Church cheers as priest admits he's in love

AckwelFoley

Link. Irish Independant.ie

A CONGREGATION wept and cheered when their beloved priest delivered the bombshell that he had tendered his resignation because he had fallen in love.

Popular parish priest Fr Sean McKenna (51) told his stunned congregation at Sunday Mass that he was leaving the priesthood, having embarked on a "loving, beautiful and life-giving relationship".

The priest, who celebrated his silver jubilee earlier this year, is believed to be involved with a mother of two children who is separated from her husband.

The revelation, which has prompted calls for the abolition of mandatory celibacy, comes at a time when the Dublin Catholic Archdiocese is claiming there will soon be barely one priest per parish.

Mayo priest Fr Brendan Hoban is predicting priests will have effectively disappeared in Ireland within three decades.

Fr McKenna, who was ordained in Maynooth in 1985 and has served in three parishes in the Derry diocese, told his congregation in the Holy Family Church, Ballymagroarty, he had made his decision after "a period of discernment and personal reflection".

Celibacy

He revealed that the Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, had accepted his decision with regret last week. He said that because celibacy was "integral to the priesthood" he could no longer remain a priest.

Following his announcement, he received a standing ovation from an applauding congregation, many of them in tears.

Fr Michael Canny, spokesperson for the Derry Diocese and a friend of Fr McKenna, told the Irish Independent that they had been shocked by the announcement. "It has come as a total shock, like a bolt out of the blue. He has been here 24 years and he has touched so many lives. It is like a wake here today."

All day yesterday, radio stations in Derry were flooded with messages from parishioners expressing their support.

"The Church has lost a good, kind, generous man. He was loving and caring and he did a lot of good for a lot of people," said one woman.

Outspoken Enniskillen-based Passionist priest Fr Brian D'Arcy told the Irish Independent that the Church was losing good men because of an outdated mandatory celibacy rule.

"It is a significant time to think about the value of compulsory celibacy. This may have been suitable for a particular time but that time has now gone. Remember, the first Pope, St Peter, was married.

"It is estimated that 110,000 priests have left the priesthood worldwide, the vast majority because they fell in love. It is extraordinary that the priesthood is being deprived of these very good men," he said.

Im happy for him.

Of course one arsehole pedo clergyman i heard on the radio claimed the cheers wernt for him having a relationship with a woman what cannot ever be in a relationship again because shes separated. It was a reactionary cheer from people "caught up" in the moment :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Keano

Sing Alleluia!

Poor Uncle Tom

You mean there is actually a real person in the church.....oh wait, he just left....:rolleyes:

mikom

snyper wrote: »

A CONGREGATION wept and cheered when their beloved priest delivered the bombshell

Can't believe he brought her into church............... sounds hot though.

mike65

Soon only the pervs will be left.

patmac

Jaysus he'll have a full sack!

ejmaztec

mike65 wrote: »

Soon only the pervs will be left.

Suffer little children etc etc:eek:

My name is URL

The Pope will shit in his shawl when he hears about this.. the evil Nazi fcuker

mike65

Flippancy aside I think this is an important issue, kiddie fidlers have used the rules of Catholic Church to their advantage for generations. With fewer new vocations and more non-pervy priests leaving, the % of abusers will increase. In 20-30 years its possible that your local cleric will be more likely to be a paedo than not.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976925/posts

Of course the church could import priests from South America/Africa.

Poor Uncle Tom

If they allowed married family men I'd apply. It is a secure job.

Nozebleed

what sort of a woman goes out to seduce a priest? she is seperated? with kids? dependant on the state??? desperate..truely pathetic.

mike65

Have you considered the possibility (or likeyhood) that they met first though the church then socially found they had common cause and just fell in love?

Is that beyond your comprehension?

Poor Uncle Tom

Nozebleed wrote: »

what sort of a woman goes out to seduce a priest? she is seperated? with kids? dependant on the state??? desperate..truely pathetic.

As long as you have a nice comfortable picture painted in your head, the world keeps turning and all is right for another day.

They are a man and woman who happen to have found love, that's the hardest part of any relationship and they have mastered it. We should be happy for them, imo.

extra-ordinary_

Whatever about kiddie fidlers - the celibacy law has possibly a lot to answer for. Is it natural for a man to remain celibate and supress one of his strongest urges? No wonder it comes out warped in other directions.

Shivers26

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

If they allowed married family men I'd apply. It is a secure job.

I think a lot of people would agree with you there.

I totally agree that the whole celibacy thing is outdated. I think being able to marry and have families would be fantastic for people who would like to be priests plus it would probably cause a huge increase in the number of people who join the priesthood.

keane2097

Has he any chance at all of getting a job now? How is he likely to look at supporting himself?

Nozebleed

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

They are a man and woman who happen to have found love, that's the hardest part of any relationship and they have mastered it. We should be happy for them, imo.

No...they are a celebate priest:rolleyes: and an divorced house wife who know's this priest is a soft touch..what a toe rag!

IvySlayer

Celibacy is a man made law, I'm sure God would've wanted his teachers to be married and have children.

Sure didn't Jesus have a girlfriend.

Aidric

keane2097 wrote: »

Has he any chance at all of getting a job now? How is he likely to look at supporting himself?

He'll probably write a mills and boon type pageturner.

Keano

Nozebleed wrote: »

No...they are a celebate priest:rolleyes: and an divorced house wife who know's this priest is a soft touch..what a toe rag!

Your posts = FAIL.

Dave147

IvySlayer wrote: »

Celibacy is a man made law, I'm sure God would've wanted his teachers to be married and have children.

Sure didn't Jesus have a girlfriend.

Yeah he was banging Mary Magdalene afaik

Fratton Fred

IvySlayer wrote: »

Celibacy is a man made law, I'm sure God would've wanted his teachers to be married and have children.

Sure didn't Jesus have a girlfriend.

The celibacy thing has more to do with the RC Church keeping hold of their dosh than it does with any religious teachings.

Good luck to the man, being married and havingkids/grand children is what keeps men young. That's why Priests look 30 years older than they actually are.

Long Onion

... Alterboy cacks himself.

GavRedKing

The church wept and cheered for the priest.........jaysus thats a better reaction to a change and doing something different than Cat Stevens got.

Fair play to him though.

jd007

PRAISE JEBUS!!!!

My name is URL

Nozebleed wrote: »

No...they are a celebate priest:rolleyes: and an divorced house wife who know's this priest is a soft touch..what a toe rag!

just... lol

Nozebleed

there are few men in the world who have any interest in a realtionship with a divorced oul one with 2 kids...the only ones i can think of are a man who's has never got his end away(i.e) a Priest or a desperate homeless bum/smack head.


Guess who's gona be on the late late show next week??

RossFixxxed

Nozebleed wrote: »

there are few men in the world who have any interest in a realtionship with a divorced oul one with 2 kids...the only ones i can think of are a man who's has never got his end away(i.e) a Priest or a desperate homeless bum/smack head.


Guess who's gona be on the late late show next week??

Jealous?
Shy?
Excruciatingly Single?
Atari Jaguar.


err... much?

Sean Quagmire

Awww priest's get all the pussy!

Keano

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Jealous?
Shy?
Excruciatingly Single?
Atari Jaguar.


err... much?

Add troll to that list maybe?

funk-you

Nozebleed wrote: »

there are few men in the world who have any interest in a realtionship with a divorced oul one with 2 kids...the only ones i can think of are a man who's has never got his end away(i.e) a Priest or a desperate homeless bum/smack head.


Guess who's gona be on the late late show next week??

Are you on crack? Jesus, if i was a cynical about the world as that I'd just have to top myself. Are you for real?

-Funk

antodeco

Id say he gave her the 'body of Christ' that night!!

Nozebleed

Nozebleed wrote: »

there are few men in the world who have any interest in a realtionship with a divorced oul one with 2 kids...the only ones i can think of are a man who's has never got his end away(i.e) a Priest or a desperate homeless bum/smack head.


Guess who's gona be on the late late show next week??

I'm guessing that you are under 16 to come out with such an expression!

You obviously have absolutely no idea of how many second time marriages there are between people in their 40's and 50's, many divorced with kids.

Aidric

antodeco wrote: »

Id say he gave her the 'body of Christ' that night!!

Her flaps parted like the red sea. This is the orgasms thread, right?

Long Onion

Will he get laid in a tomb?

Perhaps he'll go to mount olive?

NothingMan

So she's had a couple of kids come out of her, and he's come in a couple of kids.....:eek:

laugh

Shivers26 wrote: »

I think a lot of people would agree with you there.

I totally agree that the whole celibacy thing is outdated.

Guess what else is outdated? Fairytales about rising from the dead, virgin mothers etc

the_syco

I wonder is being a priest considered a job? If so, do they get minimum wage in Ireland? They mostly live in the one house near a church, and when one priest moves on, another moves in. If one died, another would move in. Had the priest a wife and kids, they would have had to f**k off, which I can't see anyone doing without a scandel of some sort?

Fratton Fred

"Are you Pastor Flaps?"
"Give us a chance, I've only just handed my notice in".

WindSock

Nozebleed wrote: »

what sort of a woman goes out to seduce a priest? she is seperated? with kids? dependant on the state??? desperate..truely pathetic.

Nothing is more satisfying than seducing a priest out of his frock and then dumping them...
Seducing with apples, of course :rolleyes:

Gummy Panda

Nozebleed wrote: »

there are few men in the world who have any interest in a realtionship with a divorced oul one with 2 kids...the only ones i can think of are a man who's has never got his end away(i.e) a Priest or a desperate homeless bum/smack head.


Guess who's gona be on the late late show next week??

mods, I have my popcorn so you can now move this post to the ladies lounge.

getz

they found his pants in her pantry,and her pants in his vestry

um7y1h83ge06nx

Aidric wrote: »

Her flaps parted like the red sea. This is the orgasms thread, right?

Absolutely lollers!!

ejmaztec

laugh wrote: »

Guess what else is outdated? Fairytales about rising from the dead, virgin mothers etc

Nice to see that burning in hell's not outdated, so you'll have something to look forward to.:p

opinion guy

Nozebleed wrote: »

what sort of a woman goes out to seduce a priest? she is seperated? with kids? dependant on the state??? desperate..truely pathetic.

Your noze might not bleed so much if you weren't sitting at altitude up there on your high horse now mightn't it ?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Nozebleed wrote: »

what sort of a woman goes out to seduce a priest? she is seperated? with kids? dependant on the state??? desperate..truely pathetic.

Nozebleed wrote: »

No...they are a celebate priest:rolleyes: and an divorced house wife who know's this priest is a soft touch..what a toe rag!

Nozebleed wrote: »

there are few men in the world who have any interest in a realtionship with a divorced oul one with 2 kids...the only ones i can think of are a man who's has never got his end away(i.e) a Priest or a desperate homeless bum/smack head.


Guess who's gona be on the late late show next week??

Stop trolling.

partyatmygaff

The whole celibacy thing is unneccessary, some protestant churches and the orthodox fully allow priests to get married and has been like that since the roots of their respective churches.

Long Onion

It's a financial decision - pure and simple - wimmins cost money.

getz

getz wrote: »

they found his vest in her pantry,and her pants in his vestry

fyp

jester77

Wonder if he banged her on the altar... who's your father?

Long Onion

It was just a rush of blood to the (little)head thing - he'll be back after he's made the beast with two backs - Jebus never forgets.