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Frost taught at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey for almost seven years. He was the first representative of the Catholic Church to teach as a permanent professor at the institute, serving from the 38th to the 44th graduate school (1989-96).
Through this role, he made a significant contribution to ecumenical formation within the WCC context.
In 1996, Rev. Dr Hans-Ruedi Weber, former director of biblical studies at the WCC, wrote about Frost in his book “A Laboratory for Ecumenical Life. The Story of Bossey 1946-1996.”
“In 1989, for the first time in Bossey’s history, a Roman Catholic priest and theologian joined the resident teaching team for a seven-year term. Francis Frost from Great Britain was seconded by what has now become the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He has special interests in interconfessional dialogue, notably with Methodist churches, and a great concern to link academic studies with worship. He was also much involved in the joint consultations of the Christian Medical Commission and Bossey.”
Born in London in 1933, Frost was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Salford, Great Britain, in 1958. Holding a doctorate in theology with a particular interest in ecclesiology and ecumenism, he taught at the Catholic Institute of Lille, France, until 1990.
From 1995, he taught at the Seminary of the Society of Saint John Vianney in Ars-sur-Formans, France.
He was also actively involved in official ecumenical dialogue. He served as a member of the mixed commission for bilateral dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Roman Catholic Church, reflecting his sustained engagement with inter-church relations and Christian unity.
Frost penned an entry, entitled “Methodism,” in the WCC publication Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement.
Upon retirement, he remained affiliated with the Diocese of Salford through its retired clergy care office.
His funeral will be celebrated on 12 January at the Church of the Sacred Heart (Église du Sacré-Cœur) in Bourg-en-Bresse, France.
