Calgarians mourn local minister who was a trailblazer for social justice issues

Many in Calgary and beyond are mourning the loss of The Very Reverend William Frederick (Bill) Phipps, who died at home on March 4. 

Phipps was called a saint by some, a friend and mentor by others, and even occasionally a "prophet in a baseball cap." 

He served as the United Church of Canada's 36th moderator from 1997 to 2000, before retiring from ministry in 2007 after serving at Scarboro United Church in Calgary. 

Phipps was a trained lawyer and a fierce advocate for environmental and social justice, a passion that led him to participate in hunger strikes, pursue interfaith work and campaign for LGBTQ and Indigenous rights. 

In 1998, on behalf of the United Church, Phipps delivered one of the first apologies to Canada's Indigenous community for the role the church played in residential schools across the country. 

It was his love for people that drove Phipps to push the boundaries, said Julie Hrdlicka, who met him while working for a grassroots anti-war organization. 

"He did things because he knew that they were right. He wasn't out to please anybody," she said.

Hrdlicka, who knew Phipps for over 20 years, said he changed the way she viewed faith as a non-religious person. 

"I didn't always have the best perspective on religious leaders, but when you met Bill, there was no way that you couldn't be inspired by him," she said.

"He was a man of faith and just an incredible human being who you just gravitated toward because he was so passionate about people and the planet."

Rev. John Pentland of the Hillhurst United Church in Calgary said Phipps was a model example in how he lived out his faith and connected with his parishioners, caring less about his image and more about the message he was delivering. 

Phipps's wife Carolyn Pogue said "he was the same person in the kitchen as he was in the pulpit, Pentland recalled.

"He had that kind of integrity," he added. 

Pentland said that while many are guilty of judging one another based on differences, Phipps was driven by the principles of this faith to remind people of their interconnectedness. 

"As much as he was unique, he was the same as the rest of us," Pentland said.

Born in Toronto, Phipps was a loyal Blue Jays fan and was invited to throw the first pitch of a game in August 2000. He was also an avid outdoor enthusiast, who loved to paddle a canoe whenever he got the chance. 

His love of nature was echoed in his environmental activism work, where those who knew him said he carried out his mission with persistence. 

"He never stopped caring," said Joe Vipond, co-founder of the Calgary Climate Hub. 

"He was aware that we as a species are threatened and he wasn't willing to just stand by and let that happen." 

Phipps had a wicked sense of humour, said Vipond, that you could "see in his eyes." Until the end of his life,Phipps continued to meet with local politicians and those in the environmental community to move the dial on the issues he cared about., Vipond said.

"He's left a huge hole in the world and in Alberta. We should all aspire to have the impact that he's had."