Ann Bucknall was truly a humble and faithful servant of our Lord. Alongside her friendly and thoughtful manner was a remarkable courage and pioneering spirit. In her quiet, generous and unassuming way Ann played her part in taking forwards God’s global mission.
It seems fitting to allow this tribute issued by the Bishop of West Malaysia to express on behalf of many in the Dioceses of Lichfield and Birmingham and in the Dioceses of West Malaysia and Singapore, our gratitude for her life of mission and service.
Bishop Steven Abbarow responded immediately to news of her death on 19th June and issued a letter for circulation amongst his Diocese and beyond. He wrote:
The Rev Ann Bucknall was a missionary to Singapore and Malaysia. After serving in the Diocese of Singapore Ann Bucknall came to the Diocese of West Malaysia. Initially she was on the staff off the Christian Training Centre (CTC), when it was at Sungai Buloh and moved with CTC to Brickfields. She was also involved in training a number of deaconesses there, and some young men as Parish Assistants. One of them was Solomon Rajah who became Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, She also taught at Kolej Theology Malaysia, which eventually became Seminar Theology Malaysia (STM).
After returning to the United Kingdom, she attended Queen’s Theological College, Birmingham, was ordained Deaconess in 1987 and was priested in 1994. She served her ordained ministry in the Diocese of Birmingham and then Lichfield.
She was secretary of SWMDA (Singapore and West Malaysian Diocesan Association), a grouping of UK missionaries and others who served the Anglican Church in Singapore and West Malaysia, for many years. Even after returning to England, and much later in retirement, she continues to assist Malaysian Anglicans, acting as host and mentor for Volunteers under the the St Chad’s Trust exchange programme between the Diocese of West Malaysia and Lichfield. The Revd Ann Bucknall hosted many of our people, provided pastoral care and journeyed with hurting clergy and deaconesses from our Diocese. The Diocese of West Malaysia owes much to Ann Bucknall.
The Revd Dr Albert Sundaraj Walters, former lecturer at STM, former Principal of St Andrew’s Theological College in Dhaka, Bangladesh and former Vicar-General of the Anglican Church in Iran, wrote of his sadness at her death - ‘Ann was my teacher in Seminary and a wonderful friend, she would have been 92 on August 6th the Feast of the Transfiguration - the day I stepped into Seminary.
Canon Andrew Khoo, Chancellor of the Diocese of West Malaysia, alongside many strategic roles within the wider Anglican Communion, included many of these tributes on social media and shared a remarkable black and white photograph of Ann in 1978 showing Annam Arumamayatagam with the, then, Revd Ponniah Moses and Bishop JG Savarimuthu.
Ann's funeral is on Friday 9 August at St Chad's church in Lichfield
Revd Philip Swan
Director of World Mission in Lichfield Diocese (2010-2021)