A lesson in long sermons

Dear Editor, In relation to Fr Eugene Kennedy’s letter on boring sermons (IC 26/02/2015): A young priest was replacing an older man, who said to him: “These parishioners are a funny lot. They don’t like long sermons.” So the young priest starts his sermon and after 4/5 minutes a “hallelujah’’ came from the congregation. The young priest thought this was great and so talked for another 4/5 minutes. There was a chorus of “hallelujahs’’ and he was chuffed. When he met the older priest he told him he was wrong about the parishioners “they love a long sermon’’ he said. The older priest asked him how he knew and he told him they kept shouting “hallelujah’’. “Ah,’’ said the older man, “they weren’t saying ‘hallelujah’, they were saying ‘that’ll do ya’.”

Yours etc.,

Anna Brady,

Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan.