We regret to announce that the Revd Canon John Cockerton, who had PTO in the Diocese, died on Wednesday 9th December.
John was ordained Deacon in 1954 and Priest in 1955. He served as Curate at St. Helen’s Church, St. Helen’s, Merseyside from 1954 to 1958. In 1958, he moved to Durham where he would spend the next 20 years. From 1958 to 1960, he was a Tutor at Cranmer Hall, St. John’s College. From 1960 to 1963, he served as Chaplain to the students and staff of Cranmer Hall. In 1963, he was appointed Vice-Principal of St. John's College and, from 1968 to 1970, he additionally served as Warden of Cranmer Hall. He was appointed Principal of St John's College in 1970 and held that office until 1978.
John was the College’s sixth Principal. His aims for the College were fourfold. First, to help students grow to personal independence and maturity. Second, to communicate Christian truth with a view to enlarging people's intellectual appreciation of it. Third, to stimulate people to think about world problems and fourth to help students to think about vocation in the world of work. It was a time of significant expansion for the College. In October 1973, the first female undergraduates were admitted to the College, following the admission of the first female students to Cranmer Hall in 1966.
In 1978, John left academia to return to parish ministry and moved to the Diocese of York. He served as Rector of Wheldrake from 1978 to 1985 and as Rector of the successor parish, Wheldrake with Thorganby, from 1985 to 1992. He was appointed as an Honorary Canon of York in 1987.
John retired from full-time ministry in 1992. He was subsequently appointed Canon Emeritus, and was granted the Archbishop’s Permission to Officiate in the Diocese of York from 1998.
A Memorial and Thanksgiving Service for the life of Canon Emeritus John Cockerton will be held in the Quire at York Minster at 2.00pm on Wednesday 13 April 2016, followed by refreshments in the Chapter House.