There will be a requiem mass and funeral tomorrow for a much-respected religious leader.

Fr Francis Kemsley O.Carm, former prior at Aylesford Priory, passed away peacefully on October 8.

He was a much-cherished member of the Carmelite community at Aylesford, known as The Friars.

A reception will be held for his body tonight, Wednesday, at Aylesford Priory at 5.45pm.

This will be followed tomorrow, Thursday, by a requiem mass at 11.30am, and his burial in the grounds at The Friars.

Fr Francis was 68.

He joined the Carmelite order in 1974 and was ordained as a priest in 1992.

Fr Francis was described by the former Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Dave Naghi, as: “A very, very nice, gentle, man, who wouldn’t say boo to a goose.”

Fr Francis once somewhat surprisingly revealed himself to be a huge Monty Python fan, despite the Python team’s often sacrilegious satire.

His advice was: “Don’t take it too seriously and you won’t be offended.”

Those unable to attend the funeral can follow it online via a link here.

The Carmelite order was founded at Aylesford in the 13th Century.

The Carmelites, who had originally congregated on Mount Carmel, Jerusalem, made their way to Aylesford in 1242 where they were given a small piece of land on the edge of the river.

Previous priors included St Simon Stock, whose remains now lie in the grounds.