Jacqueline Wijngaards-Clackson
Jackie died of a heart attack on the 7th of May 2022
Obituary by John Wijngaards published in RENEW June 2022 no 202, pg. 13.
My dear wife Jackie was a special person. In many ways she was self-made. Although her mother Tess was a Catholic, her father Norman refused to have her baptised at birth. “Let her decide for herself”, he said. He also took her from a Catholic primary school when a nun told Jackie to ask for baptism.
As a teenager Jackie sought her own way. She wrote down her thoughts in a daily diary. She roamed on her pony Puffin through neighbouring forests. While on holiday she would venture out on her father’s sailing dinghy at times all by herself.
While studying at college in London she discovered God – in the midst of a very hectic life. “At times I glimpsed a greater depth”, she wrote later. “Underneath the noise I perceived another dimension. It would happen on a crowded bus or during a morning coffee break, sitting in a busy, noisy college canteen . . . the fullness found in silence would suddenly overwhelm me as it had done before –when I walked through fields and forests, or sailed over wind powered waves.”
When she realised God did exist, she started another search: which Christian community to join? She tried all varieties, she told me. She visited all kind of churches. She attended prayer meetings of Baptists and Pentecostals. In the end she chose the Catholic Church ‘because it worships through sacraments & symbols and is truly international’, she said to me. In spite of her father’s opposition, she took instruction in the faith and was baptised.
After qualifying as an art teacher and teaching in Bishop’s Stortford secondary school, she went even a step further. She decided to dedicate her life more fully to serving people. She joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and, after further training, took up her first overseas appointment.
Jackie spent 14 years as a missionary in India. First she became headmistress of a large primary school in Hyderabad. Then she was transferred to Kazipet to head a secondary school for girls. This was followed by her being given charge of a boarding school in Hanumakonda where she also had responsibility for the candidates who were preparing to join the FMM Religious Congregation. She underwent an intensive six-months’ training course in theology and worked in Amruthavani Communications Centre in Hyderabad.
In all these places she made innumerable friends. Here are some of the tributes I received from her former students, Christian or otherwise, in the past few days: “She was bright, friendly and loving. A very good headmistress and friend for life.” Another one: “I have known her since my elementary school in Hyderabad, bringing joy and love wherever she went.” Then this one: “She was such a lovely person, always smiling and always ready with a kind word. She was one of the best people who influenced me.” And this one: “I have very fond memories of her. I always remember her singing with her guitar during religion class.”
After India in 1984, Jackie co-founded Housetop Centre for Faith Formation in London with me. Westminster Archdiocese entrusted the care for members of the so-called ‘Sects & Cults’ to us. During my annual five-months lecture tours in India, she dealt with dozens of difficult cases on her own. Together we planned the ‘Walking on Water’ series of catechetical video courses which eventually were adapted into 13 world languages and distributed in 50 countries. Jackie looked after the account of our Centre and oversaw its overall management especially when gradually more volunteers joined our team.
Jackie was also involved in other international ventures. To mention but a few: When the Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan asked us to help set up a national communication centre, Jackie conducted a diocese-by-diocese on the ground research to list all the existing local communications efforts – before we came together in Lahore to present a coordinated plan to the Bishops’ Conference. She helped me find Christian partner colleges for our Catherine of Siena online formation programme in India and Thailand. She gave a course of lectures to a renewal seminar of Religious Superiors in Kisubi, Uganda.
How can I describe Jackie? How can I do justice to her?
Jackie was an artist. In London she conducted one-hour meditation services illuminated by a slide projection of natural scenes she had photographed. She loved to create. She painted 40 full-size images to illustrate scripture passages in our Walking on Water videos. She regularly published reviews of art exhibitions in the feminist magazine Network. Every year she designed her own Christmas card which she distributed by hand, by post, by email, by Facebook.
Jackie was a people’s person. Everywhere she made friends, and she stayed in touch with them – through life. Colleagues among teachers, religious sisters, social workers; ex-pupils from her schools; neighbours from the many places where she had lived; members of the many organizations she was part of; even co-pupils from her primary school and college days. Last week I received a condolence letter that said: “You should know that I have not met Jackie for the past sixty years, but we kept in touch all this time. I have fond memories of us going to primary school together, dancing as we raced to catch the bus in all weathers.”
Jackie was a visionary. She passionately promoted justice for women, equal status for women also in the Church. For years she was a member of England’s Catholic Women’s Council and the central committee of We Are Church UK. Whenever possible she joined the demonstrations organised by Catholic Women’s Ordination in front of Westminster Cathedral.
Jackie was the beating heart of our Institute’s team of volunteers. She thoughtfully marked and celebrated everyone’s birthday. She championed our work among our global network of supporters. She inspired us by her moving reflections at our prayer sessions. She lit up every event by her cheerfulness and enthusiastic support of each and everyone.
I have been privileged to have my dear Jackie as a partner for many years. I loved her. We shared everything. We had no secrets for each other. I will miss our intimacy, our planning projects together, our mutual joy at any success.
Love gives meaning to life. St John affirms in his first letter: “God is love. Whoever knows love, knows God.” In Jackie I have encountered the reality of God’s love in a very personal way. I will feel her absence more than I can say. But I am happy for her, knowing that she lives on in the realm of the deeper dimension underlying all creation, in the embrace of God who is Love.
John Wijngaards
See a photo gallery of Jackie and me here