“You’re New, Aren’t You?” — Woman Accidentally Blesses Catholic Priest During Communion

Those unfamiliar with the inner workings of a Catholic church are always taken aback when attending mass for the first time. And this TikTok creator’s story may just take the cake.

In her viral video, @danaehays (Danae) opened up about one of the most embarrassing moments of her entire life. The TikTok creator recalled an unfortunate situation from when she was 18 and had been in college for two weeks on a softball scholarship.

She explained that, at the time, her assistant coach asked if she’d like to attend church with her. And to score brownie points as a new player and potentially become a starter, Danae agreed.

Here’s what went down during her visit.

In her video, the TikTok creator prefaced that she comes from a somewhat religious family. However, they only attended church on Easter and Christmas.

“I was real confused because I thought, ‘Is this a test? Is she trying to see if I’m going to love the Lord to be able to play?’” Danae said. “I was going to pass the test!”

So when Danae arrived at church that Sunday, she was slightly confused by what she encountered.

First, the priest’s attire threw her for a loop. Danae didn’t understand why the man wore a gown while her hometown preacher typically donned “blue jeans and a button-up.”

Next, she was utterly confused by the amount of sitting, standing, and kneeling that occurred during mass. “And they were singing these chanty things that were very ritual-like,” Danae recalled.

All that aside, nothing perplexed Danae as much as communion. When her assistant coach explained that they needed to get into a single file line to receive bread/wine, or a blessing, the TikToker hesitantly followed suit.

However, Danae worried that they were going to confession instead. “I was like, ‘Are we going to confessional? Because I just kissed a girl last week!” she exclaimed.

Danae’s coach urged her to follow her lead. But Danae got distracted when she saw the coach of the Alabama football team. And before she knew it, she was at the front of the line and had no idea what to do.

When she was face-to-face with the Catholic priest, the man made the sign of the cross, touched her forehead, and said, “You are blessed.” Danae’s reaction? Return the favor by tapping his forehead right him back and replying, “So are you.”

The priest’s response to Danae’s unsolicited blessing was the cherry on top. “You’re new, aren’t you?” the TikToker remembered the man saying. And the comment section was in stitches over the entire situation.

“You could have given me a thousand guesses, and I still wouldn’t have got you blessing the priest,” one user wrote, followed by a crying laughing emoji.

Another person shared a similar embarrassing story from their first experience at confession. “I went to Catholic school, and during my first confession, when the priest put up his hand to bless and forgive me for my sins, I high-fived him,” they admitted.

Fortunately, Danae’s fated Catholic church visit resulted in exactly what she had hoped. “Did you become a starter?” someone asked.

The TikToker’s answer: “I sure as hell did!!”