“Fr David Standley, who died aged 88… in London on 21 March ’24, never held high office in the Church but was one of the finest and most inspiring priests of his generation,” writes Eamon Duffy, in an eloquent obituary of Fr David in the Tablet. Coming from a man like Duffy, that is a truly valuable tribute. Eamon Duffy is emeritus professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow and former president of Magdalene College, Oxford.
Born in London, David Standley studied first at Wimbledon College and then did law at Downing College, Cambridge, before joining the seminary. He went to Rome for further studies and was ordained a priest there. He returned to England in 1968 and worked as a hospital chaplain and then as Kent University chaplain and later in parishes. While he was there, he became involved with l’Arche, a network of homes for the mentally challenged. He went to India in 1979 to see for himself l’Arche’s work there. Deeply touched by what he witnessed in those homes, he felt convinced that what prevailed there was the spirit of the Gospels. When he left Kent in 1984, he took a sabbatical to live and work in one of the l’Arche homes in London.
Fr M.A. Joe Antony SJ
To read the entire article, click Subscribe
