A Priest, a Baptist Preacher, and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to
the students of University of North Dakota .

They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk
shop. One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't
really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One
thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would
all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to
convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss their experience.
Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has
various bandages on his body and limbs, goes first. "Well," he says, "I
went into the woods to find a bear. And when I found him I began to read
to him from the catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me
and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water,
sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a
lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and
confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob, the Baptist preacher spoke next. He was in a wheelchair,
with an IV drip in his arm, and both legs in casts. In his best fire and brimstone
oratory he exclaimed, "WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle!
I went out and I FOUND a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from
God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took
HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP
another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED
him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as
gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."

The Priest and the Reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying
in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with monitors and
IV's running in and out of him. He was in real bad shape.
The Rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not
have been the best way to start..."