Celebrating Priesthood in Fiction – The Priests of Craggy Island
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When my sister found out that I had applied to join the Order; she took me aside and very seriously looked me in the eye and said, “It is not going to be like Father Ted … you do realise that don’t you?” I don’t know if this says more about me or about her.
Father Ted, although consisting of only 25 episodes, is without doubt one of the greatest sitcoms ever performed. The show depicts the surreal, strange, madcap and just plain silly exploits of three Catholic priests, Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal Maguire and the retired Father Jack Hackett, who serve a parish on a fictional remote island off the west coast of Ireland. This troublesome trio have been exiled by the tyrannical Bishop Len Brennan, because of embarrassing incidents in their past: Ted for alleged financial impropriety (but to be fair the Lourdes money was only resting in his account), Dougal for something only referred to as the “Blackrock Incident”, and Jack for his alcoholism. It is fair to say that none of the occupants of the Craggy Island parochial house are models for priesthood. Nevertheless they carry out their duties to the best of their limited ability.
Father Ted could be classified as a parody of Irish clerical culture but it never takes itself too seriously. It is not a tool for bashing the church. It is very much in the vein of its co-creator Graham Linehan’s other works. One of the central themes of Black Books, The I.T. Crowd, Big Train and Father Ted is creating a surreal and zany world around what would normally be a serious or dry scenario. Whilst at times Father Ted may be irreverent to a bishop or poke fun at nuns, it does so in a friendly and affectionate way, rather than the nasty mocking humour of something like Popetown. If anything, Father Ted only points out how people in general, not only within the Church, can be so foolish in their desires for money, fame and sex. One of the most positive aspects of Father Ted is how it humanises the clergy, although at times in a greatly exaggerated way.
One of the funniest elements of Father Ted is the array of eccentric priests we encounter, such as the monkey priest, the mobile phone carrying Larry Duff, the dancing priest, and Graham Norton as youth worker Father Noel Furlong. This dysfunctional family of priests reflects a great reality: the common brotherhood of all priests.Whilst they are very different as individuals, all priests share the common character and duty bestowed by the sacrament of Holy Orders. As in Father Ted, they form a community and can support and encourage each other in their vocation. The clerical subculture portrayed in Father Ted is shown in a good light but it does remind priests and religious not to be inward looking and to remember that we are here to serve the Church, not just to take part in the Eurovision song contest!
In the UK you can view full episodes free and legally here. Go on watch a few … ah go on … just a little episode … go on… ah go on … go on … go on … GO ON!
