Welcome
to the
Saints Be Praised
Church of the Irish Penitent
Fr. Pat McCann, Rector
Fr. Phyran Brymstone, Vicar
Welcome to our Church! Please read every page on this site to see what all we have ro say! Learn more about us and our community than you ever wanted to know! Find out what we hold near and dear to our hearts! Then ask God to help you qualify to join us!
Fr. Pat McCann, Rector
Father Pat McCann came to us just last year from the Faith and Begorrah Church in Podunk, Iowa.
He served there as a staff Priest for three years after graduation from Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana and attending Seminary at some place we never heard of.
At the very least, they didn't have a football team that was on TV.
The folks at Faith and Begorrah made the mistake of telling Wey Farere, our Roving Ambassador, about how friendly and sociable Father Pat was, so we successfully recruited him at our first opportunity. We have been ever so thankful that we did.
Here at Saints Be Praised, much to his credit, he founded the very popular Ministry for Impecunious Imbibitionistic Irishmen, which we believe is unique to our Church. He has also been active in helping the Diocese organize and run the annual Altar Boy Convention.
When not saying Mass or hearing Confessions in the Church, he can usually be found next door at O'Leary's Pub, having a pint or two and chatting with some of the parishoners.
Unlike most in his profession, he likes both Jamesons and Bushmills.
His likes, in addition to beverages commonly consumed by those whose ancestors came from the Old Sod, include Olympic diving, Gymnastics, Ice skating, Balroom dancing, Karaoke, and the occasional Cuban cigar. He doesn't particularly care for bright lights, loud noises, rap, or punk rock.
Further reading
Fr. Phyran Brymstone, Vicar
Father Brymstone comes to us from the Boston area, where he grew up, went to school, and spent nearly thirty years as a parish priest in the Irish part of town.
Our Roving Ambassador, Wey Farere, ran into him at a reception for illegal Irish immigrants in a hotel and they hit it off right away.
Since Wey knew we were looking for a Vicar, he recruited Father Phyran that same night!
While Boston is a long way from the Albuquerque Metroplex, the Good Father was getting a wee bit older and not as tolerant of the Boston weather as he once was. He had heard about the decent weather, the wide open spaces, the informal atmosphere, and the fine friendly people way out in the wild, wild West. So, with a little help from Wey's BankAmericard, he hopped a plane bound for the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico. We were delighted to meet him and have him in our midst, and he is very happy here.
He loves to preach, and often preaches even when Father McCann is the Celebrant of the Mass.
Not as active as he once was, he also likes to sit and hear Confessions.
He dislikes saying (singing, actually) High Mass because his knees object to all that up-and-down stuff that is required.
So the resultant division of labor is more than acceptable to all involved.
He likes to take long walks, ride his bicycle, listen to classical music, especially that of the organ and choral variety, and watch sporting events on TV. His dislikes coughing and sneezing adults, whispering and giggling adolescents, fidgeting children, and crying infants -- all of which begin to increasingly vie for attention starting five minutes into his sermons.
Ms. Wynann Waifers, Verger
Wynann became aware of our Church when she moved into the area and came to the Pub next door for lunch at the recommendation of her neighbor.
She asked about the Church and decided to check us out.
The first Sunday she attended, she spent much of the service trying to chase two dogs out of the building, where they had come to hassle the resident cat.
Since keeping unwanted animals out of the Church was one of the tasks of early Church Vergers, she instantly became our Verger, and has remained in that office ever since.
She likes cats, birds, chocolate, and books. But she doesn't want the neighborhood dogs who chase cats and pee on the pews coming into the Church.
Abe Ancountor, Bookkeeper/Treasurer
Abe came out to the wild, wild West From New York City to get away from the maddening crowd on Wall Street, where he worked as a ticker tape repairman and drove a cab at night.
He had seen those ads in the TV Guide for those ranchettes in Rio Rancho that were being snapped up fast because land values were about to go through the roof.
So he took his savings and came out to establish himself as a gentleman rancher and seek his fortune.
Fortunately for us, he often grew bored with life in his second-hand trailer and braved the cactus spines, rattlesnakes, gopher holes, cow patties, goatheads, the blazing sun, New Mexico drivers, potholes, and illegal immigrant hitch-hikers and spent the rest of the day with us at O'Leary's Pub. He felt at home with us, possibly because another of our regulars, Almos Dunn the lawyer, was also Jewish and both took to the atmosphere and culture of the place like they were Irish, too. That surprised no one here; there has been a Mayor of Dublin, Ireland who was a Jew.
He likes to spend time with his friends at the Pub and he LOVES to describe a bris in the most graphic terms to tourists who have come to the Pub for lunch. And, of course, the longer he has been here, the more he detests second-hand trailers, cactus spines, rattlesnakes, gopher holes, cow patties, goatheads, the blazing sun, New Mexico drivers, potholes, and illegal immigrant hitch-hikers.
Wey Farere, Roving Ambassador
Our Roving Ambassador comes from the British Isles and is of a rather mongrel mixture of English, Welsh, Scot, Irish, and God-know-what ancestry.
That bothers him, he being a Brit, rather more than it does us, we being ostensibly Irish.
He spends much of his time traveling around the world, going into exciting and dangerous places just for the hell of it. His 40-acre estate is the winery just South of the Church and he is a regular attendee when he is in town. He is an extremely generous person and his support of the Church, monetarily and otherwise, entitles him to an honored position as an Official thereof.
Since he travels extensively, he scouts the world for solutions to any problems we might have as regards personnell, property, or other things.
He is responsible for the artwork in the Church, the Vestments of the Clergy, and the Music Program along with its support.
The Church would not exist as we know it were it not for him.
Wey likes all the finer things in life, peace and quiet, and anonymity. Though he is extremely tolerant, he dislikes publicity, crowds, mediocrity in all things, and having his picture taken.