Bishop Denis passed away on the 1st September and his funeral is Friday 6th September at 11.00 in Hamilton at the Cathedral.

After battling a long illness, Bishop Emeritus Denis George Browne, 86, who led the diocese from 1994 to 2014 and served as a priest for more than six decades , passed away on Sunday.

Bishop Denis had retired from his position after passing on the mantle of Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton to Bishop Steve Lowe. Bishop Steve moved to Auckland and we have Bishop Richard as our current Bishop.

Bishop Denis was the person responsible for establishing our school in 2001 and Aquinas College in 2003. He was focused on building relationships between people including his work to connect with the Anglican community in Hamilton alongside Bishop Moxon. The University of Waikato awarded an honorary doctorate to Bishop Denis and Bishop Moxon for the work they did together.

Bishop Denis advised Bishop Steve at his installation as Bishop of Hamilton about the importance of building a strong relationship with iwi, particularly Kiingi Tuheitia.

Bishop Denis and Kiingi Tuheitia were well known to each other and it is sad that two leaders with such wisdom and empathy are being farewelled over the next two days.