Condolence Book for Revd Canon Dr John Sweet 1927-2009

Alumni and others were invited to add their own contributions to this condolence book.

From: Mrs Mary Blackman, née Mansfield
All through my time at Selwyn and beyond, John was a voice of compassion, of wisdom and of care. And he had the best memory I have ever come across! John, we will miss you, and Selwyn will not seem quite the same.

From: Ms Selene Mills
John has been a huge inspiration to me for thirty years - since interviewing me for a place at Selwyn (he asked me if I could interpret the Greek inscription above the College gate, but forgave the fact that I hadn't even noticed it), through many years of kindness and friendship and wonderful sermons, right through to his fortitude in the face of cancer and chemotherapy. He has been entirely a source of goodness. I will do my best to follow his example.

From: Ms Karen Williams
Gracious, witty, serene, gentle, warm; fundamentally and inseparably part of Selwyn life. An example and an inspiration.

From: Mr John Richardson
John was briefly my prayer partner when I was an undergraduate at Selwyn. I remember him as a godly and scholarly man whose humility and deep Christian faith was such an encouragement to me. I was and remain very grateful to him indeed.

From: Professor Edward Royle
With fond memories of John as a colleague and pastor, and our condolences to his family now that John has been promoted to glory. From Ted and Jenny Royle Canon Nicholas John Thistlethwaite
I was introduced to Selwyn College on a foggy November day in 1968 when my RE teacher from Brunts Grammar School, Mansfield, took me to meet John Sweet. They had known one another when John was a curate in Mansfield. The experience could have been a daunting one for a shy-ish 16-year old, but John rapidly put me at ease with what I now recognise as his Christian gentleness and lack of self-importance, and I went home determined to make my way to Selwyn. In due course, John became my tutor, and I benefited from his quiet wisdom, and from the hospitality that he and Mary offered to the undergraduates. I suspect he was slightly bewildered by some of the pranks that we got up to, and not entirely approving, but he and I remained good friends, and many years later he used to offer occasional assistance to me when I was Vicar of Trumpington. He was an exemplary Christian, a painstaking scholar, and a faitfhul priest, and I give thanks to God for the privilege of having known him.

From: Rt Revd Dr David Thomson
Jean and I remember John with enormous affection from my days as a theology student and ordinand, and I still treasure a marvellous Greek NT concordance he passed on to me. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

From: Mrs Eleanor Houston
I was very sorry to hear of Dr Sweet's death. I came up to Selwyn in 1997 and sang in the chapel choir. For me Dr Sweet was an integral part of chapel and college life. I cannot picture Evensong without him sitting in his seat near the Master's stall. He was one of the choir's loyalist supporters and to a new undergraduate he radiated kindness and interest.

He will be missed by us all.

From: Prebendary Patrick Anthony Tuft
John Sweet was always helpful to me and others and the college will miss him. His was a special ministry to church and university

From: Revd Jonathan Squirrell
It was a great privilege to know John over the years. I fondly remember him cycling to our house on Histon Road with apples from his garden. My first contact was my undergraduate interview, and his kindness and interest in mutual friends was both genuine and disarming. Visiting him last summer at his home on Barton Road was a very meaningful occasion. Sincere condolences to Mary and the family.

From: Professor Alan Tait
John was above all the face of Selwyn for me. I remember vividly my first meeting with him in our tutorial group back in 1968 in Old Court. I will also always remember his and Mary's kindness and concern over many years. Also the Sunday lunches with Mary and his young family, which were very lively! All our condolences to Mary and family,

Alan and Ann Tait

From: Ms Janette Payne
I am very sorry for your loss. He was an excellent tutor, always charming, polite and interesting.

From: Mrs. Palvasha von Hassell
I would like to express my sincerest condolences to Mary and all the Sweet family on the sad loss of Reverend John Sweet, of whom I have the fondest memories from my year at Selwyn as a Post-Graduate. It wwas a great pleasure to see him again subsequently on several occasions at Selwyn. He was always the Selwyn institution par excellence and simply a dear.

Best wishes,

Palvasha von Hassell

From: Mr David Richard Thorpe
From D. R. Thorpe (Selwyn, 1962-1965). I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of John Sweet. There's a great spirit gone. I remember John being one of the dons who interviewed me on a foggy December day in 1961 when I was taking the old entrance exams. He was such a moral presence in the College and an outstanding figure of integrity and intellectual honesty. I grieve at his passing.

My deepest symapthies to the family and the whole Selwyn community.

From: Mr Stephen Speak
Sad news. An integral part of Selwyn for so long, Reverend Sweet seemed to engage with all generations like no one else. He knew my father, me as an undergraduate and also met my son as a schoolboy visitor. On several return trips to Selwyn over the last 20+ years he made a point of catching up and making one feel so very welcome in his calm harbour.

From: Mr Raymond W M Yee
I remember John very vividly during my undergraduate years when I served as sacristan of the chapel. He was very warm, unassuming and humble. He and his family made me feel very welcomed in Cambridge. My deepest condolences to his family. Selwyn has lost an icon.

From: Revd Canon Dr Mike Parsons
John was an inspiration to me as my NT supervisor and director of studies when I was training for ordination. I have never forgotten his insistence on accurate knowledge of the text. I don't think I would have ended up in my various academic posts without his inspiration. Not many outside Cambridge may have heard of him, but not many get four diocesan bishops to their retirement dinner! He has, in his ever self effacing way, made a major contribution to the education and training of the Church.

From: Mr John Adams
I will always be grateful for the kindly way in which John guided my erratic journey through Tripos. Memories of supervisions on winter evenings, with the gas fire turned down to its lowest point and John writing in fingerless mittens, remind me of his unique combination of humility and the highest standards of scholarship. Sincere condolences.

From: Mr Robin Richardson
Pauline and I knew John in the period 1958-60, and he came to our wedding in August 1960. We have kept in contact with him occasionally over the years and last saw him when we sat next to him and Mary at a college reunion in 2007. We shall always be grateful for his wise advice, thoughtful care and friendly presence.

From: Mr Timothy Bannerman
John was unfailingly warm, generous and kind despite one's worst misdemeanours (of which there were many). He remembered everything as the years went by and I always felt he wished the very best for all of us. Fondly remembered by all from the 'Cave of Adullum' aka 21 West Road '72-'73

From: Mr Stephen Dart
John was an inspiring tutor and it was always a pleasure to talk to him when visiting Selwyn. Sincere condolences.

From: Mr Julian Cable
John Sweet was an old-school clergyman and College Fellow in the very best sense of the word. His empathy, compassion and hospitality shown towards all members of the College community were deep and genuine, and lasted for years (even decades) beyond one's having left residence at Selwyn.

For me personally, it was John more than anyone else who was responsible for kindling, as an undergraduate, my Christian faith which has grown and deepened ever since. The way he lived his own life in accordance with the Christian Gospel was exemplary.

This is a sad day indeed for the College, but the chance to celebrate and give thanks for a life that enriched the lives of so many others beyond measure.

From: Mr Eoin Murphy
I remember "Rev'd Sweet" (as he was incorrectly known) as a most gracious and kind man, with the manners of a better age, in whose presence one was alays so glad to be. Requiescat in pace.

From: Mr Ian Sanderson
I remember John Sweet with great affection and much gratitude. He was a kind and caring tutor who always had our welfare very much to heart. I shall especially treasure the memory of the wonderful Sunday lunches he and his family hosted for us impecunious and hungry undergraduates. It was a wonderful taste of home.

From: Mr Gordon Kerr
An amazingly gracious man of God, who put energy into caring for all he met (and remembering huge depths of details about them); a scholarly man of God who challenged assumptions about his faith even past his "retirement". Sincere condolences to all his family at this time of bereavement.

From: Rt Revd John Waine
Members of Nobody's Friends are deply saddened at the news of John's death. A member for almost 50 years, he was our much loved and highly regarded Chaplain. We shall miss his wise counsel, sense of humour and gracious dealing, and rejoice that he was able (despite ill health) to dine with us so recently. Our love and prayers are with Mary and the family.

From: Mr Federico Fritz
He was my tutor at Selwyn and I was having a pretty hard time then.I suppose I must have been a pretty hard case for someone having to handle me in locu parentis. It was only much later that I came to realize how well-meaning and gentle a person he was, and how much he had wanted to help. And this is how I 'll remember him.

From: Ms Liane Jones
Revd Sweet was unfailingly kind to me when I was at Selwyn in the late 70s. I remember his and Mary's warmth at Sunday lunches and his genuine interest in all of us students, whether he taught us or not. I also remember his quiet, friendly and witty presence on the top floor of F staircase, when I lived on the third floor in my last year. And of course, those fingerless gloves that he wore against the F staircase cold. It was lovely meeting him again at a reunion in 2006, when he seemed, astonishingly, to remember us all. I send my thoughts to Mary and the family.

From: Mr Olly Wicken
I got to know John when the Logarithms society was resurrected in the mid-1980s. He was wise, gentle, and inspiring. When he prepared me for my marriage and took my wedding service in Selwyn Chapel, I felt his wisdom, gentleness and inspiration even more personally and even more profoundly.

Not only did he personify Selwyn, he personified good. The world could do with many more people like John Sweet.

My warmest and sincerest condolences to Mary and the family.

From: Ven Peter Hancock
John will long be remembered not only for his scholarship, but also for his graciousness, his generosity and his remarkable memory. He was friend and priest to many.

From: Mr James Webb
John was always the most friendly and kindest of people. He was the personification of calm in the chapel community when I was at Selwyn in the 1990s. I very much enjoyed his lively conversation on any occasion when I returned to the college. On those occasions (to my surprise) he would always instantly remember my name and everything about me. He was a genuinely lovely and brilliant man who, for me at least, will be remembered as the embodiment of the best of what Selwyn and Cambridge was about.

From: Mr Oliver Plumley
We were both extremely sad to hear of John Sweet's passing.We remember him wth much affection. He was always a kind caring gentleman with true Christian wisdom and scholarship. His kindness shone like a beacon. Such men are rare. Both of us send our sincere condolences to Mary and his family.

Oliver and Alison Plumley

From: Rev Roger Mills
For me, and surely for others, John winsomely personified the College's academic and Christian principles. It is a privilege to have known him, and to have been taught by him - gentle, patient with truculent students, hospitable, approachable, transparently godly, unassuming, and consequently held in huge affection. Sarah and I are deeply saddened by the news of John's death, and although he was clearly far from well, I'm glad to have paid John & Mary a visit in February this year, when his encyclopaedic knowledge of Selwyn and its people was undiminished. Sincere condolences and prayers to Mary and the family, but at the close of a life lived well and to the glory of God.

From: Canon John Armson
John and I arrived at Selwyn at the same time. I probably owe the fact of my ordination to him. I last saw him last November: If he was full of cancer then, he was also full of beans. What a man! My love to dear Mary: the bigger the man, the bigger the gap.

From: Miss Jayne Ringrose
For many years John Sweet conducted a class in biblical manuscripts in the University Library, which I usually invigilated. A highlight was when he demonstrated with a Hebrew Torah Manuscript (partially unrolling it, and then letting the vellum spring back at once), how the Heavens could roll away like a scroll. An appropriate memory.

From: Mr Shai Hill
The Reverend Sweet was my tutor 1989-92. Always kind, always reasonable. He even supported me in a falling out with the Dean! Rest in peace old chap.

From: MR HENRY GEORGE ANNAN
John Sweet will be missed by all Selwyn men who knew him.My family joins me in sending heartfelt sympathy to Mary, the children & grandchildren. We saw him at the Selwyn Garden Party in 2008

From: Mr Matt Pallister
As an ecumenically-minded Roman Catholic, I very much appreciated John's kind and practical Christian fellowship. It was great to meet him at recent Selwyn reunions, when he could remember so much about me all those years ago (1965-68. A wonderful man; requiescat in pace.

From: Mrs Emma Othen
Thirteen years after leaving the College and though I only had limited contact with him, as a member of the chapel choir and a near neighbour on F staircase, I still remember him well as a man of obvious intelligence, learning, dignity, grace and kindness. What I am writing is, I see, an echo of so many other comments - proof that 'Rev Sweet' was universally respected and admired.

From: Judge Richard Inglis
I remember John Sweet's calm ministry of encouragement to all he encountered. I have also one snapshot memory of a careful exegesis, to a puzzled non-theologian, of a difficult passage of scripture read at evensong. All are blessed for having known him.

From: Dr Catherine Williams
I was truly saddened to hear the news of John Sweet's death. Although I didn't know him well during my time at Selwyn, he still stands out vividly in my memory - a gentle and wise man who took an interest in every one of us.

From: Rev Canon Jane Charman
Very sorry to hear this news and we would like to send our love to Mary and the family. John was my tutor when I studied theology at Selwyn in the 1980s as part of my preparation for ordained ministry. I remember apologising to him for my many elementary questions and his typically kindly and humourous response ('It's sometimes nice to be asked a question to which one knows the answer!') Rest in peace and rise in glory.

From: Godfrey Cromwell
Was a man ever better named? As the other entries testify, kind and compassionate in a world ever less so.

From: Canon Lisle Ryder
As a an ordinand with limited A levels I was offered a place at Selwyn and given every encouragement by John as I struggled through my academic work to achieve a third. Without him many other opportunities and friendships would not have happened.

From: Revd David Wippell
I shall always be grateful to John firstly for accepting me to Selwyn to read for Part 2 of the Tripos on my arrival from the Solomon Islands, and for his wonderful and gentle patience, kindness and understanding in so many ways. He was a marvellous teacher and example in so many ways and those of us who benefitted from his wisdom and friendship have much to be grateful for. May he rest in peace.

From: Ms Juliette Dwyer
John was my personal tutor when I was at Selwyn in the early eighties. At the time, when I was sometimes a bit homesick, I loved the family atmosphere around the table at the Sweet's on a Sunday lunchtime (and the break from beans on toast to lovely roast dinners!)

John was very kind to me during my time at Selwyn and I look back and marvel that he could connect with so many different types of people. His straightforward honesty and gentleness inspired so much respect .

My thoughts are with Mary and the family at this difficult time.

From: Ms Helen Gourlay
Although I didn't have a close connection with the college chapel during my time at Selwyn, I vividly remember Revd Sweet. He will be missed.

From: Mr Paul Anthony Wiles
Remembering John who gave so much to Selwyn and all his students.He will especially be held in our hearts and prayers for his friendship and concern for me after my accident in Japan A true gentle kind man who will be missed by so many

From: Mrs Jane Mercer (was Shiner)
John was a very kind and thoughtful tutor, I have happy memories of lunch with him at his home when I was an undergraduate. Sincere condolences to the family.

From: Mr Duncan Campbell
John Sweet was a wonderful caring person whose extraordinary humanity touched everyone who knew him. He had an astonishing memory for people, reminding me years later of the time I mended his front-door bell and asking about my daughter who was also at Selwyn. The discussions we had together about Christian faith and the Church will always be treasured. He was a remarkable person in so many ways and my thoughts are with his family at this time of their sad loss.

From: Mr Paul Cash
A charming fellow and a delight to paint

From: Mr Nic Coombs
John saw the good in everyone, and helped them find it also. His quiet, firm intelligence mixed with limitless patience and faith was love. For his family, his friends, the College and those who were in his care this is what we shall remember.

From: Rev. David T. N. Parry
From my first interview, John's was Selwyn's face for me. His pastoral priesthood, meticulous Biblical scholarship and critical openness to new ideas were an inspiration hard to emulate. My wife, Marilyn was grateful for John's gracious thoroughness as external examiner for her Manchester Ph D. We have lost part of the rock on which we have stood.

From: Mrs Rebecca Howard Madsen
John Sweet, with his gentle Christianity, embodied much that was important to me about my Cambridge experience that led me to love Selwyn College. I remember fondly conversations in hall Sunday mornings over breakfasts following chapel services. Like others, I was astounded at his memory--he greeted me by name two years ago at a garden party despite not having seen me since 1982. Inspired by his example, I was encouraged to seek, and to ask. It is hard to imagine Selwyn without him, but he will always have a special place in our hearts. John Sweet was a soft spoken, kind person. He did little to draw attention to himself but the strength of his spirit was one of the columns that supported the College.

From: The Revd. Martin Gorick
John was a very dear friend, having been my Director of Studies in the 1980's. Memories of supervisions with John rifling through a battered New Testament in fingerless gloves, thoughtful sermons and the pre-exam picnics on the Gog-Magog hills stand out. Also a dinner organised with Richard Harries for John when he retired in 1994 with about 175 Selwyn theologians arriving from all over the world. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed. Our love and prayers go to Mary and the family.

From: Dr Nicola Slee
John has been one of a handful of teachers in my life who are so much more than teachers: he taught me plenty about the New Testament, certainly, but also about a way of being in the world marked by graciousness, kindness, generosity, courtesy - old fashioned values that are all too rare these days. I always say John taught me to pray, and one of my abiding memories (apart from digestive biscuits and yes, those fingerless gloves, in NT seminars in his rooms in F, and his superb preaching in chapel) will be of John kneeling wrapt in wordless prayer at the end of the office in the upstairs chapel. Others have remarked on his holiness and that is right, though he would have been the last person to think that about himself and only rarely would he use such language. His reticence in speaking about his own faith made it all the more powerful when he did.

John and Mary have been utterly generous in the way they opened their home to me and countless generations of Selwyn students, and I spent a couple of happy summers house-sitting for them when I was a research student. And John was unfailing and prompt in his response to letters and communication of any sort. Most recently, I was touched that he rang and left a message on our answerphone at home when he heard of my partner's illness - at a time when his own cancer was well advanced. I kept the message on the answerphone for weeks, replaying it to hear his unmistakeable plummy tones and the kindness of the message.

Much love and condolences to Mary and the family, and I'm looking forward to more NT seminars with digestive biscuits and John's boundless enthusiasm in heaven!!

From: Dr Peter Spargo
John Sweet was an extraordinarily kind and warm gentleman, who seemed to know and care about all Selwyn students. Being a Natural Scientist, I was never directly taught or tutored by him, yet whenever I spoke with him he seemed to know about me and to be genuinely interested in how I was and what I was doing. He was one of the fellows who always made the effort to attend college events. His smiling face is therefore one which I strongly associate with my time as an undergraduate, as a postgraduate, and as an occasional visitor to college events in the years since then. John will, for sure, be much missed and long remembered. My condolences to his family, coupled strongly with my congratulations on a life well lived, and an immeasurable influence through the countless Selwyn alumni whose lives he touched.....

From: Mr Tim Cartwright
Like many others, I remember John as a remarkably caring and supportive tutor to the rather green and sometimes intemperate Fresher that I was in 1974. I'm certain I was not wise enough then to appreciate fully his very many gifts, but I was nonetheless indelibly marked by his kindnesses and intellect. My thoughts are with his family.

From: Dr Jacqueline Adams
I am saddened to hear of Revd. Sweet's passing. His tall, thin, black-clothed shape walking as if deep in thought across the green lawn of the main court is part of what I think of when I think of Selwyn. He was my tutor, and I remember him as a kind and thoughtful man. I also have fond memories of Sunday lunches at his home with Mrs. Sweet. My condolences to his family.

From: Ms Dorothee Muller
Dr Sweet was unfailingly kind, gentle, wise and encouraging as my college tutor during my time at Selwyn, and a great host when he and his wife were kind enough to welcome us to their home for Sunday lunch. I was very sad to hear that he had passed away and not at all surprised to hear that he had kept in very close touch with Selwyn even after his retirement. He will be greatly missed, I am sure.

From: Mr David Denton
Sincerest condolences to Mary and the family. It was a privilege to know John Sweet: he put the "gentle" into gentleman and was an example to us all.

From: Rev'd John Aitchison
Although Canon Sweet was such a fine scholar, it is as a pastor that I primarily remember him. Despite pressures of work, he was always available for anyone with an "issue". Since he usually displayed a gentlemanly reserve and restraint, his courageous willingness to come out of his "comfort zone" when this was pastorally necessary and appropriate was particularly impressive.

For many of us who had come from overseas, the house in Barton Road, with the warm hospitality of Mary and John, was a home away from home, and John's hand written letters remained as our primary connection with Selwyn and Cambridge long after we had "gone down". John's letters always made me feel that I was a particularly favoured and special friend, though no doubt there were hundreds who felt the same way !

I wish to bear testimony to the fact that Canon Sweet stood by me personally, and believed in me, during a long period of my life when others profoundly questioned my integrity. For this, more than anything, I owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude and love.

The college motto, displayed over the main gateway at Selwyn, sums up John's life perfectly. "Stekete in te piste. Andrizesthe"

"Well done, good and faithful servant.."

From: Canon Ronald Calderwood Black
As immediate past Vice Chair of Central Readers Council and a supporter of the Annual Readers Summer Course at Selwyn College may I say how much John Sweet's spiritual support as Chaplain and introduction of so many fine speakers over the years was very much appreciated. His keen mind was spiced with a quiet sense of humour.He will be sadly missed by those Readers from this country and Europe who came to know him and value his wise counsel and teaching of the scriptures. My sincere condolences and best wishes go to his family in this difficult time.

From: Professor Vivian Nutton
John will be much missed, for his kindness, his infinite patience, and his infectious, almost childlike delight that he could find in the world around him. He was modest about his own scholarship, yet few have ever had his ability to deal with the problems of faith without condescention or without compromising his intellectual standards. I shall continue to hear his voice in Chapel.

From: Revd Philip H. Eveson
It was a shock to receive the sad news of John's passing. I shall always be grateful to God for such an encouraging and scholarly Director of Studies. He was a godly and gracious person and will be a great loss to Selwyn.

From: Mr Hugh de Saram
John's teaching and supervision of my theological study gave me a foundation for life for which I remain profoundly and everlastingly grateful.

From: Dr and Dr June MBE and Christopher Keyte
We are immensely saddened at the recent passing of Rev John Sweet, we had known him for the past 19 years and as a Bye-Fellow I attended Chapel regularly as well as the prayer meetings with him. Coming from a Welsh Non Conformist background, he was my 'mentor' into the Anglican Communion. I have attended numerous Sunday Evensongs since then and he was always so warm and welcoming. I tried to attend especially when he was preaching and he actually gave me the notes of two of his sermons which I shall treasure. We corresponded from time to time and over the years of his illness I have sent him an occasional card to which he always replied. Even recently when I had confirmation that my Children's International Voices Choir would be giving a Sunday afternoon recital in the Chapel on Sunday 28th February 2010 at 3pm, he sent a lovely Chapel card back to say he had put the date in his diary. We will dedicate our performance to his memory. He has been such a special priest to hundreds of clergy and students and he will be much missed, especially by Mary who was also always very kind to me.

From: Dr Briony Williams
I was saddened to hear of the death of John Sweet. Despite his great scholarship and his remarkable pastoral gifts, he was the most humble and kind person I have ever known. The world has lost someone irreplaceable. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.

From: Mr Anthony Head
In my memories, Selwyn and John are indivisible. He was always there, encouraging, consoling, listening. Whether we spoke about work or the weather, whenever I met John, whatever the circumstances, I always felt that little bit better for having done so. A rare and wonderful man: "Grace in all simplicity"...

From: Mrs Liz Williams (nee Hughes)
John was wonderfully kind and encouraging to me as an undergraduate. I still vividly remember some of our supervision sessions. His thoughtfulness and evident closeness to the Divine were both an academic and a spiritual inspiration.

From: Mr John Hart
John was a wonderful and wise man, whose kindness and goodness seemed to permeate all he said and did. As must be the case for many who were taught by him, one of my strongest memories is of him perched on the edge of his chair, Greek New Testament resting on his knees, delight seemingly in his whole being, his intellect and memory racing from text to text. But John’s enthusiasm (a word perhaps particularly apt in its etymology when used of John) was certainly not confined to the study of the New Testament. He was always so fully interested in others and so unabsorbed in himself. At a personal level, I am extremely grateful to John for giving me the opportunity to read Part II Theology. I couldn’t have looked a particularly good bet (as I was reading Part I Engineering at the time!) but nevertheless he gave the opportunity, as he did to many other Selwyn Theologians, and it proved as rich and rewarding as he would have known it would be. John was a deep man who made a lasting impression. He stands out in my experience as a person of unique qualities and it is a privilege to have known him and to have been taught by him. As I sorrow at his passing, I give thanks for all that he was and my thoughts go to his family.

From: Dr McLauchlan Fiona
I was very sorry to hear of the death of Rev'd Sweet. He was such a kind man. My condolences to his family.

From: Mr Adam Jaworski
John Sweet had a special skill and ability to work with people of different temperaments and background. In planning chapel services, he patiently heard those of us who, through youthful exuberance or doubtful knowledge, made our novice contributions, and gently pointed us to improvements. At the same time he was greatly influential at another level, serving on the Liturgical Commission for the Church of England.

John was clearly committed to a life of faith within the Christian church, and encouraged all that was good in the lives and hopes of others. He also warned that pursuing these hopes might not always turn out in the way we desire, that the sacrifice of God was 'a broken spirit', one that ultimately only God could heal.

We were fortunate to be at Selwyn during John's final years of full-time teaching and as Dean of Chapel in the early 1990s. We were greatly privileged that he later came and preached at our Wedding. Like others we remember with affection the chapel services, college events, breakfast on Sunday morning, retreat at Launde Abbey and Sunday lunch at Barton Road with John and Mary.

Adam and Rebecca Jaworski.

From: The Revd John Michael Parlane Caldicott
John was a man of great learning, deep prayer and Christian charity. This I learned as a student of Theology at Selwyn, when he was my director of studies and one of my supervisors. He was unfailingly helpful and kind. After my time at Selwyn it was always a delight to meet him and I felt that he was genuinely glad to see me. He would not have agreed with my reasons for converting to the Roman Catholic Church, but he treated it with respect and understanding. In our last conversation, in 2006, he dealt with our different views with characteristic sensitivity, respect and humour. May he rest in peace and may God bring comfort and peace to his wife and family.

From: Ms Liz Fawkes
I will always remember John for his kindness to me when I was at a very low ebb; he even invited me to stay at his home for a short while, making me feel part of the family. I didn't complete my degree at Cambridge, but when I wrote 15 years later I was touched by him again when he replied personally, and remembered me when I was just one of many he had helped and worked with. His warmth, generosity and kindness have always stayed with me. Thank you John, and condolences to Mary and the family.

From: Stephen Pattison
I was very suprised and delighted when John believed enough in me to admit me to study theology at Selwyn, but even more suprised and delighted to discover that, for him, a student was a friend for life. Even when he did not always quite understand the quirks and passions of some of my contemporaries, he was unequivocally for us and fostered our commitments, passions and adventures in faith, both at Selwyn and beyond. I was lucky to spend an hour with him last year and as someone else has said, in his illness and dying he was a humbling but never humiliating exemplar of faith in the One who he served faithfully all his life. It was a privilege to have known him and I will always be grateful to him and to Mary for their kindness and ongoing support. In a very real way, though I saw him seldom, he was one of the rocks in my life and I will miss him very much indeed.

From: Revd Canon John Pinder
On behalf of the Archbishop of Melanesia and Selwyn College, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, I should like to add my appreciation for John's support and encouragement as a committee member of the Melanesian Mission. He was keenly aware of the historic links btween Selwyn College and Melanesia. George Selwyn founded the Melanesian Mission when he was Bishop of New Zealand and John Selwyn was second Bishop of Melanesia. The annual festival of the Melanesian Mission will take place at Selwyn College on September 19th and it will be a wonderful opportunity for us to express our thanks to God for this particular part of John's ministry.

From: Dr Bethan Morgan
I am very sad to hear of the Rev Dr John Sweet’s passing. He was my undergraduate tutor in the late 70s and provided wonderful support in his unique calm and gentle way not to mention the hospitality of his and Mary’s famous Sunday lunches. Upon returning to Selwyn in 1999 for post-grad study, I was astonished that he still remembered me and greeted me as though I’d never been away. The last time I saw John was in December 2007 when I took my PhD degree – I was very touched that he came along to congratulate me and it was wonderful that I was able to introduce him to my family. He really made the day extra special. A truly caring, considerate and compassionate man. I treasure my memories of the Rev Canon Dr John Sweet and shall miss not seeing him cycling along Grange Road. I send my deepest condolences to Mary and family.

From: Professor Bob Lloyd
I came to know John first when he arrived as chaplain; he rapidly became the rock on which Chapel life was built. Only in my retirement, when I returned to Cambridge, did I realise that this quiet man was also a scholar of distinction, and I gained enormous benefit from attending courses of his. I will miss him very much.

From: Adrian Gamble
I was upset when I learned of John's death. He welcomed me, like so very many others, into the Selwyn community. With Mary, he also welcomed us into his home and family. Young and foolish as I was, I recognised then that John was an especially good man. Older and more travelled I now understand how exceptional was his humanity. My condolences and best wishes to Mary and the family.

From: Dr. Crispin and Cecile Hales
What a wonderful treat it was to have Christmas Dinner with the Sweets in 1983 when we were still new to Cambridge, and since then to exchange so many enjoyable visits and personal letters. Even though we have been back in Chicago for the past twenty years, John's Christmas Aerogrammes full of news and commentary have kept us feeling close to his family and Selwyn College. Farewell John and thank you for being such a real spiritual friend to us all. We join in sending our condolences and love to Mary and all the family at this sad time.

From: Mr Jean Pierre DARAUX
My deepest sympathies on your sad loss. I shall always remember your kind hospitality when I was working in Cambridge.

From: Mr David Hearne
I remember both John and Mary from my time at Selwyn with fondness. Even though he'd already been retired for some time when I matriculated, he remained a regular fixture at chapel throughout my time at Cambridge. He and Mary were two of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was deeply saddened to hear of his death and my thoughts and prayers are with the family.

From: Mrs. Manda McConville
Sweet by name and sweet by nature. I and my husband have fond memories of Rev. Sweet during our time at Selwyn 1988-1993. He tutored myself and my sister before me and my parents were very grateful for the kindness and genuine care he showed us, as to them we were far from home. Like many of you I remember my then boyfriend now husband wishing he too was a Sweet tutee, so he could participate in the sherry, roast and apple crumble, which made us all feel so at home on a Sunday. Matched only in kindness and a genuine desire to support us all by his wife Mary, Rev. Sweet was one of a kind - an institution in his own right like so many of the unique experiences one finds in Cambridge ! It is with regret that we will not be able to attend the memorial service in the Michaelmas term, due to commitments in Northern Ireland. We will be thinking of you.

From: Dr Martin Greig
I am very sad to hear of the death of John Sweet. Although as a post-grad student in history I was never tutored by him, I did get to know him well when I served as sacristan in the chapel for a year when Harry Potter (not the boy wizard) was chaplain. As with everyone else who has posted a message of condolence, I too was impressed with the kindness with which he always treated students. As a Canadian arriving at Selwyn one autumn knowing no one, John Sweet stood out as an especially welcoming person. I will always remember the Sunday lunch that I shared with him, Mary and one of his daughters. I have fond memories of serving at weekday morning chapel with him, and I always looked forward to his occasional Sunday Evensong sermons, which were both intellectually rigorous, and yet accessible to non theologians. Returning to Selwyn about a decade after leaving I was pleasantly surprised both to see John (he had retired a number of years previously) and to discover that he still remembered me. He was a man of grace and wit and I will always remember him. My condolences to Mary and his family.

From: Mr Mark Bostock
I was very sad to hear of John Sweet's death. During my time at Selwyn I really valued the way John and Mary so quickly got to know me and welcomed me into the college community. I shall always remember John's kindness, humility and inspiring sermons, in particular his most recent in which his great joy and love, despite his illness, was such an example.

From: Mr Jim Rose
I shall remember John for his kindness and humility. For him to have remembered my name after 30 something years was, I thought at the time, remarkable. But he not only remembered my name, he knew me. He will be very much missed; condolences to Mary and family.

From: Mr David Henry Gammon
I will always remember John's kindness to me and my family, and the intellectual stimulation he gave.

From: Mr William Hutton
I have deliberately not written this until almost two months after the sad death of John Sweet-the passage of those two months have clearly shown me his three greatest contributions to Cambridge life over 50 years.

FIRSTLY,he was a true English gentleman.He believed in"standards"-not just academic standards,but standards of behaviour,dress,hospitality,and courtesy.He never forgot to write"thank you"letters,never dressed inappropriately for anything,never hesitated to give hospitality to people whatever their station in life or worldly importance(or lack of it),was never in too much of a hurry to say"Good morning". His life was a rebuke to this age of shallow unkindness.

SECONDLY,he brought people together.He was known not only in the University but in the town too.His contributions to the life of St Bene'ts Church and the many other places-as well as Selwyn Chapel-where he preached and worshipped will never be forgotten.He was an intellectual and a man of great scholarship but never unkind,snobbish,or elitist.I have heard both the present Archbishop of Canterbury and Selwyn College's hard-working kitchen staff praise him!!

THIRDLY,he was a living witness to his Faith,a Christian life truly and sincerely lived out.I knew him largely through my student friends in Selwyn College over many years-I lived in Newnham village-but also through his Chaplaincy of the Cambridge Pastorate,a Christian society which,for most of last century,held speaker meetings with a simple bread-and-cheese lunch in Clare College every Friday in term-time.John and Professor"Charlie"Moule led that well.

May John rest forever in the arms of the Lord he loved and served and worshipped for the whole of his great life.

From: Mr Paul Suter
I knew John through singing in the choir; I was touched by his humour, quick wit and unerring support, not to mention his fabulous stories from his younger years! Although I am saddened by his passing, I am grateful for all the time I spent with, and spoke to him. I am happy to have met such a charming and endlessly kind man.

From: Dr Andrew Quayle
As a medical student dabbling in theology for a Part II, John helped me to understand some of the implications of my Christian faith in that gracious and erudite way which so many others have alluded to. Many years later Mary and he visited us in Somerset and we kept in occasional touch after that time, confirming that wonderful ability he had to make everyone who ever crossed his path feel that they were important to him. A delightful man, whose qualities I appreciated more and more, the better I got to know him.

From: Mr Guy Crawford
I remember John with gratitude for his advice and help

From: Revd John Raymond Lees
Reading the comments left here one is reminded of how much John gave to so many. It is hard to conceive of Selwyn without him. His kindness, generosity of spirit and humility were an enormous example at a formative period in my life. May he rest in peace.

From: Dr Jan Fortune-Wood
John Sweet left me with so many good memories - from a whimsical interview to pre-exam walks or meeting him in the street distraught after a Greek class and being comforted. Most touching was his letter after I'd been assualted in post as a parish priest in Birmingham. His shock and concern were palpable. I am grateful to have known such a genuinely kind, gracious, intelligent man. My deepest sympathy to Mary and his family.

From: Mr Ronald John Edinborough
Words cannot express the depth of gratitude owed to John for his careful support of the Readers' Summer School held at Selwyn each year. His wise words and gentle humour have helped shape so many Readers in their ministry. John will be sorely missed but never forgotten. Our love and prayers go out to Mary and all the family. God bless you all.

From: Mr. James Ratcliffe
I found out that the Revd. Sweet had passed away whilst in conversation with my girlfriend's father and uncle, both of whom are members of the clergy and both of whom new him. What struck us all was how similar our recollections were, despite having known him in very different capacities and at very different times. I had no particular religious convictions whilst at College (I still don't) but I had a very strong sense of the Revd. Sweet as a kind and understanding man. Indeed, he retired the year of my graduation and when one of my good friends spoke at our graduation dinner he told a story of the Revd. Sweet welcoming and helping him when he first arrived as a very fresh-faced fresher three years before, and how much it had set the tone for his time at Selwyn. We all toasted him and wished him well in his retirement - one of my abiding memories of that evening and indeed of my time at Selwyn. My condolences to all his family and friends.

From: Dr. Philip Barton Payne
I am deeply saddened to hear of John Sweet's passing. I remember him with deep affection and respect. He was an excellent supervisor of New Testament Studies, insightful, kind, humble, and truly desiring the best for me as a young Ph.D. candidate. He appreciated and encouraged the spiritual life of his students and was exceptionally fair. He had the courage to speak out against ridicule of others. He is a rare gem. I send my sincere condolences to Mary, his children and grandchildren. Special condolences to Richard and Alison. Your father and mother often let me play with you when they had errands to do. You were both great fun.

From: Mrs Chris Luxton
I always thought of John Sweet as Sweet by name, and sweet by nature. I knew he was eminent (but not entirely sure how eminent) and I felt reassured to sit next to him, as I often did, at the Melanesian Mission UK Committee meetings which I attended as an observer (a voice but not a vote) over fifteen years or so, as secretary of Papua New Guinea Church Partnership, the other Pacific oriented Mission agency, serving the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea. John was gentle and kind (and always interested); it was only comparatively recently that I met Mary, who was equally nice, to use a hackneyed word. John was such a nice person.

From: Revd John Stow
John's friendship and kindness were a constant 'given' in my time at Selwyn and I will continue to think of him with warmest gratitude for his benign influence on my life, of which I am sure he was quite unaware! My deepest condolences to John's family and to the College. Grace be to you, John, and peace.

From: Rev'd Dr Maggi Dawn
John was a great inspiration to me, a kind and gracious teacher. Supervising me through Greek and New Testament studies he always made theology seem like a huge adventure. I shall always remember him with gratitude.

From: Mr Kim Wells
Revd Sweet was my tutor in my first two undergraduate years (89-91) and a warmer, more compassionate man would be hard to find. I will never forget our termly escapes to Barton Road and those wonderful Sunday lunches with Mary and their enthusiastic dog (Tanter I think). John always sought me out at reunions and had a wonderful knack to make you feel like you were the person he most wanted to speak to that evening. My heartfelt condolences to Mary and his family. Rest in peace John.

From: Ms Catherine Davies
Rev Sweet was very kind to me during my years at Selwyn. My condolences to his family and friends.

From: Mr Alan Jones
I was at Selwyn from '62-'65 and sang in the College Choir. My memories of John Sweet were of an immensely kind, dignified and thoughtful man. He treated undergraduates as thinking people rather than temporary nuisances. He was unfailingly patient and charming in his manner, and always seemed to me to have a saintly, other-worldly aura about him. Just by his presence he brought a calmness amid the rush and was a reminder that deeper spiritual values counted. I will always remember him with gratitude and send my thoughts and condolences to his family.

From: Ms Caroline Millar
I was very sad to learn of the passing of John Sweet. I recall him fondly as my tutor at Selwyn. He was one of the first people I met when I arrived from Australia, somewhat culture shocked and overwhelmed, in October 1978. He seemed so quintessially English, unfailingly courteous and correct. Bethan Morgan wrote of Mary's famous Sunday lunches. You won't remember me Mary after all these years but I thought it very generous of you all to invite us. The girls used to scowl at the undergraduates which always made me laugh as I had done just the same at their age to visitors my father (also an academic) had to the house. It was lovely to see Alison (I think it was) all grown up and delightful in Australia some years later. My good thoughts are with all your family at this sad and difficult time.

From: Rev Daniel B. England
As an American completely terrified by the prospect of Cambridge, John Sweet was a compassionate and soothing presence, but a challenging one as well. After reading him my first (pathetic) essay, he simply said to me, "That's fine, but what do you think?" to which the answer was, "I have no idea." Off he sent me to rewrite the essay having actually thought about it. And so began my true education. The other memory I have is his quoting Ecclesiastes 7:13: Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? Thus did John share a sense of irony with the Almighty. What a wonderful man.

From: The Rev John Silk
I remember John as the most patient and kindly of teachers,an encouraging director of studies,and a model of the integration of faith and learning.In later years I was always struck by the warmth of his greeting and his recall not only of names but of personal details, even after a long gap.

From: Mr John Harcourt
Although I had little personal contact with John Sweet during my time at Selwyn (1966-69), his influence and charismtic presence were all-pervasive, and I enjoyed the enthusiastic and very affectionate reports of his endearing ways through friends reading theology. Along with Owen Chadwick and Bob Hardy he formed a magnificent trio of truly inspiring preachers in chapel and provided for us undergraduates a warm and compassionate community at a time, for some of us at least, of a troubled transition from youth to adulthood. He will remain, in his Christian humility and goodness, a lasting inspiration to us all. May he rest in peace. My deepest sympathy to his widow and family.

From: Revd. Thomas Thomas
John Sweet was a wonderful, gentle and godly man who combined academic rigour with a quality of human warmth and kidness which was exceptional. I am profoundly grateful for the way he welcomed me to Selwyn and remained a caring, guiding and encorugaing presence throughout my time there. He was an inspiring director of studies and a remarkable exmaple of a learned man of faith. It was a privilege to have known him and to have learnt from him.

From: Denne Mark
John's memory in my mind will live for as long as I do. A truly remarkable man with remarkable gifts of understanding and graciousness. A truly hospitable man who knew how to put students at their ease at all times. His smile is perhaps his most enduring memory. But his wisdom and his insight and the genuineness of his concern for others; these also will be remembered always.

From: Mr Roger Sudbury
John Sweet (or JPMS) was my tutor when I was at Selwyn in 1980-1983, and I got to know him more closely through my singing with the Chapel Choir and when I served as Chapel Sacristan for a year. He was a lovely and gentle man. I always thought that, from a distance, he looked like the archetypal Anglican curate or Cambridge don - other worldly, mind apparently on higher things, a bit dusty and abstracted, just the sort of person a Victorian cartoonist would have delighted to draw. But then when you spoke to him, his face would light up with enthusiasm and he would soon dispel the 'dusty and abstracted' impression with an acute awareness of exactly what was going on in the world, and his voice would convey warmth and humour and understanding. His sermons were the same - exactly to the point, thought-provoking, grounded in real life, always repaying close attention and reflection. He was a quiet saint, and I am glad that I knew him.

From: Prof. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian
I met Dr. Sweet for the first time in October 2007 when I delivered the Teape Lectures at Cambridge University. The Teape Lectures were something that were very dear to Canon Sweet and kept his life-long interest in India alive. They contributed to the ongoing theological interaction between Hinduism and Christianity, and as the guiding "guru" of the Teape legacy, he worked tirelessly to maintain the high standards and expectations of the lectures. My memories of him are not just of a kind and welcoming host, who went out of his way to make my stay pleasant and productive, but also of someone who was willing to listen and learn as yet another generation of Indian-Christian scholars continued the process of interrogating Christianity in a multifaith and pluralistic context. He will be greatly missed, but his gentle and warm personality and large-heartedness will continue to brighten the lives of those who were privileged to know him.

From: Mr Andrew Donald Hardy
I shall always remember John Sweet as a deeply caring individual who was a good family friend. He preached at my own father's funeral back in July 1977 and I know my mother found his words as a source of strength at what was a difficult time for my family.

(My father was Donald Peveril Hardy 1912-1977,a graduate of Selwyn in the 1930s)

From: Mr Paul O'Shea
John was always the human face of Selwyn.He was the first contact the moment you arrived as one of his tutee's and then he seemed to keep track of your career from then on.He made you welcomed and good about himself.The words said at his recent memorial service from friends, family and Bishops alike said it all.Through humility, care and subtle intelligence he reached out to so many. I feel honoured to have been associated with him.

From: Robert Craig
Idly visiting Selwyn's website for the first time in many years, I've just learned of John's death. The memories inspired by reading the tributes already here bring a smile with the sadness at his passing. He was all one could ask in a personal Tutor - interested, supportive, perceptive, wise - and rock solid amongst the rollercoaster highs and lows of undergraduate life. His was the first home I visited on arriving in Canbridge, and the last hand I shook on leaving. We were lucky to know him.