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PADDY
KELLY
Paddy
Kelly speaks about his faith in an exclusive interview with
KATH.NET. Now with some changes and authorized by Paddy Kelly
Cologne-Linz ( www.kath.net )
KATH.NET: Paddy, you have professed the Catholic faith for some
time, when did you first come to it and what was the reason?
PADDY: My family was always Catholic. As a young man, my father
was with the Jesuits for four years. My mother was also very
devout, but more for herself, rather hidden. Unfortunately, in the
last ten years, through all our successes and the whole frenzy,
different values became more important. We were simply diverted
from the essential. I had a considerable personal crisis almost
three years ago. I had separated from my girlfriend at that
time and had also finally begun to process the death of my mother.
In any case, I began reading the Bible, and I even bought
the Koran. I also had an acquaintance who was well-versed in
Buddhism. I was simply on a search. The standard questions were
then: Where do I come from? What am I doing here? Where do I go? I
was searching for answers. One night I saw a documentary on
television about a place of pilgrimage called Lourdes. I found
this to be in character and I felt magnetically drawn there. Two
or three days later I drove with two of my sisters to Lourdes and
spent four days there. We took part in the entire program there. I
bought a rosary and began to pray and had some deep experiences
there. For me our Blessed Mother Mary implanted a seed in my soul,
and with the help of prayer and the sacraments, my faith has grown
bit by bit. Then later I drove two or three times to France and
Austria to different monasteries, in order to strengthen my
knowledge. Today I know that life without God is like a
guitar without a case: First it gets a scratch, then still another
break, and sooner or later the guitar gets broken (the soul). God
has become the center of my life and everything else is secondary.
It took a while before I learned to know Our Lord Jesus. It was
very strong with Mary and she then led me to Him. For the song
"Thanking Blessed Mary," I had tried for almost four
months to write the lyrics, and only after I came to know Our Lord
was I able to write the last verse.
KATH.NET: How do you live the faith in everyday life? PADDY:
I try to live the messages from Medjugorje, that means: holy Mass,
reading the Bible, the rosary, monthly confession, and fasting
twice a week.
KATH.NET: How did you actually come to Medjugorje and how
important was this for your faith life? PADDY: In the summer
of 2000, I was with my brother and sister, Jimmy and Barby, on a
pilgrimage. We first went to southern France and were then invited
by three different people to come to Medjugorje. We were at the
youth festival for three or four days and spent one afternoon with
Father Jozo Zovko and he asked us to come back to Medjugorje with
the rest of our family. We thought of ourselves as a type of
bridge for the others. And in such a way the reference came to
Medjugorje. In the autumn then my father was again with Jimmy in
Medjugorje, and we drove down in March with the entire family and
later to the youth festival at the beginning of August.
KATH.NET: In 2000, you were also at the World Youth Day in Rome.
Was it the first time you attended a World Youth Day? PADDY:
We were already at the European youth meeting in Loretto in 1995.
We sang there for the Pope and many young people. In 2000, Jimmy
and I went to Rome as private pilgrims.
KATH.NET: What does the Pope mean to you? What effect does he
have on you? PADDY: To me John Paul II is like the star which
led the three kings to Bethlehem, and in the past, the stars
guided ships, so that they didn't get off course on their trips.
We met him briefly in 1995 in Loretto. The radiant emittance from
him is amazing. You feel such a strong presence of the Holy Spirit,
if you see him closely. In Lourdes I had conversion and in Rome,
at the World Youth Day at Tor Vergata, I put my life in God's
hands. I kneeled and said only: "Totus tuus" completely
yours). I took a "liap of faith," and trusted my life to
our Lord. In the past I didn't understand why someone should say
"yes" to God. Today I understand it better. Mother
Teresa said that holiness depends on our will and on the grace of
God. In Rome I tried to give a "yes" without conditions.
That is simply fantastic. Now I try this daily, I try--as Mother
Teresa says--24 hours a day "to live with Jesus, for Jesus
and to Jesus." I am not a theologian nor a philosopher,
however in the Bible it says: "You will know the tree by its
fruits" (LK 6.44) and so far the fruits which I see in myself
are very positive. Heaven is my destination, the sacraments and
prayer are the fuel and the best way to get there is if God is
steering the wheel.
KATHNET: Some months ago, you gave a concert in Linz (Austria)
and engaged in the "Action Eva" from Youth For Life
against abortion. Why did you do that? What does abortion mean to
you? PADDY: I believe me abortion is the largest crime that
mankind is comitting today. The problem is that it's legal and
that today we mistake "legal" with "good." If
there are wars or other disasters where many people die, the whole
world reports about it, but you see or hear almost nothing about
the millions of unborn children who are killed annually in the
cruelest way. That is madness.
KATH.NET: Now you profess your faith very openly. What is your
message for the fans, those who don't believe and who think that
perhaps you are nuts or going crazy? PADDY: For me it is
similar to falling in love. One would like to tell everyone
everything at once. But faith is something so very intimate. Just
as you wouldn't talk with everyone about sexuality. Therefore, it's
often hard to speak about without feeling that your intimacy has
been penetrated too much. I find it easier to sing about. I see
how a generation hungers after what I have found. That is God,
that is truth, that is love. Everything makes sense when you
discover this. It's like a treasure that I've found. But I'm only
fully content if I can share this treasure with others.
KATH.NET: What can you say to someone who is by your confession
on the search for God? PADDY: I recommend reading the Bible
and prayer to begin with, and then to go to Medjugorje. If someone
doesn't have the cash now to drive to Medjugorje, they can also
begin at home with prayer. In the Bible and in prayer you will
find all the answers to questions in life, maybe not always what
you wish, but what is best. God knows what we need. We must only
open ourselves and ask that His will be done. Mother Teresa said:
"Every person is created out of love, to love and to be loved."
"God is love." (1 JOH 4.16).
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