Brookville Multifaith Campus hosts musical love story, ‘Oy Father!’

One of the sacrifices of the priesthood is marriage, which many people consider one of the greater joys in life.

Bill McBride, a former priest, was struggling with that sacrifice when he met Irene Failenbogen, a Jewish cantor, in New York City in 1996. The two were brought together by music, so they thought, what better way to tell their unique story than by way of a musical?

The play, aptly named “Oy Father!” tells how Failenbogen and McBride met and the events that led to their marriage, accompanied by live music. Today they teach the interfaith program at the Brookville Multifaith Campus.

The story began when McBride was 15 years into the priesthood. He was preparing to embark on a missionary trip to Taiwan with Maryknoll, an organization that manages the Catholic Church’s overseas mission work. His idea for the mission was to create a cultural exchange in which artists would travel between Taiwan and the U.S.

In Wisconsin, where he was born and raised, McBride was a member of the Park Place Storytelling Guild. To prepare for the mission, he headed to New York City to study acting at New York University for three months.

McBride started his interfaith work long before coming to the Brookville Multifaith Campus. He co-founded an interfaith dialogue in Wisconsin, and taught Bible and literature classes with the late Sister Marie Stephen Reges at Edgewood College in Madison, Wis.

While at NYU, McBride saw an ad tacked to a bulletin board offering singing lessons. He figured singing would complement his acting studies, so he called the number. He was greeted by Failbogen’s thick accent.

Having moved to the United States from her home country of Argentina only a year before she met McBride, Failenbogen was still getting acquainted with English. She had sung professionally in Argentina and performed in the Argentinian National Theater productions of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Dracula.” Failenbogen had established a career as an Argentine-Jewish singer-songwriter.

She had also studied body expression at the National School of Dance in Buenos Aires. When she met McBride, she was looking for a cantor position and trying her hand at teaching music in the States. He was her first student.

They got together twice a week to practice for the three months McBride spent in New York. Failenbogen would play her acoustic guitar and they would sing traditional Jewish songs. Soon they began talking about their lives. They formed a friendly, professional relationship.

Before leaving for the mission, McBride had to return to Wisconsin for several months. But they stayed in touch. Failenbogen invited McBride back to New York to hear her sing at a Passover service. Then, a few months later, McBride invited her to Wisconsin to sing at his church. On that trip they shared their first kiss.

Of course, McBride was conflicted; he was a priest. He knew he shouldn’t have romantic feelings for someone, but with Failenbogen he just couldn’t help it. He described her voice as one of an angel.

McBride decided to go ahead with the mission in Taiwan, which he thought would help clear his head. However, a family tragedy brought him back to the U.S. only a few months after he left. His brother, Tom, had died in a car accident.

McBride took time to process the loss and take care of his family. His brother’s death helped him realize that life was short and he needed to be with the people he loved — who included Failenbogen. He left the priesthood, and the two were married several months later.

Today they have two children, Michael, 16, and Nathan, 12. Both McBride and Failenbogen are ordained as interfaith ministers and co-direct the religious education program for the interfaith community on the Brookville Multifaith Campus. Failenbogen is also the cantor at the New Synagogue of Long Island, which is part of the Brookville Campus.

For more information on the Brookville Multifaith Campus or to find out about an upcoming production of “Oy Father!” visit http://churches.rca.org/brookville/.