Priest calls out ‘entitled' parishioners in scathing poem

Times

3 days ago

A priest has published a poem calling his parishioners 'entitled' and blaming their 'unlikeable' nature for his dwindling congregation.
Father Pat Brennan wrote of 'the righteous, the clique, the worthy' who he says forced him out after nine years at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Coventry.
The poem, titled Not I Lord Surely! and signed off as his 'parting gift', was shared in the church's newsletter, alongside a message saying he had been pushed out by 'those few who had been vocal in criticism in and outside the parish'. He also blamed them for putting new members off attending.
'Gossip flows from holy lips,' he wrote, blaming 'A mix of disgruntled, unlikeable,/ entitled offended, who don't want to know./ Better than you, holier too,/ tutting for a living, whispering about you know who…'
He also asked: 'What makes people not come to church?/ Could it be the people who already go?/ The righteous, the clique, the worthy,/ the disdainful look given, the thought 'you're in my seat'/ the unfriendly, so that the stranger remains always so.'
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Maura Murray-Reeve, a parishioner, shared the poem in a residents' Facebook group, describing it as 'extremely disappointing' that Brennan felt pushed out.
She said he had been the parish priest for almost ten years and was always very welcoming.
She wrote in the Facebook post: 'His letter of 'goodbye' and poem, from the newsletter, are below. It's disgusting to think that he was treated so poorly by a very sad minority. They should be ashamed of themselves.'
Murray-Reeve told BBC Coventry that she was 'embarrassed' to be part of the church that had treated Brennan wrongly and it was important for him to share his experience. 'This isn't the way we should be making a priest feel,' she said.
Another churchgoer, Chantelle-Louise Beach, said Brennan was 'the most amazing warm welcoming priest'. Another, Tara Court, said he was 'so lovely and down to earth' when she had to organise her brother's funeral.
Others attested to the unsavoury nature of some parishoners. Kat Smith wrote that one of the reasons she stopped going to church was that she did not like the way she 'was looked down on and judged'.
Brennan said he had fond memories from his time as parish priest but said you 'can't please all the people and those few who have been vocal in criticism in and outside of the parish, have contributed to my leaving'.
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The Archbishop of Birmingham has appointed Father Charles Miller as the new parish priest, who will arrive at the end of July, according to the newsletter.
The Archdiocese of Birmingham said in a statement: 'Fr Pat is an experienced and much valued member of the clergy.
'He has been running three parishes for several years, which is a large workload.
'As part of new parish clustering, Fr Pat will continue as parish priest at Bulkington and Bedworth and a new parish priest has been appointed to Holy Family.'