Reserved for Clergy Only - At a Bar No less | Eastern NC Now

   I have written about my old neighborhood bar before (Manuel's Tavern) where regular customers who have passed have a plaque installed on the bar.  I also talked about the Clergy Only sign right behind the bar. This is not as much a obituary as it is a celebration of life article.

   "Msgr. R. Donald Kiernan, longtime friend of Manuel Maloof, is credited with the addition of the “clergy only” parking spaces in Manuel’s lot after he reportedly came on a hot afternoon with Archbishop John F. Donoghue and they couldn’t find a close spot."     Georgia Bulletin

   In true Manuel's tradition, The current owner Brian Maloof (Manuel's Son) posted a tribute to the Monsignor who passed on January 9, 2018 on the bar's FaceBook page.

   His picture has proudly been on our wall for years due to the tremendous influence he has had on my family. He has been a positive light of peace and love and generosity for both the Maloof family and Manuel's Tavern.

He was one of our very first customers. He was a patron of my father's grocery store before there even was a Manuel's Tavern. My Uncle Robert was his very first altar boy.

I was struck with tremendous sadness when I found out yesterday that he had passed. He has been one of the most consistent regular customers for over 60 years. He has been a part of some of the largest events in our family; participating in funerals and weddings and christenings. He personally provided comfort for me during the renovation when I was terrified. When Bill McCluskey would run food to his table, he would make Bill stop and pray with him. Though it always made Bill feel uncomfortable, it made me laugh. Me and Monsignor would joke about having a confessional at Manuel's Tavern and I told him I wanted him to take notes because we could write a great book. I always found it interesting that in 93 Years of living, he had never once been on an airplane. He has always been a tremendous comfort to everyone he met.

You will be missed by me, my family, the staff, and many many people in this community.

God bless Monsignor Kiernan.

Brian Maloof

   Regardless of ones particular religious preference, it is of some significance to realize that this Priest was more just a conductor of Sunday  Mass.  As one who was priviledged to have family members of the Catholic religion as well as my own Baptist Religion, I always enjoyed the Priest that I came in contact with over the years.  Almost all the older Generation Priest had a somewhat mischievous fun loving manner. Monsignor Kiernan was no doubt no different. Even thought I did not know him and to my knowledge never met him, I have heard stories from the regulars at Manuel's about his visits there where he often conducted Mini-Masses there that would have caused some of my more straight laced Baptist relatives to experience heart palpitations. 

   Here is a sample from one of the reports of his death.

Kiernan had a special affinity for the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, according to Fiscella and Shortal. Shortal, who is a member of Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, said he remembers attending All Saints one Sunday and Kiernan joking about not having tickets during his sermon.

   “He said if someone got him tickets that the next time they went to confession to tell him who they are and he would only have them say a couple Our Fathers and Hail Marys, no matter what they did,” Shortal said. “And he got two tickets.”

   Kiernan also blazed a few trails within the law enforcement community. He helped organize the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, which offers training as well as educational and information sharing opportunities to its personnel. He was also a chaplain for both the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Monsignor Kiernan Obituary

   Here is the official picture as published by the Church.

   Here is the picture that hangs on the wall at Manuel's Tavern. He is dressed in his official Georgia State Patrol Chaplin Uniform. Contrary to what some of my Baptist friends think, if you are going to spread the Gospel, you sometimes need to go where the sinners are. I apologize for the quality, this it is difficult to get a good picture in a bar. Anybody want to bet he does not have a sign inside the Pearly Gates?