NEW BEDFORD — The Rev. Philip Carlton Douglas, age 88, died unexpectedly August 4, 2011. He was the husband of the late Marie (Selig) Douglas to whom he was married for 53 years.
Born in Gloucester, Ma. on October 11, 1922, he was the son of the late Louis R. Douglas and Ethel (Johnson) Douglas. After graduating from Tufts university with a degree in history, he received an advanced degree in theology from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.
Rev. Douglas came to New Bedford as curate at Grace Episcopal Church in 1948, then served as rector of the Church of Our Savior in Middleboro, Ma. from 1952-1955. He was then called back to Grace Church in 1955 to serve as rector until his retirement in 1988. Rev. Douglas celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination in 2009.
Rev. Douglas served the community with honor, dignity and humility. Though controversial at the time, he repeatedly built bridges of cooperation between faiths. Among them were giving the local Jewish community use of the church to worship in when they had no synagogue and inviting the noted Roman Catholic Cardinal Cushing to address his congregation. In 1965, he marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in Montgomery, Alabama. Typically, he described this act of courage as simply "an expression of the church's involvement in society at large."
He was involved with the former Men's Mission, served as trustee of the James Arnold Fund, was a member of the Men's Luncheon Club and was a founding member and President Emeritus of the Markey Ministries whose building is named in his honor.
Rev. Douglas is survived by his daughters: Nancy Foster and her husband Jeffrey of Nashua, NH, Susan Knight and her husband Thomas of Hopkinton, Ma., and Joan Douglas and her companion Peter Blunsden of Raymond, Me., his granddaughters: Victoria and Catherine Knight and his sister Phyllis Malone of Gloucester, Ma. He was father of the late Deborah Louise Douglas who died in 1955.
A memorial service will be held today, Sunday, August 7th at 4 p.m. in Grace Episcopal Church, County and School Streets in New Bedford. Burial in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Gloucester is private.
It would be appreciated if remembrances be made in his name to the church memorial fund, 133 School St., New Bedford, MA 02740, or any other act of kindness be performed in his memory.
Arrangements are with the Wilson Chapel, 479 County St., New Bedford.