P A X
Please pray for the eternal happiness of
The Reverend Dom Michael Phillips
Monk of Ampleforth Abbey
who died on 6 August 2021, aged 88.
Funeral arrangements
Thursday 19 August
18.00 Reception of Fr Michael’s body into the Abbey Church followed by Vespers for the Dead
20.15 The Dirge (Vigil for the Dead)
Friday 20 August
07.30 Lauds for the Dead
08.45 Little Hour
11.30 Solemn Sung Funeral Mass followed by burial in Monks’ Wood
Suscipe me Domine, secundum eloquium tuum et vivam, Et non confundas me ab expectatione mea
Uphold me, Lord, according to your promise and I shall live, and let my hopes not be in vain
(The Suscipe is sung when a monk makes his Solemn Profession and at his funeral)
Fr Michael Phillips OSB
Fr Michael Phillips OSB, Benedictine monk of Ampleforth Abbey, died peacefully in the Monastery Infirmary on 6 August 2021 at the age of 88.
He was born in London in July 1933 and educated at Ampleforth College. He trained as an accountant but then joined the monastic community in September 1952. From 1954-1958 he was at St Benet’s Hall at the University of Oxford where he took a degree in Maths, Moderations and Physics. He also became a qualified Rugby Union referee. Fr Michael was ordained priest on 22 July 1962.
He joined the staff of Ampleforth College in 1962 and was Senior Physics Master from 1966-1979, Senior Science Master from 1969-1979, as well as undertaking the role of chaplain at the prep school.
In 1979 Fr Michael was appointed Procurator of Ampleforth Abbey and College, a post he held for twelve years. In 1979-1981 he spent his summer holidays as chaplain on board the SS. Uganda, a British steamship used as an educational cruise ship. Always keen to travel, Fr Michael’s list of expeditions included Iceland, Morocco, Norway and the Himalayas.
Following a renewal course in Rome in 1990, Fr Michael was appointed to his first parish assignment as parish priest in Our Lady and All Saints, Parbold. In November 1998 he was appointed parish priest of Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael’s, Workington, before returning to Ampleforth Abbey in May 2009.
A few months later Fr Michael was on the move again, this time back to St Benet’s Hall, Oxford, where he became chaplain and librarian. He returned to the Abbey in July 2015, and, due to increasing poor health, moved into the Monastery Infirmary in April 2017.
In later years, and after 20 years of parish ministry, Fr Michael reflected on his experience of engaging laity in the day-to-day life of the parish and was delighted to see his contributions published in The Universe and The Tablet.
Fr Michael’s body will be received into the Abbey Church at Ampleforth on Thursday 19 August at 6.00 p.m... His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday 20 August in the Abbey Church at 11.30 a.m., followed by burial in the Monks’ Wood.
The links for audio-streaming and video-streaming are available at the Ampleforth Abbey service times web page https://www.ampleforth.org.uk/abbey/service-times
