With only two years of lessons under his belt, Father Kent O’Connor isn’t “the piano man” just yet. Nevertheless, he’s acquired some solid skills to add to his musical expertise, which includes playing guitar and mandolin, writing a musical, and jamming with a priest rock band.

Father O’Connor memories

Early October  2002, then seminarian Kent O’Conner, Fr Gary Pennings, Wally Foote and I were in Rome, Italy, along with other family and friends of now Fr. John Riley, attending Fr Riley’s Deaconate Ordination ceremonies.
At the conclusion of a Mass on the Friday morning, which was held at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, seminarian Kent O’Conner gave Fr Pennings, Wally and I an incredible walking tour of Northern Rome.  Our destination was the Borghese Museum and Gallery; however, along the way we stopped into practically every church that we came upon.   In doing so we saw some marvelous works of art including Bernini’s masterpiece, Ecstasy of St Teresa.  We also saw a rare painting of the upside down crucifixion of St. Peter, as well as many beautiful altars and statues of various saints.   After several hours of walking, we finally arrived at the Borghese Museum for our tour of the gallery.  Following this tour we walked through Borghese Park which was also lined with many beautiful sculptures.  However, when we reached the end of the park we came upon a look-out point with the most breathtaking view of the City of Rome.  One could see for miles and St. Peter’s Basilica seemed much smaller as it stood in the distance towards our left.
By now it was late-afternoon, we had been walking and touring for 5 hours.  There is no telling how many miles we had traveled, all we knew was that we were tired and hungry.    So we decided to dine at an outdoor café near the Spanish Steps.  Then after our wonderful Italian meal we elected to ride not walk back to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Thanks for the awesome memories Fr. Kent!
Dee Hebert

 

My wife Pat and I with other Serrans visited the Mundelein Seminary when Kent was a seminarian there.
That evening we all —seminarians, Serrans and Msgr. Mike Mullen —went out for dinner in a nice restaurant  Kent sat to my right. As we were beginning our meal, suddenly I noticed that he was drinking my wine.  I said, “Kent, that’s my wine.”  Kent instantly apologized.  He, of course, hadn’t realized that it was mine. Next I noticed that he took my glass of water.  Again I told Kent that it was my water.  He again was extremely apologetic.
I finally realized that he was left-handed and was drinking my drinks from my right-hand side.
I never let Kent forget this.

Al Kolarik

 

In March of 2006, Father Kent accompanied the Cure of Ars Choir on their trip to Rome.  While touring St. John Lateran, Mike noticed Father Kent taking off his hat to take a picture inside the church.  When the choir got back on the bus, Father Kent realized he did not have his hat.  Father Kent and Mike ran back across the street and into the church.  We found his hat near where he left it.  Thereafter, every time Father Kent got on the bus everyone would ask “FatherKent do you have your hat?”

Audrey, Virginia, and Michael Hill

 

I’ll never forget being at Father Kent’s ordination. I could hardly believe it; and I thought, “Sheila, this is your greatest day.” I was certainly blessed to know such a wonderful person, such a cute kid. I have known him since he came to the children’s section of the library, where I was the librarian.
I never heard of Tobit until he introduced me to it. I don’t know where he got the idea to write that musical, but it was an amazing story. Just knowing him and his gifts--God’s blessings on him--makes me very thankful.

Sheila Radell
Topeka

 

The first time I met Father Kent was back when he was still in the seminary at Curé of Ars and came into my fifth grade class to teach on some aspects of the Catholic Church. It was in preparation before our grade went to listen to the archbishop speak to us and grades from other schools. It was question and answer time and the bishop asked “Now many of you might not know this but how many dioceses are there in Kansas?” I was shaking with excitement as my hand shot up and proudly answered four. Impressed, the archbishop asked, “Very good. Who taught you that?” I proudly answered FATHER Kent. He then let out a loud laugh along with most of my classmates, “FATHER KENT??” he said as he turned to address the still seminarian, “Now when did you get ordained a priest without telling me?” At the time I was very embarrassed, but it became a story that bonded the now Father Kent and I (He tended to call me Sister Maria after that). I feel so grateful for that bond because he became such an important figure in my childhood and still to this day. I have never forgotten what I learned from him, especially the fact that there are FOUR dioceses in Kansas.

Maria Caruso

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No business like
soul business

 

With a song in his heart, and a parish to serve

Story and Photo by
Joe Bollig

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Father Kent O’Connor’s latest hobby was waiting for him in the rectory of his last assignment, at Sacred Heart Parish in Sabetha.
It was a piano. And not just any old piano, but a beautiful baby grand.
“Rather than it being just a large piece of furniture that everyone would trip over and ask me, ‘Oh, do you play?’ — because I knew that would be the question I’d always get — I decided to learn how to play the thing,” he said.
Most piano teachers don’t get students that old, but a local woman was willing to give him a chance.
“My piano teacher was a lovely lady outside of Sabetha, and she didn’t often take adult students, because they have a tendency to quit,” said Father O’Connor. “She said I hung on longer than anyone else.”
He took lessons for two years. His reason for discontinuing them, in fact, was a very good one: Three months ago, he was reassigned.
Fortunately, a nice, little spinet was waiting for him in the rectory of Our Lady of Unity in Kansas City, Kan.
“I find myself playing it quite a bit in the evenings,” said Father O’Connor. “I enjoy playing the songs and singing along, and I find it quite rewarding and relaxing.”
There’s no business like soul business
One could wonder whether, with such talent, Father O’Connor could have had a career in showbiz. Actually, he did, or at least was starting one.
He discovered theater while he was a student at Topeka West High School. Because he loved to sing, dance and act, he decided to continue his artistic development at the University of Kansas.
“I could have gone for a major in [theater or dance],” said Father O’Connor. “I decided to go for dance, because, as a male dancer, I would be more marketable. I thought I could make the entrance into the world of professional performing by way of dance.”
And it worked. Sort of.
After graduating from KU in 1997, the future priest was hired by the New Theater Restaurant in Overland Park and what is now the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company.
But just as he began to launch his performing career, he got a better offer from a bigger producer: God. The aspiring performer discovered a vocation to the priesthood and followed that path until he was ordained in 2003.
Music has remained a part of Father O’Connor’s life, however.
While an associate pastor at Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, he wrote and produced a complete musical —  “The Musical of Tobit.” A CD of it came out in 2006. Since then, several drama departments have chosen to perform it at their high schools.
“Currently, I’m working with a guy in New Hampshire to finish the musical piano score, because the notes have never been written out,” he said. “People have been playing off of the chords, so we’re trying to finish it out.”

 

He also produced a second CD featuring 10 original compositions based on the lives and spirituality of various saints, which came out in 2007.
It’s not likely that he will write another musical, however. He began working on “Tobit” while he was a seminarian.
“I think I’m too far removed from the theatrical world,” he said. “Now, I don’t think I could write another musical. There is nothing in the works. I don’t think I have it in me. It’s possible, but I don’t feel particularly called to do it.”
And he doesn’t particularly miss professional theater or dance.
Good dancers make it look effortless, but the truth is that dance is as physically demanding as any sport. One reason dance is so punishing is because it forces the body to do unnatural movements, so the body adjusts. However, you can only fool Mother Nature so long.
For example, Father O’Connor wasn’t long in the seminary when he was just walking down the stairs and his legs suddenly gave out. He figures it was his muscles readjusting themselves.
As for now, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
“It’s funny, because our minds play tricks on us,” said Father O’Connor. “I haven’t danced for so long, but in my mind I still think I could hoof it.
“But I haven’t tried for years and years. It might be interesting to take a dance class just to put it into my mind that I can’t do it any more.”
Father O’Connor also plays the guitar and the mandolin. And now that he can play the piano, he can make a greater contribution to liturgies when he and his brother priests get together.
At one time, he used to get together with three other priests in a group they called The Priest Band. The members still gather occasionally as friends, but the band is no more — retired for the very rare reason (at least among bands) due to pastoral duties. The last gig they played was a fundraiser for Villa St. Francis in Olathe.
But the young pastor might not be out of the spotlight for long. He’s given some thought to producing some sort of spiritual multimedia presentation, or maybe even a concert. Nothing big, something more coffee house-sized.
“One of my goals is that I’d like to get to the point where I can do a little kind of small-scale concert for the parishioners — or whoever would want to come,” said Father O’Connor. “Just playing music on either my guitar or piano would not be enough to sustain an entire concert. But if I did both, with that kind of variety, it might make for a nice, little evening of music and reflection.”

 

One of Father O’Connor’s skills — although not exactly a hobby — was responsible for his assignment to Our Lady of Unity: He can speak and read Spanish.
“I don’t think I’m very good, but people say they understand me,” he said. “I celebrate Masses in Spanish and give homilies I write myself.”
Father O’Connor studied Spanish intermittently beginning in the sixth grade. Even in high school he recognized that Spanish would be more useful than French or German. He studied Spanish while at KU and in the seminary and enjoyed two immersion experiences — one to Peru for two months, and a month over this past summer in Mexico.
“Reading the Gospel is very difficult because you use a lot of words you don’t use in common, everyday speech,” said Father O’Connor. “I have to pronounce them correctly, so I practice the prayers and Gospel readings quite a lot.”
People seem to tolerate his linguistic efforts pretty well. At least no one has offered critiques — yet.
“We’re still getting to know each other,” he said. “No one has come up to me and said, ‘Father, you shouldn’t say those words,’” said Father O’Connor. “It hasn’t happened yet, but I imagine it will come.”

 

When he first arrived, he was shy about answering the phone because, being the “new guy,” he didn’t have the information they needed, and callers tended to talk too fast. Usually, he referred them to his bilingual secretary instead.
His Spanish language skills are absolutely necessary, because 90 percent of his baptisms and 75 percent of his weddings are in Spanish. And the demand for religious education in Spanish for children and adults is very high.
“A lot of the parents and grandparents [of our school children] are sketchy at their English, if they speak English at all,” he said. “Some of them don’t speak any English.”
Father O’Connor would like to reach the point where he is able to teach classes in Spanish, because teaching is one of his passions.
“I teach the English-speaking adults, and Sister Maria, who also works at Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park, teaches the Spanish-speaking adults,” said Father O’Connor.
“Her classes are packed — probably 100 — and I have about 30. There is a phenomenal number of people who prefer classes in Spanish,” he continued. “By not offering a class in Spanish, I’m missing a huge number of people who potentially might like to learn more about their faith.”
He’s working hard to improve his linguistic skills, so he listens to Spanish-language radio, talks to people in Spanish, and even goes so far as to check out books like “Winnie the Pooh” in Spanish from the public library.
He has even found help from a most unlikely source: Dan Brown, of “The Da Vinci Code” fame. One of Brown’s books, “Digital Fortress,” has been translated into Spanish. It’s a low-grade read, and that’s the point. Since the language level is low, it’s easier for him to grasp than some more elevated reads.
J.R.R. Tolkien will just have to wait for another day.