Very Reverend Canon John Short

Oct 9 2007 by David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post

ALTHOUGH he remained fervent in his Roman Catholic faith, the gentle priest, a friend to two of his denomination’s great leaders, delighted in the coming together of the Christian traditions in Liverpool.

John Short was born in Orrell Park. From St Mary’s College, Crosby, he moved to St Joseph’s College, Upholland, and then to the Venerable English College, in Rome, to study for the priesthood.

He was ordained there in 1956. He had made his first journey to Rome by train with a fellow student from Portsmouth, Cormac Murphy O’Connor, now Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster.

During his final year of studies in Rome, a student from the Diocese of Lancaster, Patrick Kelly, went to the English College with Father Short, not knowing that he would one day be his Archbishop in Liverpool.

Father Short graduated from Cambridge before becoming a teacher at St Joseph’s College.

In 1974, he returned to Rome as spiritual director at the English College, where he remained until 1980.

He returned to the archdiocese to serve as Parish Priest at Our Lady of Compassion, Formby, and in 1998 was appointed as Parish Priest of St Thomas More, Aigburth.

He was a compassionate priest, listening to the problems of parishioners before gently offering wise counsel. He was also appointed as an honorary canon of the Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter.

He became a trustee of the Archdiocese and was appointed as a vicar general.

Throughout his ministry he was a great friend and supporter of The Grail, an Association of lay Catholics. He also worked closely with the Sisters of Notre Dame in the Archdiocese, supporting them in their teaching ministry. In 1998, he was one of the first members of the newly-formed Archdiocesan Child Protection Management Commission.

He served on the Archdiocesan Ecumenism Commission and enthusiastically encouraged Christians throughout the area to work together for the greater good of Christianity. One of his last projects before retirement was to undertake a major survey to review ecumenical relations in the archdiocese.

He retired in 2006, but continued offering spiritual help, and in March gave a powerful presentation on spirituality to a meeting of priests. He died at Ince Blundell Hall.

A funeral mass for Father Short will be celebrated by Archbishop Kelly at the Metropolitan Cathedral on Thursday, followed by burial at Ince Blundell.

Very Reverend Canon John Short, priest; born May 23, 1931, died October 2, 2007.