Archbishop, 91, reflects on life at retirement from Sydney church

The patriarch of the African Orthodox Church is saying goodbye to the congregation he has served for 33 years in Sydney, N.S.

Archbishop Vincent Waterman, 91, and his wife, Isabel Waterman, established their ministry at St. Philip's African Orthodox Church in 1983.

"It was just a labour of joy," he said.

They are retiring to Halifax to be closer to family.

Worldwide church leader

The African Orthodox Church was formed in the United States in the early 1920s out of a desire by black Episcopalians to have a denomination of their own.

Waterman was elected as worldwide head of the 5,000-member church in October 2015, and enthroned to the position of patriarch.

He was born in Barbados in 1925, and moved to New York City in his early teens. He did different jobs and became the first black meter reader in New York.

Ministered John Lennon's killer

Waterman later became a priest and served as chaplain at Rikers Island jail.

One of his most challenging moments at Rikers was ministering to Mark David Chapman, the man convicted of assassinating John Lennon.

"You chose to do this why?" Waterman remembers asking him. "Because if you wanted somebody to know who you were, just stand up on a soap box and say, 'My name is.' Why should you kill someone?

"The good Lord is going to forgive you, but you are going to have to pay for it."

Followed Martin Luther King Jr.

Waterman was an avid follower of Martin Luther King Jr. and attended many of his speeches in New York in the 1960s.

"We would go to 125th and 7th Avenue, and listen to these people on a soap box or a ladder," he said.

"He was brilliant, [as was] Malcolm X."

'God heard my prayer'

One of his fondest moments was the day Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States.

"When I heard Obama was running, I was praying, 'Lord, just give him a chance'," Waterman said. "When I watched the numbers come in, I was fit to be tied, because I knew God heard my prayer."

'Smile when you're hurting'

Waterman said he's learned a lot about life from his years in ministry, and will continue to teach others, especially children, about the value of life.

"On my next journey in life, I believe it will be to educate youngsters [about] some of the things that I hold dear to myself: being nice to people, how to practice Christianity, how to smile when you're hurting, and how to face the world every morning and thank God for the gift of another day you've never seen," he said.

'Very difficult for him'

Waterman's wife, Isabel, said she sees this as a time to simply proceed in life.

"We've been here almost 34 years. We need time to ourselves. There's a season in life, so this is our season now," she said.

"To leave, it's going to be mixed feelings and I know it's going to be very difficult for him.... We hope this next journey will be a good journey."

A special mass will be held on Sunday at St Philip's Church to bid the Waterman family a fond farewell.

The archbishop said he will be available for pastoral duties in the Halifax area if he's needed.