Father Edmund Hartley R.I.P
Father Ed, affectionately known as ‘Fred’ by those that knew him well, died peacefully in his sleep yesterday morning. I’d known him for over twenty years, and he usually called me Trevor no matter how often I corrected him. In the end I accepted the name to the extent that some people thought that Trevor really was my name. Sadly he suffered from Alzheimer’s towards the end of his life and then he started calling me Doug!
I’m not Roman Catholic, but my wife is and consequently the children who attended a Catholic Primary School. I didn’t attend his church except for Christenings [my kids], funerals of relatives, and Christmas carol services. But I was closely involved with the Catholic School, and even taught art there a bit. I’m also a life member of the Catholic Church Social Club. The Irish members of the congregation know how to have a good time…
Fred was not your ‘ordinary’ priest, were he I doubt whether we would have been friends, He was a former army chaplain and had a very broad knowledge and understanding of his fellow man. He often upset members of his congregation by saying unconventional things. In many ways he was ahead of his time. I remember a lady I knew well coming out from Mass huffing and puffing. ‘He said there is no such thing as Hell! Well, that’s it then. If there is no hell, I’m simply not going to die! I might meet Hitler!’.
Following complaints the bishop would arrive to have a quiet word with Fred. Father Ed would pour him a glass of port, or two, or more, and they would talk about old times. Then the bishop would toddle back to the station, no doubt wondering why he had come down to Folkestone in the first place.
The new priest is a former Anglican who changed to Roman Catholicism because he is against women priests and gay marriage. He is married [the Pope gave them all permission to keep their wives if they did a swop], but his wife never attends church social functions. I don’t blame her.
Fr Ed was Parish Priest of St Joseph’s in Cheriton from 1983 until 2016 when his deteriorating health forced his retirement.
In this strange time of a virus controlling our life, we have to go on living, because this is our faith and our hope.. There is life after life..
Deacon Gehad Homsey
Father Edmund Hartley R.I.P
Father Ed, affectionately known as ‘Fred’ by those that knew him well, died peacefully in his sleep yesterday morning. I’d known him for over twenty years, and he usually called me Trevor no matter how often I corrected him. In the end I accepted the name to the extent that some people thought that Trevor really was my name. Sadly he suffered from Alzheimer’s towards the end of his life and then he started calling me Doug!
I’m not Roman Catholic, but my wife is and consequently the children who attended a Catholic Primary School. I didn’t attend his church except for Christenings [my kids], funerals of relatives, and Christmas carol services. But I was closely involved with the Catholic School, and even taught art there a bit. I’m also a life member of the Catholic Church Social Club. The Irish members of the congregation know how to have a good time…
Fred was not your ‘ordinary’ priest, were he I doubt whether we would have been friends, He was a former army chaplain and had a very broad knowledge and understanding of his fellow man. He often upset members of his congregation by saying unconventional things. In many ways he was ahead of his time. I remember a lady I knew well coming out from Mass huffing and puffing. ‘He said there is no such thing as Hell! Well, that’s it then. If there is no hell, I’m simply not going to die! I might meet Hitler!’.
Following complaints the bishop would arrive to have a quiet word with Fred. Father Ed would pour him a glass of port, or two, or more, and they would talk about old times. Then the bishop would toddle back to the station, no doubt wondering why he had come down to Folkestone in the first place.
The new priest is a former Anglican who changed to Roman Catholicism because he is against women priests and gay marriage. He is married [the Pope gave them all permission to keep their wives if they did a swop], but his wife never attends church social functions. I don’t blame her.
Fr Ed was Parish Priest of St Joseph’s in Cheriton from 1983 until 2016 when his deteriorating health forced his retirement.
In this strange time of a virus controlling our life, we have to go on living, because this is our faith and our hope.. There is life after life..
Deacon Gehad Homsey