The Admiral’s Wife – Fr Kevin Reynolds

by Gunther Simmermacher · April 16, 2007

The Admiral’s Wife and Other Stories: Reflections and Reminiscences, by Fr Kevin Reynolds. Self-published. 2007. 87pp.

Reviewed by Gunther Simmermacher

Father Kevin Reynolds, parish priest of Sunnyside in Pretoria for three decades, had always enjoyed pretty good health. All the greater his trauma when rheumatoid arthritis suddenly immobilised him in 2006.

The experience of physical incapacity and the attendant feeling of powerlessness became an opportunity for personal growth for the priest.

In this appealing booklet of Christ-centred reflections, Fr Reynolds identifies two options when faced with pain: we can either accept our pain and integrate it into our lives or rebel against it and, in due course, allow it to crush us.

Aided by medication and an innovative diet (which his fellow sufferers of this systemic disease might wish to explore), Fr Reynolds regained his mobility and feels physically and mentally on top of the world. Despite, and because, of the fearful times, he sees many graces coming from his illness. Above all, he says, it has made him a better person.

His illness was also a catalyst for writing this booklet (the story behind its title is revealed only towards the end). Having been encouraged to write his memoirs, Fr Reynolds rather opted for an approach in which a selective autobiographical narrative sets the scene for a series of Christian reflections.

In the ways of a good pastor, Fr Reynolds eschews the temptation to theologise above the reader’s head, at the same avoiding the pitfall of coming across as patronising as he pastorally unwraps the abstract.

At the centre of Fr Reynolds reflections is our mandate to imitate Jesus, asking ourselves in all our decisions and in all our interactions what Our Lord would do leading with the 11th commandment. As Fr Reynolds points out, we cannot have love and compassion for others if we do not have love and compassion for ourselves.

So this is a book about relationships. An outgoing man with an abundance of charm and energy, Fr Reynolds has made many friends in his life. A couple of the ten chapters read like roll calls of friendships, with a few lines about what these meant to the author. Many Catholics in the Pretoria area will enjoy encountering mutual acquaintances (or even themselves) in this booklet and even this Cape Town-based reviewer recognised some names.

Fr Reynolds writes with clarity and great warmth. Enjoying his company in the form of this booklet is not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

The booklet can be ordered from Fr Kevin Reynolds, PO Box 1046, Groenkloof, 0027, at R35 a copy (including postage)