Well, now for something completely different.

From Florida comes this unusual story about a priest who has his head in the clouds:

There is a variation of a well-known proverb that reads: “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.”

Obviously Father Gerard Critch, parochial vicar at Epiphany Cathedral, was unaware of this humorous wisdom when he received a special gift: a ticket to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

Just the thought of skydiving made his heart race, his anxiety increase, and true panic set in – because, ahead of his fear of snakes, Father Critch’s greatest fear is his fear of heights. Resolving to honor the intention of the gift, he decided that a normal jump wouldn’t be high enough. After researching skydiving locations, he contacted the Skydiving Space Center near NASA to schedule the world’s highest tandem skydive – a jump of more than 18,000 feet.

Tandem skydiving allows a novice to skydive with the help of an instructor harnessed to their back. Once the jump door is opened, the instructor quickly nudges the jumper out of the airplane before the lack of oxygen causes loss of consciousness.

Father Critch said the scariest part of the experience was getting out of the plane quickly.

“Physically, I had to get out of the airplane quickly due to the lack of oxygen with the door open. Being nudged to the edge of the open door and then being the last to get out, that didn’t help either. But once you jump, it’s unbelievable, different, peaceful.”

He said the best part of the experience was the freefall.

“Coming down and being able to direct your fall with your body, that was absolutely beautiful. You can finally relate to an eagle or a bird because you’re not directed by a parachute and it’s absolutely spectacular. It is also spectacular coming closer and closer downward to a cloud instead of looking up.”

Father Critch said he went through small clouds and actually got wet.

Going through clouds “races your heart because you get two experiences about height and about landing. … When you come out of the clouds, oh my goodness, all of a sudden you’re into this open space again.”

Father Critch said he relied on his faith and prayer prior to the jump.

“It’s before the jump and it’s when you’re being nudged over to the edge of the door that you rely on (faith): being nudged in life by God and being nudged by my tandem instructor,” said Father Critch. “In life, it’s like that. He was nudging me over and then I thought, ‘Oh my goodness. Am I ready? What am I doing here?’ And then the whole thing was, ‘OK, I’m ready. I’m ready to put my hands totally in somebody else. I have to let go. Oh my God!’”

Take a look at the rest of the story right here. Unless you’re afraid of heights.

Photo: Fr. Gerard Critch, bottom, skydives.