Touching Cloth: Confessions and Communions of a Young Priest

by Fergus Butler-Gallie

The very word 'reverend' inspires solemnity.

To be a priest is to dedicate one's life to quiet prayer and spiritual contemplation. Isn't it? Fergus Butler-Gallie reveals what it's really like to become a priest in the twenty-first century. Find out why black really is slimming, how to keep a straight face when someone is inadvertently hot-boxing a funeral, and which royal-themed biscuit tin can best contain a very loud personal alarm that no one knows how to switch off. Spot a sweet old lady trying to pay for a taxi with coinage from fascist Spain? Congratulations, shepherd, she's your problem now.

Behind the daily scrapes is an all-too-human love letter to the Church of England, and the amazing variety of people who manage to keep it going, providing a listening ear, company and community at a time when so many people desperately need it, as well as a reflection on what it means to follow a spiritual path amid the chaos of the modern world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Religion, Christian, Biography, Audiobook, Ebooks

208 pages, Hardcover

Published June 23, 2023

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

was funny in parts but overall not my type of book

[Louise Bath · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This is a very entertaining account of the life of a young, peripatetic priest based in Liverpool, and is well-worth reading because, ultimately, it's not what you expect: well, it's certainly not what *I* expected. This is *not* a cosy, rose-tinted glasses collection of twee, whimsical tales of quirky parishioners, and slapstick events. Which isn't to say that there aren't genuinely touching moments and comedy capers in this book, as you might expect, given its title. But it's surprisingly dark, too.

One of my favourite stories is of Butler-Gaillie conducting a wake in Liverpool on a stiflingly hot day. With too many people in a too-small, curtained front room, he is leading the prayers for the dead when he realises that the smell of weed being smoked is coming into the room through an open window, and that his congregants are becoming noticeably more chilled than expected!

Another cautionary tale tells of the dangers of self-immolation when lighting the Easter Paschal candle from the fire lit for the first ceremony of Easter Day, symbolising the bringing of light from darkness.

Where the book becomes darker is when Butler-Gaillie talks about his current situation. At the time of writing it, he wasn't in a parish and was still looking for a permanent placement. He was also considering leaving the Church completely because of the cronyism he experienced when trying to find a parish in which to settle down and begin his ministry.

Fergus Butler-Gaillie writes well and doesn't sugar-coat any of his experiences, good or bad. As I said earlier, this isn't a cosy read, dealing as it does with his doubts and frustration.

[Willo Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly doesn't live up to its splendid title.

[Reuben · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Ben Jeapes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read with some deep insight and some hilarious episodes, but unfortunately interspersed with a lot more material that is informative but not as interesting or as funny as the author thinks. He does give a good description of the typical life of a low-ranking halfway-up-the-candle clergyman, but no real insight or explanation. He never really answers the question he opens with: why did he become a priest? Somehow God spoke to him as a young man, but there is no real description of that; and there are dropped hints of his clerical career coming to a screeching halt later in life as he took a job at a hellish church rife with spiritual abuse under an appalling vicar, but not much actual detail of that either.

Still, worth the price of admission for the anecdote about Robert Runcie.

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read with some amusing anecdotes and an insight into the church year from the point of view of a newly ordained priest. It was a bit uneven, some parts I really enjoyed while others fell a bit flat.

[Ruth Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have known from the title this wasn't for me. I was hoping for some insight, humbleness and kindness about working as a vicar. It was just a list of anecdotes that weren't funny, and a lot of toilet humour.

[Dani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing confessional in this I’m afraid. More of a reflective diary with an attempt at humour.

[John Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book but, coming to it as a theologian, it didn't answer the questions I wanted it to. To be fair, it probably wasn't written for the likes of me. I am a Roman Catholic and, as a left footer, I'm not quite in touch with the culture of the CofE. I think this was where my unanswered questions lay.

It is an honest memoir covering, essentially, his first year as an ordained vicar. He writes well and has plenty of amusing anecdotes that hit the mark. He has a knack of telling a gag. Alongside this, the book works on other levels. It is does explore the rhythm of the Church's year and addresses its feasts and traditions. Plenty of interesting characters pop up in its pages although, as a reader, I only felt I met Butler-Gallie himself.

I have always been a bit confused by 'High Church' CofE. Vicars get called 'Priests' or 'Father' and I always thought that was an RC thing. Also, 'High Church' Anglicans are very 'smells and bells' which is not only an RC tradition, but one of the very things The Reformation wished to reject. I don't understand this embracing of 'Popery'. Maybe those are the odd questions only folk like me ask.

I don't see why Butler-Gallie became ordained. The answer he gives in the book doesn't work for me, yet his vocation should be an essential component of this story. Perhaps that is an unfair expectation on my part.

The ending came as surprise. Or, did it?

[Kathy Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, I love a characterful priestly memoir. Laughed out loud at times, especially at some very niche theological references and observations. Charming and nerdy enjoyment aside, this was a great honest self portrait of vocation and the fundamental necessity of community and self-sacrifice to help weather the many storms of modern society. Loved the honest exploration of ‘wilderness’, doubt and despair from a figure we so often put on a pedestal as academic, holy and somehow ‘other’.

I recommend the audiobook, read entertainingly by the author - although 1.5x speed minimum to cut through his slow tempo !

[Tony Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Having seen Reverend Butler-Gallie give a talk at a Stratford-upon-Avon literary festival, I was intrigued to find out more about his writing, especially since I had read his Field Guide to the English Clergy a few years ago.

This particular book is a summary of the challenges and highlights of his first year in ordained ministry, mostly in Liverpool. The author is brutally honest about the day-to-day realities of working in an inner-city parish. He's also very funny when detailing the peculiar things that happen to a man walking around a city in a dog collar, and the unique way the public relates to him.

I look forward to reading his latest book, which focuses on buildings key to the development of Christianity over the last 2000 years, written after his move to a rural Cotswold parish.

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The weddings I found myself taking in that first year featured the full panoply of characters: late brides, a pair of guests who managed to turn up on the wrong day, even a marriage that was nearly derailed by an elderly relative who unleashed a bout of very loud flatulence every time the congregation were required to sit down or stand up, resulting in a fit of giggles that spread like wildfire. By the time I was on the final ‘Please stand’ several people had had to leave or face the ire of the bride and/or an aneurysm.”

[Caroline Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful work

Another impulse buy which has brought me joy, made me laugh and, most importantly, made me think. I am a Christian but have been unable to attend Church for some years due to health problems. This book is a memoir of the first year of the author's life as a curate in Liverpool. Some incidents in this first year are so funny that I laughed aloud and others, where he contemplates spiritual issues made me think hard about my Church and its place in 21st century life.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

We (a self-confessed pair of agnostics) listened to the audio version of this in the car with our teenage daughter on the way back from holiday. We laughed, we pondered, we cried, we learnt things we didn't know (Saint Asprin, who knew!), and we reflected. But most importantly, we couldn't help but be captivated by Fergus's story and journey as well as the people he met along the way.

A good read even if you're not religious especially as you can hear the frustrations from within the Church towards the Church.

[Suzannah Rockett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly I did not enjoy this book, I found the author to be quite negative throughout the book which I was not expecting.

I did find his judgments and findings of human kindness very similar to my own which gave me some connection, other than that I struggled to connect to him.

He came across as very disappointed with the church but not with people so perhaps he was trying to ‘help’ in the wrong place?

[Stephen Robert Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Superb.

I rarely write reviews. Usually only to express great disappointment or well deserved praise. This book took me a couple of days to read because I could barely put it down. I laughed out loud and was at times deeply moved. I know I’ll pick it up again to re-read as it was just so good.

[Wendy Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hugely enjoyable look at life in the clergy as a young man recently ordained. Very funny and poignant and the audible version made my dog walk a lot more fun. Thoroughly recommend it, regardless of whether you're a person of faith or not.

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The memoir of Fergus Butler-Gallie's first year as a Church of England priest, 'Touching Cloth' is filled with humourous stories drawn from Butler-Gallie's pastoral experience pair with tender, poignant observations about what it means to practice faith and inhabit the Church in today's world.

[Simon Alford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing and meaningful.

[Siân’s Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading about the ups and downs along with everything in between of being a vicar and the many experiences it brings. Would definitely recommend reading.

[Artie LeBlanc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naff. Predictable. Not that funny.

It might have made a decent article for one of the Sunday supplements, but certainly not a book. I gave up about a third of the way through.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I like my religion: with a healthy dose of humour.

[Dominic Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly written, moving and funny account of the joy of a Christian life.

[Alison Eves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read out of interest for myself and for the road my son is taking. Plenty of food for thought.

[Rachel Broughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, particularly enjoyed it reading it from the perspective of a clergy spouse.

[Graham Fuller]

Very funny insight into the clerical life in a big city.

[Rory Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rambling at times, but an interesting and entertaining read

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually the audiobook, which isn’t listed as an option here and I feel having it read by the author really added to the experience.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply delightful account of being a young priest - loved it....