A Story on St. Patrick's Day for Catholics and Episcopals. [View all]

I was lucky enough to play golf with the town's Mayor, a member of the Episcopal Church, and our Irish Catholic Priest. Both were very good golfers,. The Mayor had a classic swing, honed as a young man at the country club. The priest, a strapping 6' Irishmen, had a terrible looking swing, but hit it long, down the middle every time. My game was just comic relief. After the round, the priest recounted this story in his wonderful Irish accent:

When the local priest went into the village, he encountered a man he had never seen in church. He walked up to the man and asked, "Why do I never see you in church?"

The man answered, "Oh Father, I don't have any good clothes to wear and I'm embarrassed to attend."

Later, the priest thought about it and took some money from the collection plate. The next time he was in the village, he found the man and approached him saying, "Here is some money. Buy yourself some new clothes and come to Mass next Sunday."

Next Sunday came and the priest did not see the man at Mass. The next day, the priest went into the village, found the man and confronted him saying, "The church gave you some money to buy new clothes and you still not come to church. Why not?"

The man apologized saying, "Oh Father, I put on those new, fine clothes the church provided. I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked so good and prosperous that I went the Episcopal Church instead."