In light of the various scandals currently plaguing the Catholic Church, it is worth noting that a parish priest from Old Castle, County Meath, Ireland, recently auditioned for the popular British TV show Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) and touched the hearts of everyone in attendance.
Fr. Ray Kelly was 64 years old when in 2014 he auditioned for BGT, a televised British talent competition whose head judge is none other than Mr Simon Cowell. When he was called on stage, Fr. Ray appeared before the judges and exchanged jokes with them.
The 64-year-old priest chose the song “Everybody Hurts”, which is an original by the famous American rock band R.E.M. from Athens, Georgia, USA.
His rendition of the song literally brought the house down as he received thunderous applause and standing ovations from the judges and the live audience of the show.
“My parents were musical,” Fr. Kelly shared. “Growing up in a musical family, we were held up like trophies every time we get to share our talents,” “I knew I could put up a fairly good performance, but I never saw the amazing comments from the judges coming.”
Fr. Kelly watches the show BGT and he’s inclined to give it a try. But it took him a lot of careful thinking before he decided to audition.
“I decided to put myself forward without really knowing what to expect,” he quipped.
But even before joining the talent show, Fr. Kelly was a huge sensation on social media when he was recorded singing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah during a wedding in his parish church. The video which was uploaded on YouTube got over 10 million views.
“I’m going to tell you something. This is one of my favorite ever auditions! I think your voice is beautiful. I love the version of the song. This is everything we’ve been waiting for. I absolutely loved it.” Said Simon.
What did you think of this performance? Did you love it just as much as the judges did? What is your favorite performance from Britain’s Got Talent? Let us know in the comments – and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!
