Dear friends in Christ,

Our diocesan family mourns another faithful and godly man, William Patrick Brown (most commonly known as ‘Pat’) who died peacefully on Sunday evening, January 14th, 2024 following a long illness which he bore with grace, courage and dignity.

Pat is lovingly remembered and deeply missed by his wife Valerie, sons Hugh and Colin and their families, and sister, Cathy Brown-Swanton.

Pat and Valerie lived on St. Joseph Island in the Deanery of Algoma where Pat became very involved in the parish there. He served as a Parochial Lay Reader and was appointed their Lay Incumbent and Administrator in 2011, a position he held for 7 years. He is well known having served as the Chair of Deanery Council. He was held in the highest of regards by those who worked with him, sharing in this ministry which is God’s and ours. While many people felt that Pat was called to ordained ministry, he believed that his vocation was best lived out as a lay person.

Upon receiving word of his death, Archdeacon Roberta Wilson-Garrett wrote this about Pat, “His deep love and faithfulness and his ability to remain positive throughout his illness has always been an example that I turned to on challenging days.”

Archdeacon Jay Koyle said, “He commands the admiration, affection, and appreciation of many people, including me.”

In the last few months, because of his health concerns, Pat and Val moved into the Sault. He could be found in the very front row of St. Luke’s on Sunday mornings.

The present Incumbent of St. Joseph and St. George (Echo Bay), the Rev. Susan Montague-Koyle, has captured the Pat we all knew and loved in these brief words about him.

“Pat was not only a man of great faith in God and in God’s promises, he patterned his life according to the deep love and joy that comes from this sure and certain hope. Pat was dedicated to the four pillars of Christian life – worship, prayer, scripture study, and social justice – and these formed his thinking and his actions, giving him energy and love enough for everyone he encountered. He loved his family deeply, with unwavering devotion, and ‘had the time of day’ for all those who needed him.  His generosity seemed boundless as was his desire to continuously question and learn more about his faith in order to strengthen his relationship with God. Paul writes, ‘all of us…are being transformed into [Christ] from one degree of glory to another’ (2 Corinthians 3:18), and Pat was well into this journey of transformation in this life.”

A funeral service for Pat will be held in the spring at 2pm on April 5th, 2024 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 580 M and N Line Rd. St. Joseph Island.

While we mourn the death of a great friend of Algoma’s, we give thanks for Pat’s full and rich life.  We rejoice that his earthly suffering is over and that he has fallen asleep in Christ. We pray Simeon’s farewell prayer of praise as he held the Messiah in his arms as we give thanks for the life and witness of William Patrick Brown:  “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.” (Lk. 2.29 – 31)

Let us pray for all who miss and mourn Pat,

+Anne