Dr. Mariano Di Gangi -- saint, scholar, shepherd, statesman, and servant -- was summoned to higher service on March 18th at age 84, after some 62 years of service as an ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some at Parkwood Church will remember him as guest preacher on a few occasions until 2004 when illness prevented his taking further preaching engagements. Others will recall him as minister at St. Enoch's Church, Hamilton in the 1950s, as spokesman for Interserve during the 1970s, or as pastor at Knox Church, Toronto in the late 1980s. I remember him as an inspiration and example to students preparing for ministry and as a leader in the cause of Christ -- seeking to preserve and promote the health and honour of the Church throughout the world and through The Presbyterian Church in Canada in particular.

Dr. Di Gangi would be the first to say that we ought not to think of him, but rather of Christ. Yet, with the apostle Paul who said, "I urge you to imitate me" (1 Corinthians 4: 16, NIV), we are called to follow others inasmuch and insofar as they follow Christ. We have reason to reflect on those qualities which seen in the life and witness of Mariano Di Gangi show us who we are called to be as disciples of Jesus Christ. I give five, and in keeping with his fondness for "apt alliteration's artful aid", each starts with the same letter "s".

A saint - A saint is a sinner saved by grace, who is slowly but surely by the Holy Spirit being sanctified. There was among the testimony of those who knew him most nearly -- his family -- common affirmation that Dr. Di Gangi's life gave consistent evidence of words and deeds, attitudes and actions, married in happy and humble service to Jesus. He lived for Christ in all he did. He was rightly described as a Renaissance man, whose love of art, music, and letters all found fruitful expression in his painting, his music, and his writing. Coming once to live in a newly-painted manse, he caused some consternation to the hardworking church managers by asking if could have permission to paint the walls in one room, which he transformed into a beautiful fresco. His published exposition of the texts in Handel's Messiah has enhanced the understanding and appreciation of concertgoers. The gems of wisdom mined from a lifetime of reading the great theologians and preachers of the Puritan period will continue to inspire future generations of pastors to preach the word of God faithfully.

A scholar - A scholar seeks to master a chosen field of study and share the fruits of learning with those who will follow. Dr. Di Gangi's Italian heritage led him to recover the writings of the Italian reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli. His work in translating them has ensured their availability to the wider Church in our generation and those to come.

A shepherd - A shepherd is a pastor who seeks in the manner of the Great Shepherd, Jesus, to feed and protect the flock of God, the sheep for whom Jesus laid down his life. Among the Italian immigrants in Montreal in the 1940s and the Scots-Irish steelworkers in Hamilton in the 1950s, Dr. Di Gangi called men and women to find the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ, and equipped and nurtured them for service. He led the church in Philadelphia in the 1960s amid the challenges of the civil rights movement to integrate its witness and embrace those of all races and ethnic origins, and continued two decades later in cosmopolitan Toronto to gather a congregation from all corners of the world, training students in some cases to return their native lands to live and lead for Jesus Christ.

A statesman - A statesman is a leader skilled in the management of public affairs, bringing together many for a common cause and inspiring their service. Whether directing the work of the Board of Evangelism and Social Action across the whole of The Presbyterian Church in Canada from 1955-1960, leading the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada as President from 1969-1971, or directing the international work of Interserve across two decades until 1986, Dr. Di Gangi's service as a wise and respected statesman for the Christian Church has few equals among his generation of Canadian Presbyterians.

A servant - A servant serves, doing without complaining what is asked. I remember Dr. Di Gangi telling me once that he was returning from a trip to Italy in order to discharge his duty to serve as a commissioner to the General Assembly, at the height of a great controversy which then troubled the peace of the church. I recall another instance where though in great pain on account of troubles with his back he sat faithfully through long sessions where the church was gathered again to seek and to do the will of God. In his final years, his calling was to lovingly care for his dear wife as she struggled with impairment of memory that sometimes comes with advancing age.

Two memorial services were held: in Ottawa on March 22nd, and in Toronto on April 22nd. On both occasions, the gathered congregation sung in heartfelt thanksgiving to God the great hymn, "For all the saints who from their labours rest". May the passing of this saint, scholar, shepherd, statesman, and servant inspire us to sing and serve, seeking to take all our thoughts and intentions and make them captive to Christ.

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Your pastor, much enriched by knowing the Lord's servant,
James T. Hurd