Fr. Leo Patalinghug, known as the “Cooking Priest”, and Fr. Kyle Manno , who you might recognize from this viral carpool karaoke video, are causing a bit of an uproar on Twitter because of video that was posted by Katie Prejean McGrady that was taken at the Steubenville On the Lake Conference this past weekend.
The brief video shows the two priests in what appears to be an impromptu dance off. As you can see and hear, the teens at the conference are thoroughly enjoying the show!
Of course, Catholic-Link loves to see priests and other religious bringing joy to others and using the skills that they’ve been blessed with to evangelize. We’ve featured several great stories highlighting some very unique talents of priests and nuns. (Find a few of them here, here, here, and here!)
Watch the Video Causing Controversy
priests are boring & teens aren’t invested in their faith, said no one who has ever been to a Saturday night at @go2steubenville #SteubieOTL pic.twitter.com/9wq03CYuGZ
— KatiePrejean McGrady (@KatiePrejean) July 23, 2017
Though the overall response to the video has been positive, a few people on Twitter had a difficult time with the idea of these two priests dancing on stage. They responded with some negative tweets claiming that the actions of the priests were undignified.
Deeper Reflection
1. What is your personal response to the video?
2. How can stories and videos featuring the unique talents of priests serve as a tool for evangelization? How might it spark interest in vocations?
3. How can we support and pray for priests who are creatively trying to outreach to the culture?
4. Can you think of Saints or men and women from the Bible who were ridiculed because of how they shared the faith?
Let us remember that, “Joy is the net of love by which we catch souls.” – St. Teresa of Calcutta
Update:
For a great perspective from a priest, read “In Defense of Breakdancing Priests” by Fr. Damian Ference.