What tickled your gay fancy?

"They ought to cut the Pope's balls off,"
"Don't come back or I'll etch my name on your balls!"

Have you ever used that term? Or have you or your friends accused someone of not having the balls to carry out an action? I bet you have.

Here's where I am. A longtime poster has considerable respect for Fr. Lange, to the point that his handle honor's the priest.

He's certainly not alone as a lot of older posters here have memories that are similar at least.

The customs of that era are strange to us and don't match the norms we have at Planet Fitness. I get that.

The priesthood has also been implicated in more of its fair share of molestation crimes during the time period discussed. All of that stipulated.

That said, I have heard nobody mention any accusations against Fr. Lange. He was certainly eccentric but I knew plenty of those types who weren't criminals or deviants. I think it's out of line for people to piss all over a thread that was started to pay homage to a dead priest that meant a lot to one of our posters. Yeah, it's a giggle and to call out the difference in norms from the 40s and 50s to now? That's fine. But the comments that joke or assume that Fr. Lange was a predator are simply sad and not appropriate on this board.

I enjoyed the article

wouldn't say to someone's face. That would be cowardly. And think about this: Fr. Lange is still being talked about at Notre Dame, 51 years after he died. My name is still in the Notre Dame record books, 51 years after I graduated. How many of the taunters will be remembered half a century after they leave their alma mater?

all joking aside, I'm glad that you were able to be around him and it is obvious that he had a positive impact on your life.

Responding for a friend.

and hang out with young men who were also shirtless and nobody questioned it.

One of the greatest gift was my parents ever gave me was insisting that I swim competitively. I passed the ridiculous swim test and did not have to see FE every day.

My freshman year was the first year of freshman eligibility since WWii, I was told by everbody else on varsity that I would have to room with Fat Eddy and the bus driver. It has scarred me for life,

Fr. Lange would've hated me. I was one of the 80% and my most strenuous weight lifting at ND was 16-oz. curls. Perhaps he would have credited me for many reps.

we have rules these days.

No seriously.

It reads like a folktale about Paul Bunyan or John Henry. A larger than life character. Thank you for writing/sharing it.