Tribute to the Late Stanley George Moses. 

On the evening of Thursday, 28th May, 1992 Mr. Stan Moses breathed his last.  A very notable personage in the Diocese of North Queensland, Stan will be remembered by all for his beautiful and inspired religious works of art.  His funeral service was held on Saturday, 30th May in the church of St Mary the Virgin Atherton, at 11.00 a.m. at which Bishop Lewis preached the following panegyric. 

Theme 

Blessed are the Pure in Heart 

                Text: Psalm 15.2 

                                “He who speaks the truth from his heart” 

INTRODUCTION: 

1.       Stanley George Moses was, and will be remembered as, a Christian of exceptional talent who served as a Worshipper, Server, Master-of-Ceremonies, Eucharistic Assistant, Churchwarden, especially in Atherton, for many years.  He was what we describe as “a true Churchman”. 

2.       Stan was an exceptional and generous friend.  He gave his time, his interest, his considerable talent, his creativity to all who asked, and his concern was to meet each person’s own individual need. 

3.       Stan was also an astounding communicator.  Some communicate through speech, the written word, the theatre and song, but Stan communicated through his artistic gifts in creating clothing and apparel, breathtaking mosaics, beautiful statues and crucifixes, ornaments which included acolytes, candle-holders, lecterns, kneeling desks and so many other objects to beautify Churches and inspire people to worship. 

PRESENTATION: 

1.       It is significant that Stan died and rose up within the context of the Feast of the Ascension.  It is a significant feast when Jesus, also an extremely talented person, said farewell to His followers and those who loved Him for the final time.  For Stan it had been a long journey.  However when we gaze into his creations we see a man whose profound visions of the person of God and whose spiritual depth in perceiving and interpreting these visions, compares him very favourably with geniuses of old like Ezekiel and the Old Testament, and St John the Devine in the New.  He was an exceptional mystic who, like Jesus his Lord and Master, could present to all people him spiritual perceptions in a way that they could understand, receive and take into their daily lives.  When we look at his background, with a Scottish mother and Lebanese father and grandfather, we see a person who has the perceptions and gifts of both traditions.  He had the technical ingenuity of the Scot, happily harmonized with the deep creative talents of the Lebanese.  One is mindful Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 7: 7:33), who cam of course from Lebanon and was engaged by Solomon to create a beautiful temple in which Solomon believed God would dwell.  We often remember Solomon but not too many recall Hiram of Tyre, who was the genius behind Solomon’s beautiful creations.  Stan came from this tradition, as is evident in his works. 

2.       Stan’s mystical gifts were also finely balanced by his generous creativity.  Many people are creative, but not so many people share their gift of creativity in the way in which Stan did.  The significant thing about Stan is that he manifests this gift, which is normally associated by Christian and others a God the Father.  God the Father we see as Creator, and a s great Creator who not only exercised His gifts, but shared them with His creatures, especially Man, and gave us the privilege and ability of creating in the same way He did.  Stan as a true child of God, followed in the traditions of His heavenly Father, and not only enjoyed the act of creating beautiful things, but inspired others to do the same.  In particular he encouraged and assisted many of us to think creatively, to instruct creatively, and also to be involved in creating beautiful things.  Perhaps the most moving story I can recall in this regard happened when Stan and a plastered called John, were installing the great Pioneering Women mosaic in St James Cathedral.  John was engaged to plaster the wall in the first place and then help Stan attach the mosaic to the plastered base.  As he did he got caught up in the amazing spiritual story told in the mosaic, and in the end instead of merely being an assistant and, as it were, worker on the job he found himself involved in creating this magnificent spectacle of pastoral care as it is exercised by the women of God.  I have never seen a plasterer so moved by his work, and the whole experience for him was greatly enhanced by the way in which Stan involved him in it.  In a similar way he involved us all in the things he created. 

3.       As I have mentioned above, while we see creativity as the activity of God the Father, it is rather a different story when we look at Jesus Christ.  Jesus came to restore the great created order, and make it what God intended it to be through encouraging men and women to accept their responsibilities as the intended ministers of creation.  We often refer to Jesus as “the Redeemer” or “the Restorer”, or as “the Saviour”, and that indeed He was.  He showed the way to live in the creation and to restore again the glory and the beauty of it.  Here in this act of restoration Stan very much manifested the Spirit of Jesus and was indeed not only a talented restorer, but dare I say it, a very inspired creative one too.  Two of his most famous restorations, of course, are in St James Cathedral, namely the great War Memorial Rood which depicts the crucifixion with Mary the Mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and St John at the foot of the Cross, and the other restoration of course were the figures in the Reredos behind the Altar inserted on panels in the Apse of the Cathedral.  Both of these treasures were taken from the Cathedral by Stan and lovingly restored and painted in the most imaginative way.  It was a most painstaking work, where he had to quite often proceed by trial and error, but in the end he did most certainly re-create them and make them the great spectacles they are today.  They enhance the Cathedral and they certainly uplift the spiritual perceptions of those who worship in that place.  Stan was a restorer indeed. 

APPLICATION: 

1.       One of the most remarkable things about Jesus was that when people reflected back on His life, they saw Him in quite a different perspective.  During His life, in many ways He was just another ordinary person who, though a talented preacher and deliverer, was nevertheless a person who presented in a modest way amongst the people of quality and breeding and power at the time.  He was born and lived in simple circumstances, and throughout His whole ministry although He was not unknown to the great, He was usually to be found amongst the simple and needy persons who greatly enjoyed His ministry.  When we look at Stan we see the same picture, as he was and indeed and will always be in our minds a simple, quiet unpretentious person who lived in a family home, travelled in his van which suited him well, and in all things was mild, kindly and gentle.  Within this person, of course, ere great gifts that emerged, but they did so in a very unpretentious way and one is reminded of meekness and mildness and gentleness when one thinks of Stan Moses.  He certainly witnessed to the amazing effectiveness of a simple life, which does not intrude but nevertheless fulfills people’s expectations on request. 

2.       On this occasion we thank God for Stan, and we pray to God that we will ever recall, as we most certainly will, his talent, his dedication to his God and his Church, and the way he opened new perspectives for us all.  We also pray for the family in their bereavement, and keep them very much in our prayers and support. 

3.       Finally, as I began this tribute to Stanley George Moses, may I end by saying that he certainly was a person who shows how “blessed are the pure in heart”.  Further more in a quiet but honest way he always “spoke the truth from his heart”. 

May he Rest in Peace. 

                A list of some of the notable mosaics and works that Stan Moses installed in St James’ Cathedral. 

They include: 

v  The great Pioneer Women memorial mosaic above the West Door, which was a gift from Mrs. Culley and commissioned by Bishop John Lewis. 

v  The Ethel Green memorial mosaic which is above the South Door of the Cathedral and depicts the twelve Apostles of Jesus with their various insigniss. 

v  The Vietnam memorial for those who served and gave their lives in that campaign, which is in the Chapel in the South Transept of the Cathedral and was duly commissioned about a year ago.  This was also commissioned by Bishop John Lewis and Colonel Huh Franklin, RI.. 

v  The restoration of the World War I memorial Rood Cross and figures, which stands in the Chancel as a hanging Rood. 

v  The restoration of the Reredos panels depicting the crucified Christ and various representatives of members of the Diocese worshipping Him.  This was originally commissioned by the late Bishop Ian Shevill in the nineteen sixties. 

v  The very beautiful case which houses a Madonna made by Mrs. Margaret Torlach, which is in the Lady Chapel and this case presents this clay statue in an illuminated and sensitive way. 

v  The restoration of the great Diocesan Cope originally presented by John Oliver Feetham and restored by Stan at the request of Bishop John Lewis. 

v  Over the road in the Registry, a magnificent Christ the King wood carving in memory of the late Herbert Moxham, who was the Administrative Archdeacon of North Queensland for many years.  This was commissioned by Bishop John Lewis at the request o the Diocesan Council, to be hung in the Registry. 

v  Mention should be made of a magnificent mosaic of Christ the King in All Saints’, Ayr, and also a magnificent 125th memorial mosaic plaque in Holy Trinity Church, Bowen. 

Throughout the Diocese there are many other beautiful lecterns, reading desks, candlesticks, etc. made by Stanley Moses that all enhance the worship of the Church of the Church, and some of the ornaments in St James’ Cathedral come from his hands. 

The Northern Churchman – May-June, 1992.