Tears Flow After Priest Sings Leaving Simon To Say ‘This Is My Favorite Ever Audition’

Father Ray Kelly, a Parish Priest of Oldcastle in Ireland, received a standing ovation and very high praise from Simon Cowell who said it was his “favourite audition ever”.

The 64-year-old sang a version of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts. He explained to the judges that the song was close to his heart as he’s seen a lot of pain, joy and happiness.

He got four yes’ from the judges, with Amanda Holden joking that he had “the whole congregation behind him”.

And those watching at home had a lot to say online, with many praising his performance.

“I was singing at a wedding four years ago at home in my parish,” he explained, “and it went viral on YouTube. The phone started ringing. ‘Father Ray, you’re a thousand hits, two thousand hits, and went on and on and on.’” He was 60 years old at the time and couldn’t believe what was happening!

When he walked on stage wearing his clerical collar, Simon Cowell quickly asked him why he decided to try out. “Well, I thought maybe I’d be the first singing priest maybe to win ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’” He then revealed that he’d be singing R.E.M.’s hit song “Everybody Hurts.”

“It’s a song that’s kind of near and dear to my heart,” he said. “Being a priest, you get in touch with a lot of pain and a lot of joy and happiness as well.”

And with that, he started singing. Judges were immediately immersed in his simple but emotive performance.

“Father Ray,” he began, “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, to be honest with you, but I’m going to tell you something. This is one of my favorite-ever auditions.” Check out the entire performance down below to see exactly why this audition hit Simon so hard and share with everyone you know who loves goodness, faith, and music!

More articles

The Worst Disease You Have Never Seen of the Year

Joyce suffers in extreme pain every day from a rare blistering skin disease known as EB. With up to 80% skin loss, she can’t go one day without having pain […]

Read More

Don’t Forget To Smile

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 When was the last […]

Read More

Alabama family’s Bible was found opened to this verse after house burned down “but I can prevail”

A family said two Bibles and a few family memories survived a devastating house fire that happened the day after […]

Read More

Recent posts

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 No Comparison Movies, TV shows, and advertisements all encourage us to compare ourselves to […]

Read More

The Worst Disease You Have Never Seen of the Year

Joyce suffers in extreme pain every day from a rare blistering skin disease known as EB. With up to 80% skin loss, she can’t go one day without having pain […]

Read More

We are God’s masterpiece

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 One of the things we love about […]

Read More
Scroll to Top