A parish priest from Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland, managed to win over everyone’s hearts when he participated
in an audition for the well-known British television program Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), despite the numerous scandals the Catholic Church is currently facing.
on 2014, at the age of 64, Fr. Ray Kelly made an attempt to compete on the British talent show Big Brother.
The main judge on this show, which airs on television in the United Kingdom, is Mr. Simon Cowell.
Fr. Ray was allowed to greet the judges and have a little conversation with them as soon as he was called upon to the platform.
The 64-year-old priest chose the original song ‘Everybody Hurts,’ which was written by the well-known American rock group R.E.M., which was established in the US territory of Athens, Georgia.
His rendition of the song virtually brought the house down, as reported by both the judges and the live audience of the show. Both groups showered him with praise and standing ovations.
‘My parents always had a musical talent,’ stated Fr. Kelly. Growing up in a musical family, we were regarded like awards every time we were able to demonstrate our skills.
Although I knew I could provide a good enough performance, I was unprepared for the amazing comments the judges would make.
Fr. Kelly watches the television show Big Brother, and he’s interested in trying it out. Nevertheless, he thought long and hard before deciding to try out for the position.
‘I made the decision to put myself forward without really knowing what to believe,’ he added in a lighthearted manner.
But even before Fr. Kelly entered the talent competition, he shot to fame on social media when he was caught on camera belting
out Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah at a wedding in his parish church. The video that was posted on YouTube was viewed by over 10 million users.
‘I have a story to tell you,’ the speaker began. This is my all-time favorite audition, in my opinion!
I find your singing to be so beautiful. I think this version of the song is great. This is the moment we have been waiting for a very long time. I loved it, really, really loved it. Simon said.