His replacement was seen wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts during the yearly parish festival. So it took until 2007 for this small town to get your typical "average Joe" pastor. How many years after 1970 was that?
This reminded me of something a close relative told me. A few weeks ago she was visiting my grandmother. She noticed a sports car approach the house. It's a rural area.
Then it was "God Bless All Here" and a man in lay attire was in the kitchen. In Ireland in some areas, you still encounter people, who enter a house without knocking.
The man in the Hawaiian shirt with a chain and several rings was the parish priest. He was tanned and had been on holiday.
He had the tea and a chat and then as he was leaving gave my grandmother a hug. She said "Are you forgetting something, Father"? "I would like confession and holy communion".
He went to his car then and returned to hear confession and holy communion.
He was certainly your average joe and a nice guy. He prefers to be called by his Christian name.
His curate, who is actually older than he always arrives dressed as a priest ought to as did the previous parish priest. The parish priest before them was much different.
He always wore a well worn cassock and was a very stern man.He died years ago.
Such a contrast now. It's ironic as a few years ago, some laity of the parish went to their Bishop as a curate at that time was wearing a leather jacket and was "too trendy". He was sent to another parish.