Fr Hugh's family lived in our parish he died just aover a month ago, his Telegraph obituary tells of his eccentricity, in this he was like his family, like his family too he was mild, unshockable and kind.
There is a story that is part of the parish memory, which I should say Fr Hugh told me wasn't quite true, but it seems to fit in with those told in the Telegraph.
There is a story that is part of the parish memory, which I should say Fr Hugh told me wasn't quite true, but it seems to fit in with those told in the Telegraph.
Canon Smith, the parish priest, visited Lady Barrett-Lennard sometime in the sixties, and noticed that there were some pictures that were missing in the hallway.
Canon Smith: You seem to have lsot some of your pictures.
Lady B-L: Oh, I wonder how that could have happened.
Canon Smith: Could it be that you always leave the front door unlocked.
Lady B-L: It is the butlers job to lock the door.
Canon Smith: But you haven't had a butler since the beginning of the war.
Lady B-L: If the door hasn't been locked for twenty-five years, you rally can't expect to keep your pictures, Canon, can you?
Read his extra-ordinary obituary here,
it gives heart, hope and direction to those of us who are only mildly eccentric.
A question: why is it that we English do eccentric with such style.
Canon Smith: You seem to have lsot some of your pictures.
Lady B-L: Oh, I wonder how that could have happened.
Canon Smith: Could it be that you always leave the front door unlocked.
Lady B-L: It is the butlers job to lock the door.
Canon Smith: But you haven't had a butler since the beginning of the war.
Lady B-L: If the door hasn't been locked for twenty-five years, you rally can't expect to keep your pictures, Canon, can you?
Read his extra-ordinary obituary here,
it gives heart, hope and direction to those of us who are only mildly eccentric.
A question: why is it that we English do eccentric with such style.
10 comments:
Very glad to see the post about Fr. Sir Hugh Barrett-Lennard who died in June.
Yes, a great obituary in the Daily Telegraph.
The Telegraph seems to specialise in obituaries which are slightly off-beat or downright entertaining.
They had plenty of material here..
Father had two qualities which are endearing in a priest :
a). eccentricity (optional)
b). unshockability (essential)
He of course had two further qualities :
a). faith
b). humour
Both in my opinion are esential.
He will be much missed.
Thanks for posting this item and the pointer to the Telegraph obit. The business with the tennis racket alone tells you all you need to know about him!
A true eccentric is impervious to criticism because he does not recognize his own eccentricity. A contrived eccentric is a poseur, quickly seen through, and seen as a pain. Most are fond of the first and irritated by the second.
Dear Gem,
Doesn't every priest hold up grill or grating when hearing a woman's confession outside of a confessional?
I admit using sporting equipment is a little unusual, but it all depends on one's game.
well naturally i love eccentricity...he sounds a wonderful Priest. i so loved the story of his mother leaving the door open & how she described things..a bit like my own brand of logic!
The really wonderful thing about Fr Barrett-Lennard was his natural holiness and wonderful pastoral apostolate which embraced every section of society without reserve or distinction. He was an inspired confessor who left his penitents with a smile on their face and a strengthened resolve to make a fresh start. His 'eccentricities' brought him into contact with people who might otherwise have known little about the Church or been alienated from it. These rare qualities have long been absent from the London Oratory and I wish they could still be found there. Many of the old Fathers shared them in different ways.
Thank you for pointing us in the direction of the obituary. It reminded me of an event many years ago, when my father, musician and slightly eccentric too, decided to lock all the internal doors at home before leaving the house. On returning and finding he had lost his keys, he broke into the french window only to discover he could not get out of the dining room because he had locked the door! I do not remember the consequences except that my mother was not at all pleased when we returned!!
Fr. Ray, I just loved that touch of whimsy with the racket. You can almost see the twinkle in his eye when he did it. It was most definitely a left thumb over right gesture! I also got a kick out of the "Dorchester incident" mentioned. He must have been "something else."
For a really "out there" obit, check out the following:
Fred Arthur Clarke
http://www.legacy.com/TimesDispatch/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=18382676
Hopefully it won't get truncated, but it was a real obit last year in the Richmond, Va. paper.
Karen H. -- San Diego, Ca.
Actually, as far as the racket incident is concerned, I remember a priest doing something similar, when I was a young man and taking some aspects of confession far, far too seriously.
He turned his scapular and hood around to cover his face.
I was a pupil at the London Oratory and a young officer in the school's cadet detachment. I remember Fr Hugh well. He would appear at our weekend camps complete with food stains on his jumper and the initial wariness of the boys would quickly disappear as he had a natural ability to put young people at ease. He also brought me back to the church after an absence of ten years. He was a holy man and a good man and I know that the Lord will be saying to him 'Oh, it's you at last - come on in and make everyone smile!"
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