Rev. Denis Nakkeeran '20 (Boston) and Anthony Kersting '24 (Madison) argue during a scene in Father Brown.
In Persona Sacerdotis R E V. D E N I S N A K K E E RA N ‘ 2 0, A R C H D I O C E S E O F B OSTO N
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his year, I had the honor and privilege of playing the eponymous role in the College’s production of Father Brown. Father Brown is a character created by G.K. Chesterton, originally published as a series of short stories in which the English Catholic priest helps the police solve various crimes. As a priest, Fr. Brown has remarkable insight into human nature and sin due to the confessions that he regularly hears
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The Pontifical North American College
and the relationships that he builds with people. Using this knowledge, he is able to place himself in a criminal’s shoes, and determine precisely how a crime was committed, by thinking like a criminal. Yet, because he is a priest, legal reparation is not his primary goal. When he solves a crime, he aims for nothing less than the salvation of the souls involved. More than a detective, Fr. Brown is a true priest.
I was incredibly blessed to be ordained a priest just last year. While I had learned much during my time in seminary, the experience of actually being a priest introduced an entirely new dynamic into my life, a dynamic that will continue to develop as I grow in my priestly identity and experience. Playing Fr. Brown, however, gave me a beautiful foretaste of that more experienced priestly life. It was a joy
