 |
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Canon Revd Lesley McCormack, who has died following a short period of illness.
Lesley gave many years of devoted and faithful service to the Church and to the people of this Diocese. Ordained deacon in 1988 and priested in 1994 in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, she went on to exercise a wide-ranging and deeply valued ministry, particularly in healthcare chaplaincy and parish life.
For many years, Lesley served as Lead Chaplain at Kettering General Hospital, where she was also known as a Spiritual and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator. Alongside this, she ministered faithfully as Chaplain to the Hospice at Cransley. Her gifts in pastoral care and leadership were widely recognised, and in 1999 she was appointed Advisor on Hospital Chaplaincy, a role she fulfilled with dedication for many years.
Lesley was made an Honorary Canon in 2003, later becoming Canon Emeritus in 2018. Following her retirement from Kettering General Hospital in 2009, she continued her ministry with characteristic generosity: serving as Assistant Priest at St Peter and St Paul, Kettering; supporting curate formation through Reflective Practice Groups; and later taking on roles including SSM Officer for the Archdeaconry of Oakham and Chaplain to retired clergy and clergy widowers across the Higham, Kettering and Corby deaneries.
In recent years, Lesley held Permission to Officiate in the benefice of Higham Ferrers with Chelveston-cum-Caldecott, where she was a much-loved and familiar presence. Although her ministry spanned many places and roles, her heart always remained with St Peter and St Paul, Kettering, where she continued to provide generous support during the current vacancy. Two years ago, she also became Rector of the Peterborough Chapter of the Society of Catholic Priests.
Alison Booker, Archdeacon of Oakham said: "Lesley was known as a faithful servant of God, and an extraordinarily generous colleague. She had a gift for presence and compassion with a willingness to help wherever she could. She was someone who seemed to know everyone in the community she served. Her ministry touched countless lives across the Diocese and she will be deeply missed."
Lesley's Requiem Mass will be at Sts Peter & Paul in Kettering on Tuesday 7 July at 11.30am.
She will be laid to rest at St John's Chelveston, near to her home, in a private service later in the afternoon.