Irish Priest’s Powerful Performance Of “Everybody Hurts” Will Take You To Church.

father ray britain got talent

Priests often bear witness to some of life’s greatest joys.

After all, they’re there to help millions of couples get married all around the world, and they participate in Christening ceremonies to celebrate the birth and baptism of tiny babies. But they also find themselves confronted with immense despair and regret from members of their parishes as they lose loved ones and make choices that they end up having to reckon with.

father ray kelly
YouTube

Father Ray Kelly of Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland, has seen it all firsthand. Over the years as the Priest of St. Brigid’s and St. Mary’s Parish, he’s both helped community members deal with great sorrow and also celebrated the triumphs of others.

Aside from being a great priest, though, Father Ray has another talent up his sleeve. (In fact, you might even recognize him!)

singing priest
YouTube

“I was singing at a wedding four years ago at home in my parish,” he explained, “and it went viral on YouTube. The phone started ringing. ‘Father Ray, you’re a thousand hits, two thousand hits, and went on and on and on.'” He was 60 years old at the time and couldn’t believe what was happening!

father ray kelly
YouTube

With a voice like his, it makes sense that Father Ray is a huge fan of “Britain’s Got Talent” and so this year, he finally decided to audition! Loving his simple, devout life, he didn’t do it for fame or fortune. Rather, he was delighted by the idea of getting to sing in front of the royal family.

father ray kelly
YouTube

When he stepped out onto the stage wearing his clerical collar, Simon Cowell asked him why he decided to try out. “Well, I thought maybe I’d be the first singing priest maybe to win ‘Britain’s Got Talent.'” He then revealed that he’d be singing R.E.M.’s hit song “Everybody Hurts.”

father ray kelly
YouTube

“It’s a song that’s kind of near and dear to my heart,” he said. “Being a priest, you get in touch with a lot of pain and a lot of joy and happiness as well.”

And with that, he started singing. Judges were immediately immersed in his simple but emotive performance.

father ray kelly
YouTube

By the end, the crowd just couldn’t get enough of this devout man with a lovely voice, rising to their feet. Amazingly, hard-to-please Simon was the first to give him a standing ovation!

father ray kelly
YouTube

“Father Ray,” he began, “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, to be honest with you, but I’m going to tell you something. This is one of my favorite-ever auditions.” Check out the entire performance down below to see exactly why this audition hit Simon so hard and share with everyone you know who loves goodness, faith, and music!

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