Former Winchester church vicar remembered in service

Held at the church in Fulflood on Monday, February 12, the service gave thanks to the life of the late canon, who died in February last year at the age of 65.

Welcomed by the current Rector, Rev Dr Jonathan Rowe, and led by  Rev Canon Professor Liz Stuart, the service was a memorial for a man whose ministry in Winchester spanned more than three decades.

The Very Rev Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester, recalled how a room lit up when Peter walked in. Peter was, she suggested, the parish priest that every member of the clergy wanted to be.

Reverend Canon Peter Seal (Image: Contributed)

READ MORE: Obituary: Tribute to former Reverend who helped transform churches

Paying tribute to his father, Philip reminded attendees that Peter was a decisive, clear, gentle and tender man but one with the kind of deep fire of faith burning within him.

Peter, he told the congregation, was the fifth in an ancestral line of priests and championed an inclusive theology, a sense of wit and mischief, and the important art of being able to welcome interruptions, however busy he was.

Bill Lucas, churchwarden at St Paul’s, described Peter as a man who epitomised love and joy. He spoke of Peter’s belief that everyone is a pilgrim on a journey.

The Building for Life project which has transformed both St Matthew’s and St Paul’s churches, Bill said, was a manifestation of Peter’s worldview, creating churches with ‘soft edges’ where all are welcome. 

As part of the service the Rt Rev David Williams, Bishop of Basingstoke, invited all present to reaffirm their Baptismal Vows and the Reverend Mary Copping blessed a newly carved memorial stone which says: “Canon Peter Seal, Rector 2001-2021, Joyful Pilgrim”.