Quite an amazing thing happened smack dab in the middle of my show, in fact, in the middle of doing The Bear Hunt, a performance piece that is part of my skin. I noticed a priest had walked in and approached the principal as I started with the swishy swashy. Somehow I got the message that the principal wanted me to stop. (I am amazed with my radar senses on stage). He introduced this gentleman and he came up and took the school’s mike. He made reference to himself in the third person (I think..) as Father Andy, and said that kids had called him in his last parish as Father Jesus. He introduced it as a piece of humor but let it be know that he thought it was cool, too.
There was an air of celebrity going on that was curious to watch and was interesting to see develop in front of me. The principal was quite deferential and thought it important to have him in front of this school. No problem, but still curious.
The interesting moment came when the principal mentioned my relationship with the school and the fact that I was headed into surgery on Monday. I told the kids later that it was for a brain replacement.
It was quite an amazing moment when the priest blessed me (yo!) and the principal asked for prayers for me over the next few days. Well, that’s pretty cool. All in all, it was a beautiful way for this community to give back to me in spirit what I have invested in their community for so many years.
Another unique performing experience for sure, and one I will ponder on and cherish for the next month. It’s never boring……