YOU HAVE to wonder what the late Dermot Morgan would have made of it.
The late comedian's screen character Father Ted was the inspiration yesterday for a sermon by the Rev Darren McCallig, Church of Ireland chaplain at Trinity College Dublin.
He described Ted as "an everyman-type of character", while Dougal - Ardal O'Hanlon's character in the television comedy Father Ted- was "a sort of holy fool who comes out with the question most of us feel too sophisticated to ask".
In a sermon at the university chapel, Mr McCallig told the congregation Fr Ted"reminds us that when it comes to church and religion and the spiritual life we need to keep a sense of humour". Ted also "teaches us an even more important lesson about the spiritual life - and that's the importance of community and family and love".
The series, Mr McCallig said, was "the story of Fr Tedhimself as the central character holding this dysfunctional household, this dysfunctional family together".
Ted's "salvation, his spiritual growth . . . will be through his relationships with those around and nearest and dearest to him - warts and all. It will come through Dougal and Jack and Mrs Doyle. And it's the same for us".
Mr McCallig was conducting the first Eucharist service of the term, during which he also remembered the late Paul Tansey, a former president of the students' union at Trinity.
The title of yesterday's sermon was 'The Gospel according to Father Ted, Part One'. Part Two will be on November 30th.
He will deliver sermons on 'The Gospel according to Sex and the City' (October 19th), ' . . . according to Desperate Housewives' (October 26th), ' . . . according to Superman', (November 2nd), ' . . . according to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' (November 9th), ' . . . according to The Shawshank Redemption' (November 16th), ' . . . according to Harry Potter' (November 23rd), and ' . . . according to Father TedPart Two' .
Tim Magee, who attended yesterday, said he thought the series would be "good for the current church", making it "relevant to the congregation".