Mass Appeal
Tonight Jo and I went to the theatre to see a play called 'Mass Appeal'. It was a story about two priests in the Catholic Church. One is the older, wiser, popular Father Farley who has a comfortable parish and knows exactly how to win the hearts of his congregation. His congregation think he is wonderful and keep him endowed with many bottles of fine wine. The other priest is a young seminary student who is assigned to the older priest. The younger priest is enthusiastic and passionate about the being a priest and bringing about renewal into the church.
After many heated disagreements with Father Farley and church superiors the young priest is finally facing expulsion from the church. Father Farley must ultimately decide if he is willing to risk losing his own position in the parish in order to do what he knows deep down is right. He gradually realises just how high the stakes really are.
One of the most powerful lines in the play was in the older priests final sermon to his congregation. He said, 'I so much wanted you to love me, but in so doing I have lost Christ'
Despite being two very different people the two priests develop a deep freindship. Towards the end of the play Father Farley says to the younger priest, 'You know Jesus never sent his disciples out alone. He sent them out in twos. I think I now know why'.
Well, overall a good night out and a very thought provoking play raising many very real issues for anyone in ministry.
Maybe I'll have a coffee and head for bed.
posted by Larry Holt @ 10:15 PM
3 Comments:
At 3:58 PM,
Don Holt said…
Am I Saint Don or am I not?
If I am not, could I be on the way to becoming him?
I am really trying to see if my photo comes up, but I would like your opinion anyway. But only if your answer is pleasing to me)
At 3:59 PM,
Don Holt said…
Hallelujah, I must be, my photo came up
At 3:04 PM,
A Secular Franciscan said…
I saw "Mass Appeal" years ago. I enjoyed it then. They also made a movie of it (I have not seen that.)
At the time I saw it, I identified with the passion of the younger man, and thought the old priest was a "failure." With a few years under my belt, I now understand the older priest better (though I'm still convinced he needs to stoke his spiritual fires), and, while still admiring the passion of the younger man, now can see that passion alone has its limits.
Out of curiousity, given the current Vatican guidelines coming out about gay seminarians, was that issue brought up in the production you saw? That was a key issue in the production I saw.
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