Not so silly priest
Frank Kelly, the Irish actor who died last week aged 77, is best known for his role as a foul-mouthed, alcoholic priest in the sitcom Father Ted.But in reality the man who played Fr Jack was a devout Catholic who considered acting to be like a religious vocation. Kelly, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last year, set aside time to pray every morning and evening. He told Irish national broadcaster RTE’s Leap of Faith programme in November that he kept up “a constant conversation with God” and had reservations about playing Fr Jack. A Redemptorist priest at a retreat at Kelly’s school, Blackrock College in Williamstown, County Dublin, had perhaps the greatest impact on his personal faith. Kelly recalled: “He was talking in B
03 March 2016, The Tablet
Not so silly priest; Close shave; Papal rebuke; Diana’s prayer; More tea, Lord
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