Fr Francis Kemsley, O Carm, RIP

Fr Francis Kemsley with Phil Kerton and Shinto monk Taishi Kato

26th October 2023 saw the funeral at Aylesford, Kent, of former Prior, Fr Francis Kemsley, O Carm, who had died on 8th October. Every seat in the Relic Chapel was taken, including a number of chairs imported for the day, with more people taking refuge for seats in St Joseph's Chapel to follow a relay. The principal celebrant was Fr Brendan Grady O Carm, the Provincial Superior, one of some dozens of Carmelites in attendance together with yet more diocesan clergy led by Bishop Paul Hendricks.

Francis was born on 30th December 1954 in nearby Chatham at the mouth of the River Medway that runs alongside the Priory, sometime flooding.

He often visited Aylesford in his childhood, while being educated at local Catholic schools. He formed a desire to be of service to others and started work at Leybourne Grange, which ministered to those with special needs in premises alongside the British Legion Village, not far from the Priory. However work was cut short when he responded to the call to Carmel and joined the novitiate in September 1973, a few months before his 19th birthday, taking the name 'Francis'.

He delighted in the Kent countryside and towns immortalised by Charles Dickens in his tales set alongside the Dover Road from London. He would sometimes surprise visitors by pointing out that Chatham, with its naval dockyard, had been subjected to a brief invasion from Holland a couple of years before William of Orange was welcomed as ruler of Britain, jointly with his wife, Mary.

Early in his studies, Francis gained a City & Guilds certificate in Horticultural Studies which later stood him in good stead when faced with the considerable number of trees and plants at Aylesford. He studied for the priesthood at the Milltown Institute in Dublin, and upon return to the UK was assigned to the parish of English Martyrs, Walworth, where he was ordained as deacon. He was ordained a priest at Aylesford on 5th December 1992.

In due course, despite some major health problems, Francis served the British Province of Carmelites as formator (a trainer of novices), as parish priest in Faversham and Walworth, and as Prior of Aylesford. He sat on several Provincial commissions and was elected to the Prior Provincial's Council, taking part in national and European gatherings. His brother Carmelites remember him as being friendly and approachable, seemingly at ease with people from any walk of life or background.

He took particular care to welcome Pilgrims, including attendees at Assemblies of the Southwark Diocesan Commission for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation and at annual remembrances of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki organised by the Kent Area J&P Group, whose core planning meetings he took part in for several years. Alongside active ecumenical work, including posts at Rochester Cathedral, he took particular pleasure in welcoming a Shinto Priest from Japan to join one service.

Those at his funeral were told that Francis had selected all the hymns and readings and that there would be no eulogy because we could ponder that his choices reflected lessons from his Faith journey. However, in the homily we were treated to wise words about these hymns and readings and their significance.

The LiveStream record is now attracting hundreds of views on the community's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U39LSz1ELRY

Social media comments have included: 'a kind and generous person who will be sorely missed', 'always such a lovely and kind man' 'too young and a lot more to do on earth' , 'such a kind and gracious priest' 'kind humble and caring' , 'a true gent who lived out his faith with great humility and servitude.'

God speed, my friend: may you rest in peace and rise in glory!