Local Church Of Ireland Priest Publishes Memoirs
Published 19/03/2002

Monkstown resident, Reverend Patrick Semple is a semi-retired Church of Ireland priest who has turned to writing. His latest book, 'Believe it Not" is a straight talking, honest and often humorous insider account of growing up in the Church of Ireland, of becoming a priest and of his years of ministry. Born in Wexford town in 1939, his early memories were of the occasional German planes flying overhead, fair days, valve radios and ponies and traps. Most families were church going, as were his. Without sentimentalising his school days, Patrick Semple describes a childhood where relations with Catholic neighbours were warm and friendly, but at the end of the day, all Protestants were going to hell!

Patrick Semple's ministry originally took him to Belfast- where he says even as a Protestant minister he attracted curiosity as a southerner and a nationalist. His varied career also took him to the Divinity School of the University of Chicago and a rural parish in Co Laois- prompting him to learn a little about farming to blend in!

While in Belfast he began to believe in political change as "the only way to change society for the better" However his membership of the Labour Party provoked quite a stir in church circles! His career also included a long spell as Adult Christian Education Officer, a parish in the Wicklow mountains and in Dublin's North inner city, and he was also a chaplain to Mountjoy jail. Since he retired he has published short stories and broadcast.

This book is an entertaining read, and gives a rare insight into what it's like to be a Minister of a minority religion in Ireland. While he is keen to emphasise what he finds admirable about his Church, Patrick Semple is also keen to emphasise similarities in Christian belief. In one of his parishes he had organised a series of inter-denominational talks on this subject. He was invited on the Late Late Show to discuss these and host Gay Byrne simply said, "We was conned!" Patrick Semple describes his life as a priest as being a satisfying one adding, "Unless you misbehave or lose the faith completely, you'll always have a job."

 

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