A Catholic priest in Ontario has gone viral for drawing a surprising connection between Taylor Swift’s latest chart-topping song and the Gospel message. Rev. Eric Mah of St. James Parish in Colgan, Ontario, delivered a homily centered on “The Fate of Ophelia,” a ballad from Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl written for her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. After posting the sermon on TikTok and Instagram under his handle Catholic Latte, Mah racked up 4.4 million views and widespread praise from fans — many of them self-professed Swifties.
“It’s definitely been my most-viewed homily,” Mah, 48, told The Post. With a degree in English literature, Mah explained to his congregation how Swift drew on Shakespeare’s tragic Ophelia — who spirals into despair after Hamlet’s rejection — as a metaphor for past relationships marked by heartbreak. “What she’s basically saying there is for the longest time I was lost, I was looking for love… all I found was rejection and pain… but then you came and… you healed my broken heart… so now I’m saved from a life without love,” Mah preached.
The priest then turned the cultural moment toward Christian hope, reminding listeners that while Swift’s narrative centers on human love, God meets people in far deeper ways. “Just know, you are always accepted by the Messiah. You are always loved by God,” he told his parishioners. The message resonated so strongly online that fans flooded his comment section. “I love a Swiftie priest,” one wrote. Another joked, “Jesus and Taylor. Yes, please!” One user confessed, “I’ve never wanted to go to church so bad!”
Mah said commenters have repeatedly tagged Swift in hopes she might one day see the sermon. He was inspired to choose the song after noticing it was No. 1 in North America and being struck by its literary title. “It led me to do some research into the Shakespearean reference, which in turn seemed like a great chance to speak about God’s love in a unique and accessible way,” he explained. His congregation, he added, seemed curious and pleasantly surprised to hear Swift referenced in a homily.
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Mah, who also hosts a podcast, is known for weaving film and pop culture into his preaching — everything from Spider-Man: No Way Home to The Bourne Ultimatum to rom-com favorites. For him, it’s a form of intentional evangelization. “An important starting point is getting people interested in what you want to share and meeting them where they’re at,” he said. “If you can tap into something already captivating your audience, you can use it to lead people to deepen their relationship with Christ.”
Judging by the comments, Mah’s strategy is working. “That’s how our priests should act so more young people join the church,” one viewer gushed. Another added, “If only all homilies were this good.” Even non-believers chimed in: “I’m not religious, but if he’s preaching Taylor Swift, I’ll show up every Sunday.”
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