News corner﹕The singing priest

【明報專訊】Father Ray Kelly, 62, was an ordinary priest in a small Irish town until April 2014, when a video of him singing at a wedding ceremony was uploaded to YouTube. Since then it has gone viral and received over 42 million views. His superb singing has eventually earned him a record deal from a major record label.

In a recent interview, Kelly admitted what had happened was totally unexpected, "I was thinking of nearly retiring and now all of a sudden I've a music career." However, it will not seem that surprising if you know Kelly had received vocal training and even appeared in a few locally produced musicals before he became a priest.

His debut album Where I Belong, which has gone platinum in Ireland, has just been released in the US and Australia. Despite the album's massive success, Kelly remains humble and content. The proceeds of it will mostly go to charity, and he has no plans to become a full-time singer. (source: Ming Pao, AFP, The Irish Post)

■Words

priest 神父

record label 唱片公司

platinum 白金銷量

■Photo story

Father Ray Kelly amazes the world with his singing.

(see the picture)

■Quiz

Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.

(answers on last text)

1. In which country does Kelly work?

a. the US

b. Australia

c. Ireland

2. How many times has Kelly's video been watched?

a. Over 420,000 times

b. Over 4,200,000 times

c. Over 42,000,000 times

3. How did Kelly use most of his income from selling the album?

a. He spent it on travelling.

b. He donated it.

c. He saved it for his retirement.

4. Which of the following statements is true?

a. Kelly is satisfied with his current situation.

b. Kelly will quit his job as a priest.

c. Kelly will release another album soon.

■Glossary

viral (adj) 病毒性的，引伸為傳播得極快的

humble (adj) 謙虛的

content (adj) 滿足的

proceeds (n) 收益