"A Very Embarrassing Moment": Bishop Shares Hilarious Story on Twitter From When He Was a Parish Priest

It’s certainly a new world!

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, RI is one of a growing number of clergy who are personally active on Twitter (you can follow him here). We’re not talking about an intern posting announcements, statements, or snippets from his sermons; rather, Bishop Tobin is personally tweeting comments and interacting with people on the social media platform.

And recently he shared two embarrassing but funny stories of mistakes he made as a parish priest.

Here’s the first story:

The text reads: “I was just reminded of a very embarrassing moment I had as parish priest: Asking a longtime parishioner, whose name I should have known, how to spell her last name. Response: S-M-I-T-H.”

The implication is that he was asking the parishioner how to spell her name because in reality he had just forgotten her name, and the fact her name was so easy to spell made that clear.

The second one is even better!

The text reads: “But another really bad moment I had as a parish priest in Pittsburgh, asking a woman filling out a parish registration form: ‘And what is your son’s name?’ Her response: ‘That’s my husband.’😏”

Lol! Be careful about assuming too much about people’s relationships to each other!

Of course, these are mistakes anyone could make. Which just reminds us that the clergy, while very important to the Church, are just human beings, too!

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

[See also: It’s Not the Job of a Priest to Accommodate All Secular Activities in the Parish Schedule]

[See also: What Every Catholic Must Know About the “Four Last Things” – Your Soul Depends On It!]