Priest uses ‘50 Shades’ to whip up Lenten fervour

A priest blessed with a talent for communicating with the masses has seized on the 50 Shades of Grey fever sweeping the nation to spread the faith.

Fr Kevin McNamara, the parish priest of Rathmore, Gneeveguilla, Shrone and Knocknagree, straddling the Cork-Kerry border, has erected a large eye-catching sign outside his church with the words: “Whatever about the 50 shades — remember the 40 days!”

Fr Kevin said he hopes the sign will encourage parishioners to reflect on Lent as a joyful season which should be grasped as an opportunity to renew our lives.

“I am a great believer in the public pulpit. I want to remind people that regardless of what’s going on in life, just remember the 40 days,” he said.

The move follows a note from Pope Francis to priests last weekend urging them to brush up on their communications and preaching skills.

Inspired by that, and by the 50 Shades frenzy, Fr Kevin put the sign up on Tuesday ahead of the start of Lent to encourage mass-goers and those who might just drive by the church to reject the traditional understanding of Lent and its often negative connotations, and instead reflect on Lent as a joyful season.

“We have been bad in getting the message out about Lent,” he told John Murray on RTE Radio 1 yesterday.

“It has always been about giving up something. I think it should be about taking on something — like being cheerful, meeting people, simple things like a smile, saying God bless you.

“But we had good crowds come in to our Ash Wednesday ceremonies with a smile on their faces. I think they saw the funny side.”

Fr Kevin, a cinema goer, said he hasn’t seen 50 Shades yet and would never discourage his flock from seeing it.

“Those days are gone. Let people decide, people can make up their own minds,” he said.

But he told John Murray that he’d accompany him to a screening of the steamy flick, if he’d like to review it for his radio programme.

Fr Kevin is no stranger to making headlines. He wrote a weekly column for the Evening Echo during his time as parish priest at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, and installed a sign outside the church to promote masses, religious ceremonies and novenas.

Following his move to Kerry, he was outspoken on a range of issues.

He has criticised Pope Benedict XVI for “fast- tracking” the beatification of Pope John Paul, and the Government for slashing spending in rural areas.