Meet Your New Facebook Friend: The Kung Fu Priest

By Doug Warner, NEWS 9

PRAGUE, Oklahoma - Father Shane Tharp has a lot of friends - 985 to be exact, and that's just on Facebook.

The Prague priest is using the social networking site to connect with his parishioners. Tharp said he's found that people enjoy keeping up with him online especially during a recent visit to the Holy Land.

"The people that know I'm on Facebook love it," he said. "They think it's hilarious."

But it's not his travel photos that get the most comments, it's his profile photo.

Instead of his signature collar, Tharp is sporting his robe and yellow best as a student of Kung Fu San Soo.

"I had always been interested in martial arts," he said. "Growing up with the afternoon movie, watching Bruce Lee go to town, it's one of those things where you become fascinated in what the human body can do."

Tharp said the Kung Fu helped him in his mission to lose weight. At 375 pounds, he knew he had to do something.

"It's hard to make a case that gluttony is a sin, when they're looking at you going, ‘really?'" Tharp said.

Now with the help from Kung Fu and Weight Watchers, Tharp is down to 220 pounds.

"When I now turn to a parish and say it's possible to change even the things you thought were insurmountably changeable, there's a way of making a case for that."

Meet Father Tharp on Facebook.