Do you know any Priests that are a bit eccentric?

pgj2015

Say a priest who drives a modified Subaru Impreza, a priest who goes to raves or rap gigs, or a football hooligan priest etc

bassy

Father jack

Lewis_Benson

Fr Larry Duff.

niallb

Open toe sandals, rides a motorbike and trains GAA? Sound guy too by all appearances.

magicbastarder

The priest who taught me first year science in school many years ago had a PhD in astrophysics. That's more unusual than eccentric, but he was a wee bit eccentric regardless.

Xander10

I find most of them odd as opposed to eccentric

Jim_Hodge

There's quite a few eccentric priests about. Then again I know some eccentric teachers, doctors, bus drivers.......

magicbastarder

Also, one of my neighbours is the local PP here, lovely chap, and is vegan. I had wondered how he squared that with having communion multiple times a day, but apparently it's ok to take communion if you're vegan.

Aglomerado

We had a bollicks of a parish priest when I was a kid. Used to walk around whacking bushes with a blackthorn stick and he used to hiss instead of saying "Body of Christ" while giving out communion, so you were never sure when to respond with "Amen". He used to kick the thurible at funerals in a temper if it didn't smoke enough as well.

corner of hells

There’s was a priest in Dublin from Germany in the late 50s early 60s whose hobby was flying private planes , not particularly eccentric but apparently he was in the Luftwaffe n the war and flew a Stuka dive bomber.

tinytobe

Some priests tend to drink a bit too much. But that doesn't mean eccentric.

Sgt Hartman

There was a fantastic priest in my local area in Limerick when I was growing up. Fr Joe Young was his name. He was involved in youth and community events in my area. He was chairman of Limerick FC for a while, and was responsible for getting Sam Allardyce over as player manager of Limerick FC for one season. I always found him eccentric as he used to sing at Limerick FC's home ground on occasion, belting out "Born in the USA".

tesla_newbie

Yes , priest in the parish I grew up ( I’m back about twice per year) is one of those tell the world about you’re problems types ( a sermon is often mostly about his own mental health battles ), he completely neglects the upkeep of the church and enjoys his holidays annually in far off locations

niallpatrick

Growing up we'd a few including a sort of Fr jack character, not the PP but his elderly senior. Kicked a punk out of Christmas midnight mass for being a punk and a right grumpy git. Taught science by a Jesuit a chemist he showed us how alcohol was made by making a batch of potin and previously having worked with Mediecine san frontier he regaled us with stories and facts about tropical diseases.

kneemos

It's a prerequisite.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120458852#Comment_120458852

What is?

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120458900#Comment_120458900

Eccentricity.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120459050#Comment_120459050

It's not a prerequisite. They're only human and, like in all walks of life, there are some who are eccentric, some downright nuts, some very intelligent and some clueless. But others are sound and decent honest people trying to do some good in society.

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120459261#Comment_120459261

It's an eccentric lifestyle whichever way you look at it.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120456891#Comment_120456891

One I knew was a qualified pilot and flying instructor…. Fr Tommy McCarthy…. He had two stints as the Chaplin of the Dublin airport church. A sound guy with lots of interests outside his primary job…aviation, travel and sport being three…if you met him out shopping he’d just be in civvies and seemed to just enjoy life and was never as absolutely tied to the day job and the trappings of it as some.. eccentric might have been a stretch but he was very different considering the job title … died back in ‘22, a good man, lovely man actually…

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/50-years-since-first-chaplain-moved-in-to-dublin-airport-30341431.html

When I lived in Paris the chaplain to the Irish community was a Fr Des Knowles…. Like Fr Tommy he had no airs and graces about him, liked sports, loved his few pints, music and socialising with the Irish community .. Whether that was off to one of the Irish pubs in the city or hanging with the crowd where he lived in the Irish College as it was back then….just watching a match, film or whatever… good company, nice manner and generous wit.….left any religious persona for the time he was doing that work, 90% of the time he was in civvies…

I have it on good authority his successor who I did meet briefly was not accepted quite as wilfully…. and that might be corroborated by the fact Des ended up back in Paris replacing him after a short time.

great craic with a few jars too which he was partial too but never any hassle…. Genially nice guy regardless.

mikemac2

That is a lovely article about Dublin airport. The airline staff and the airport staff have a salary deduction to fund the Church and running costs, fair play. And they have pilgrimages and links to New York.

I know there are basket collections in every parish. Anyway its the workers that fund it and have it open for travellers and locals alike ☺️

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120456897#Comment_120456897

One of the priests in my parish was an alcoholic. I was an alter boy when young and he would be knocking back wine before the sermon and would say mass drunk. It was a quick mass though. No longer then 30 mins.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120459317#Comment_120459317

Small world , I knew Father Mc Carthy too , he flew a private plane out of Weston.Lovely man.

When I was making my confirmation around the milneium the priest was a young enough lad, hard to know what age people are when you are 12 but looking back now probably early 30s.

He was a sound man, supported Arsenal and played midfield for one of the local soccer teams.

Our 6th class teacher was a tasty enough blonde wan in her mid 20s I would guess.

Father used to be flirting away blatantly with her.

6 or 7 years later I was back in my home town for the summer after first year in college.

Major scandal in the Parish, father was gone from the priesthood and shacked up with some doll.

It wasn't the teacher but some other beoir.

The boy always had form to be fair.

Knew an erection was for more than pissing over a high wall.

Oops!

Relation of mine went into the priesthood at a very young age, left it after a number of years, got married and had a family. His wife died just over 10 years ago so what did he do? Rejoined the priesthood, smokes, drinks and curses like a sailor, gas man!

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120459469#Comment_120459469

God would have understood. And then there is the confession booth as well.

I recall once, in a priest who was so drunk during a funeral, ne nearly fell into the grave and somebody had to hold him back.

Oddly, the guy who's funeral it was was an alcoholic himself and would have understood.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120459630#Comment_120459630

Correct, me and a couple of pals, we’re taken for a spin by him. Remember everyone letting out expletives which he found amusing when he started doing a few ‘manoeuvres’ of a slightly aerobatic nature…a nice man, really relaxed and humble humours nature.

Eurox6

I'm not being funny but if your a male who can't release a natural urge , your going to have some issues manifest themselves ,

Makes no sense that they don't just let them get married in this day & age ,

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465238#Comment_120465238

They used to get married,but somebody had a huge money saving brainwave. Let's keep them celibate lads, we'll save a fortune on wives,kids and properties.

Strumms

That will happen eventually.

the number of priests is at an all time low. A serious decline so there will have to be compromise. I’d say the next pope or the one after will have his hand forced when the existence of a lot of parishes worldwide is challenged through lack of priests. Amalgamating parishes or as has happened in our area where three or four parishes are in what they calling a ‘grouping’ and various priests give a dig out in the different parishes and churches within that grouping as and when it is required.

you might have a ‘calling’ but I’d be fûcked if I’d be signing up to take on a role where I’m a sole priest in a parish, about 9 or 10 masses a week, confession, ad hoc funerals ( arnt they all ) christening, attending sick / dying people….plus some admin.

id guesstimate

masses 15 hours ( including one mass a week at local old folks home )

funerals - 8 hours ( removal, mass, cemetery )

confession - 3 hours

wedding - 4 hours

Attending sick or dying - 4 hours

admin - 2 / 3 hours

you would be doing a 35 - 40 hour week but you’d be working every day to some degree.

if you let them marry, you’ll get more priests..

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465440#Comment_120465440

Predominantly gay these days apparently. Whatever about marriage,and there's a lot of push back in the hierarchy already about what they see as a liberal Pope,gay marriage ain't likely.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120456770#Comment_120456770

Sure it’s just a wafer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465440#Comment_120465440

Most priests are doing 60hr weeks from what I understand and the thing about being a priest is you’re sort of on call at all times.

some will have secretaries doing a few hours a week to cover the admin jazz (ordering supplies, emails and so on) and really you could have multiple weddings, confessions and baptisms in a week.. or day!

i work in food service so there’s no such thing as “a day off” just a day where sometimes you won’t be rostered.. I imagine priests are the same. There’s no day off, there’s just days where you have less work to do than others.

BaywatchHQ

My old RE teacher at school was a trainee priest but dropped out. He was an unusual man who played for the Leeds United youth team in the 1960s.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120456753#Comment_120456753

That's normal.

Church was always big into astronomy for stuff like predicting the date of Easter. And working out our current calendar.

Copernicus was a canon. Fr Angelo Secchi used a spectroscope to show that the stars were the same things as the sun