Milwaukee priest's Irish tap dance duel goes viral

A video of a pair of dueling, dancing American priests studying in Rome has gone viral, following in the footsteps of a now-famous Italian nun whose Alicia Keys-esque voice won her a singing contest and a record contract.

The Rev. David Rider, 29, of Hyde Park, New York, and the Rev. John Gibson, 28, of Milwaukee, first shot to Internet fame when they were filmed in April during a fundraiser at the North American College, the elite American seminary up the hill from the Vatican.

Rider warmed up the crowd with a lively tap-dance routine, only to be pushed aside by Gibson’s fast-footed Irish dance. Soon they were battling it out, trying to impress the crowd.

continue at Crux

The Mke Catholic Herald did a nice feature on Fr. John Gibson - it indicates he was ordained May 17th of this year.

Pontifical North American College seminarian John Gibson of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee competes in the Clericus Cup against the Pontifical College of St. Paul in Rome Feb. 27, 2010.

 A tidbit:

A 2004 graduate of Shorewood High School, Deacon Gibson recalled as a boy being impressed by the liturgy, the beauty of the Mass and church buildings and the smell of incense.

“I also remember having a deep reverence for the mystery of God, which was instilled in me by my parents, thanks be to God,” Deacon Gibson said. “I can say now the seeds of a vocation to the priesthood were there from my earliest days; however, I never considered myself to be overtly religious. As time went on, my faith became a little stale.”

HT MP