Joseph John BOOTH

BOOTH, JOSEPH JOHN (b. Yorkshire, England, 26 May 1886; d. Melbourne, Vic, 31 Oct 1965). Anglican abp of Melbourne.

Orphaned as a child, and after working as a farm labourer and later as a grocer, Joseph Booth arrived in Australia in 1910. Although confirmed as an Anglican, he had been an active Methodist at Middlesborough (Yorks). In the Melbourne suburb of Footscray he found a warm welcome at the hands of the Anglican vicar and his family. He became an enthusiastic leader in the parish troop of Boy Scouts and was to continue this activity in his parishes in subsequent years. He was invited to join the Young Men's Bible Class and it was this which effected his return to Anglicanism and prepared him for a call to ordination.

Entering Ridley College in 1913, he later became curate at St Stephen's, Richmond, one of the most influential evangelical churches Melbourne has known, and it was here that his rapport with young men became almost legendary. A further evangelical link was forged when he became engaged to Beryl Bradshaw, the daughter of a leading layman at St Columb's, Hawthorn, in 1916.

Enlisting as a chaplain in the AIF in the same year, he joined 8 Bn in Flanders where he saw a great deal of the front line and was awarded the MC. Writing from France he gave a vivid insight into his attitude to ministry which he maintained throughout his life: 'The real wisdom perhaps has to be gathered as one goes, but in my mind, the best advice to a padre is first of all, never lower your standards, avoid being a pharisee, ignore both the parables and the language of the officers' mess, avoid the whisky bottle, take on every job that you possibly can, and, in short, remember that as a servant of Jesus Christ, your duty is to make others comfortable, even though you yourself may need the comforts more. It is a young man's business and if he sticks to his own task and does it well, he has as much opportunity as he can make ... Official religion with its compulsory church parades is the most blasphemous service ever shared by men'.

On his return to Australia, Booth was notably successful as vicar of Fairfield where the number of communicants doubled and the financial affairs of the parish were transformed. When he moved to St Paul's, Geelong, similar progress took place, the church and hall being refurbished and the fine organ restored. It was here that he formed some lasting friendships with community leaders, chiefly as a Foundation Member of Rotary International. His sympathetic understanding of people, a remarkable memory for names and faces and a keen business sense were brought together by his innate evangelistic zeal, and set him apart as one of the most outstanding men of the diocese.

Harrington Clare Lees (q.v ), the eloquent Keswick speaker, had come to Melbourne as archbishop in 1921 and he recognised Booth's outstanding promise from the beginning. Believing that he was the man to raise the money to complete the spires of St Paul's cathedral the archbishop asked the parish to release their vicar for six months to carry out the task. This he did at a time of acute economic depression. Then he became director of the Home Mission Fund and archdeacon of Dandenong in 1933, and in 1934 Melbourne's first bishop-coadjutor with the title of bishop of Geelong. In 1941 he was appointed Senior Chaplain to the AIF in the Middle East and it was from this experience that he drew considerable sermon illustration.

Following the sudden death of Abp Head, Booth returned to Melbourne in 1942 and was elected Abp of Melbourne by a unanimous vote. Inevitably wartime restrictions prevented any notable advance, but the financial sagacity of the new archbishop became increasingly apparent while the diocesan synod was to experience a chairmanship which was both highly skilled and wise. After hostilities had ceased diocesan finances were rearranged and a number of inner suburban churches brought together under a group ministry. To meet the urgent needs of parish development in the new suburbs an extension appeal was launched while at the same time Booth instituted a system of hospital chaplaincies which was to he adopted in various parts of Australia and by other denominations.

Booth completed a BA as a part-time student, but he never completed his MA studies, a great disappointment to him. His sermons indicated a special interest in history, while his literary references were both apposite and at times poetically romantic. Though carefully prepared, his sermons were not in the exegetical tradition. His visits to the parishes gave a great deal of pleasure when his shining countenance and unfailing courtesy appealed to people of all ages. He was a man of great dignity combined with an engaging humility, and he was remarkably accessible to both clergy and laity alike, while being open and yet forthright in the tradition of his native Yorkshire, whose accent he never lost. Of necessity the archbishop adjusted to the various shades of churchmanship within the diocese and always showed himself to be impartial, although he maintained the Bp Perry tradition by never wearing cope and mitre in the cathedral.

The archbishop was created a CMG (1954), a fitting recognition of the grace and charm of both Mrs Booth and himself who had maintained such a gracious Bishopscourt tradition of hospitality while giving great inspiration to the diocese. They were to enjoy almost nine years of retirement before the archbishop's unexpected death in 1965. He had become a real Australian and had never entertained any thought of a return to England. Indeed he discouraged clergy from going to England for experience, as he believed that the Australian church was well able to address the needs of a new age as competently as their English brethren. For his part he was dour, steadfast, immovable, courageous, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

J B MORONEY