A MUCH-LOVED Benedictine monk who was one of the key figures behind the successful ten-day One Voice ecumenical mission to the York area in 1992 has died.

Father Cyril Brooks was found dead in a chair in his room at Ampleforth Abbey yesterday, ten days after an operation to deal with an intestinal problem.

In the early 1990s he was part of a small community of monks at St Bede's Pastoral Centre, in Blossom Street, York, and served as Roman Catholic chaplain to All Saints' Roman Catholic School.

He was passionate about ecumenism, believing that churches should work together to spread the Gospel of Christ and became one of the three joint chairmen of One Voice, an interdenominational body set up to promote mission throughout the York area.

The other joint chairmen were the Rev David Mullins, then minister at Central Methodist Church, York, and Canon John Young, York Diocesan Evangelist.

Together they worked tirelessly to promote the One Voice mission, which brought thousands to York's Barbican Centre every evening from a huge area around the city.

Father Cyril cared so deeply about the project that he went on a 2,000-mile sponsored cycle ride round Britain to raise funds to meet the costs in the summer of that year.

He was then 62 and the journey, which he undertook all by himself, took 21 days. The Evening Press carried daily reports on his progress.

Father Cyril was actually a Baptist by upbringing and his family owned and ran a saddles and leather business in Walmgate, York, for many years.

Although he was a Benedictine monk he was widely regarded as a "good Methodist preacher" and frequently preached in Methodist churches in the area.

From time to time he also wrote an Evening Press column, the Saturday Sermon. He later went as a priest to Easingwold, but had to leave because of heart problems. Today, Canon Young said: "Cyril was enormous fun and a tremendous inspiration."

Updated: 11:19 Tuesday, September 04, 2001