He left school at the age of 15 to work as an apprentice in Drummond's Seed Shop on Dawson Street in Dublin.
Interviewed in 1983, Wynne explained that ‘I had always thought that Christianity was about compassion, love and caring and having met so many depressed and suicidal persons during my early church days, I often wondered what I could do to help in a practical way’.
Gradually friends and parishioners got involved until in 1970 a Dublin branch of the Samaritans was opened using temporary accommodation in Kildare Street.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid, considered such a service to be unnecessary.
Speaking in 1984, Wynne held that McQuaid ‘… could not be convinced that people who are despairing and suicidal may not feel able to approach a priest.
The Archbishop’s argument was that the churches of all denominations had clergy who were skilled in dealing with people in trouble and that there was no need for an outside agency’.
He created a 'Friendly Room' in Monkstown's parish hall in the 1960s as a place where people could talk, listen to music, share a coffee together and find companionship regardless of their religion.
While he was at St. Ann's, he expanded the church's remit to include providing people with practical help on issues such as housing and social security and access to counselling and other services.
One of his colleagues described him as 'unpredictable', recalling occasions when toy airplanes, tennis balls and a bicycle were used as props to illustrate points Wynne wished to make during his weekly sermons.
[5] After Wynne retired in 1987 he wrote a fortnightly column in the Irish Times which was subsequently published as a book.