Hundreds pay respects to much loved bishop

Hundreds of  former colleagues, civic dignitaries and community representatives joined family and friends at Ripon Cathedral on Friday August 22nd, for the funeral service of the Rt. Revd David Young CBE, who died on August 10th at the age of 76.   

David Young became Bishop of Ripon in 1977 at the age of 46 and was for several years the youngest diocesan bishop in the Church of England. When he retired in 1999 he was the second longest serving bishop. The Funeral Service with Holy Communion, was led by Bishop David Young’s three chaplains during his time in office  – Canon Tony Shepherd, Revd Paul Hooper and Revd Michael Hepper. The Archdeacon of Exeter, the Venerable Penny Driver, gave the Address and the service was followed by a private cremation service.

The two counties of the diocese served by Bishop David Young were represented at Friday’s service by the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Dr Ingrid Roscoe and by Sir Marcus Worsley, who was Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire during Bishop Young’s episcopacy. They entered the Cathedral together. Civic dignitaries, community and ecumenical representatives, bishops, clergy and lay people from both the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds and the Diocese of Bradford, where Bishop David served in retirement, also attended. They included the former Archbishop of York, the Most Revd David Hope, the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Bishop of Knaresborough, the present and former Bishops of Bradford, and others. Representing from the Roman Catholic Church were the Rt Revd David Konstant, former Bishop of Leeds and a friend of Bishop David Young’s, and Msgr. William Steele.

Bishop Young's sons,  Brian and Mark read  Psalm 121, and Romans Chapter 8, verses 31. Music was chosen by the family and the organist was Dr Simon Lindley, Director of Music at Leeds Parish Church. The choir was the Omega Consort of London. Hymns chosen by the family included ‘Crown Him with Many Crowns’, ‘Be still for the presence of the Lord’, ‘Be Thou my vision’, and ‘Lord for the Years’.  Two students from the David Young Community Academy in Leeds sang during the administration of Communion.  At the end of the service Bishop David Young’s successor, the Rt Revd John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds gave the blessing. The service was followed by a private Committal at Harrogate.

Tragedy struck in 1966 when he lost his wife Rachel in a car accident. In 1967 David Young returned to England and was appointed lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Manchester University. He  became vicar of Durwell, Cambridge, and lecturer in Divinity at Cambridge University in 1970, before becoming Archdeacon of Huntingdon in 1975, a post which was combined with pastoral responsibility as vicar for Great with Little and Steeple Gidding. He was also made an honorary canon of Ely Cathedral and, in 1977, Rector of Hemingford Abbots. 

It was following the death of the then Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd  Hetley Price, less than a year after his enthronement that David Young was appointed as Bishop of Ripon. He quickly won wide respect throughout the diocese, both in urban West Yorkshire and rural North Yorkshire. He developed a link between the diocese of Ripon and the Church of Sri Lanka which continues to this day, and from 1978 to 1986 was chairman of Partnership for World Mission. He was also chairman, from 1979 to 1988, of the governing body of SPCK, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.   

Bishop David served on the Doctrine Commission for three years, chaired the Archbishop of Canterbury's Inter-Faith Consultants, and in 1994 became chairman of the Church of England Board of Education. 

Throughout his time as Bishop he was known for his clear thinking and pastoral care. His successor, Bishop John Packer said  “Bishop  David’s ministry had a profound effect on the life of the Diocese through his pastoral care and generous self-giving.   He had a particular ministry in terms of education, including his period as Chairman of the Church of England Board of Education - and  he established a link with Sri Lanka which still flourishes.” 

Bishop David Young retired from Ripon in 1999 – though not before he had steered through a long held ambition to have Leeds incorporated into the name of the diocese. In 2000 he was awarded the CBE in 2000. With his lifelong commitment to education, he was delighted when Leeds’ first city academy, the David Young Community Academy, sponsored by the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, was named in his honour. Students from the Academy will take part in Friday’s funeral service. 

Of his 22 years in office he  said; "I have enjoyed it enormously. Nearly a third of my life has been spent as Bishop of Ripon. I have found it a challenging and testing time."    As a bishop, David Young was a keen amateur athlete. In 1989 he competed in the London Marathon, completing the course in 3 hours 58 minutes and raising £30,000 in sponsorship for his diocesan appeal. However, he was later diagnosed with myeloma – bone marrow cancer – and on his retirement he and his wife Jane moved to Lawkland, near Settle, in the Bradford diocese, where he served as an assistant bishop.

The Bishop of Bradford, David James, said: "He was a wonderful support to me in my early days in Bradford.

"His graciousness was appreciated by everyone who met him. He and his wife Jane were a particular encouragement to retired clergy in the diocese."

Bishop David died in hospital on August 10th He is survived by his second wife, Jane, and five children, including a son and daughter from his first marriage and three sons from his second marriage.  Gifts at Friday’s service will be divided between Ripon Cathedral, The Goudhurst Sri Lanka Link and The David Young Community Academy.