R.I.P. Piers Linley OP

Our brother, Piers Linley OP, died peacefully on the morning of 22 June 2016, accompanied by two of his brethren. He was 84 years old. Here is a biographical sketch of Piers by Fr Brian Davies OP.

Piers Linley was born in 1932. His baptismal name was David. He made profession as a Dominican in 1960 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. Following studies at the Richmond Fellowship in London, he became a qualified psychotherapist and treated many patients as such. For a number of years he also taught pastoral studies at Blackfriars, Oxford, where he was Student Master for a brief period and also bursar of the priory. Following his time at Oxford, he was for several years the parish priest of Woodchester in Gloucestershire, where the English Dominican novitiate was once located and where Piers was himself a novice. Failing health, however, obliged him to retire from his position at Woodchester, whereupon he became chaplain to the Dominican sisters at Rosary Priory in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Yet his health continued to decline during this time, so he was eventually assigned to St Dominic’s Priory, London. Shortly before his death he was diagnosed as suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and was moved to the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead, where he died peacefully on June 22nd.

Fr Piers was a good and kind man who took his job as a preacher very seriously. At Woodchester he was obliged to say a daily mass at the convent of Poor Clares there. Instead of thinking of this duty as onerous, he took himself to be fortunate to have an audience at which to preach on a daily basis. He was not the most lively and imaginative of preachers, but he worked hard at the business of preaching and prepared for it with a copious reading of biblical commentaries, general works of theology, and everything he could find of value while using his computer. He was especially interested in the writings of St.Thomas Aquinas and, in spite of his medical problems, he studied Aquinas on a daily basis during his final years. So he was very much a contemplative. But he put his contemplation into action when engaging in pastoral work. He was highly regarded by the many students to whom he tried to convey the art of hearing confessions — not only Dominican students but also those from a number of different religious orders. And he was much loved and respected by the parishioners at Woodchester. Like many who knew him, they valued his acute practical reasoning. Though not many people were aware of the fact, Piers was seriously deaf for much of his adult life. Yet he persevered with discreet hearing aids and always strove to attend to what people were saying to him. He had a good reputation as a confessor, and on a one-to-one basis, he was an excellent listener. In the company of a crowd, however, he had major hearing problems, though he never complained about them.

The virtue of not complaining was one of Piers’s greatest ones. Another was his quiet sense of humour tempered by reason. Yet another was his extreme loyalty to the Dominican Order and to those fortunate to count him among their friends. Another one again was his ability to bring sound common sense to bear when helping people with problems. He was a man with many roles: student, teacher, preacher, psychotherapist, parish priest, and chaplain. He also had many and varied interests. He loved to read theology, but he also liked fish and chips, crime novels, and poetry. He was especially keen on the poetry of R.S. Thomas, which he often drew on in his sermons. He also enjoyed the occasional glass of port. When savoring his first sip from a glass of this he always declared ‘There is a God!’.

With the passing of Piers Linley the English Dominicans have lost someone of great value. May he rest in the peace that he deserves.

Brian Davies OP

Piers’ contributions to Torch, our online preaching site, can be viewed here.