is said to have transformed the quiet and inactive community there into a vibrant and prayerful congregation He was also chairman of the Ecumenical Commission in Stockport.
AFTER training as a Brother in the De La Salle congregation in Ireland and Twickenham, Brother John Bernard Gibbons went to East Lothian, where he served in approved schools for 19 years.
In 1965, he received a Master's degree in New York and became a lecturer in the Education Department of the De La Salle college in Manchester. He was there till 1988 when the college closed down and he retired.