Celebrating
70 Amazing Years of Ministry
The Rev. Canon
Leslie Wilson
(Photo Credit -
Tom Boschert)
The Rev.
Canon Leslie E. Wilson of Belleville, Illinois, the chronological dean of
the Episcopal clergy in Diocese of Springfield, celebrated the 70th
anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on May 25, 2003. A
reception following the 10:30 service at St. George’s Episcopal Church,
High and D Streets, will honor the 97 year-old retired priest.
Well
known among Episcopal parishioners for his strong vibrant voice and his
knowledge of the Bible, Father Wilson said of his 70th
anniversary, “The less said, the better.” Such a modest assessment comes
as no surprise to St. George’s parishioners since he has never been one to
seek personal adulation. The most striking thought pervading his many
decades of priestly service, he says, is ‘the memory of all those
marvelous people I’ve met.”
Father
Wilson received his bachelor’s degree at Southeast Oklahoma State and his
Master of Divinity degree at Sewanee. He has served parishes in Oklahoma,
Louisiana, and Illinois, having retired in 1972 from Collinsville,
Illinois and moving to Belleville. He has twice served as interim rector
at St. George’s.
In an
earlier interview, Father Wilson said he chose the priesthood because, “It
just seemed that I was led in that direction. Everything just seemed to
lead me to that goal.”
He said
the awesome responsibility of a priest was profoundly impressed upon him
at his ordination as a deacon in 1932. The speaker offered this remark:
“Doctors
send their mistakes to the cemetery; lawyers send their mistakes to jail;
priest send their mistakes to hell.” Father Wilson says he has never
forgotten the saying nor the awesome responsibility that the statement
imposed on him.
(Article written by Don Gillen and featured in the June 2003 edition of
the Springfield Current)
