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COMMON DECENCY | I am what I am

Wearing of 'dog collar' elicits various reactions
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As well as being a columnist, I’m also an Anglican priest. People ask me what it’s like. A very complex answer but I can at least offer a few observations.

A major and vital task of a cleric is to communicate the Gospel, bring people closer to God, or at least not get in the way of their search. The collar can be an obstacle and there are many clergy who don’t wear it in public. But I made an oath to myself that from my ordination day onwards I would take the plunge and proclaim what and who I was.

Representation is in itself an issue. Get it wrong, lose your cool, be momentarily uncharitable, and it’s not you but the entire church that has failed. That might be unfair but it’s entirely understandable; churches have a lot to answer for. So, it’s a pretty weighty responsibility. But then I didn’t embark on it all thinking for a moment that it would be easy.

What becomes obvious is that the collar often matters far more to you than to others. Because I used to be on television quite a lot, there’s still some public recognition. “Aren’t you Michael Coren,” asks a guy in Starbucks, looking at my shirt. Last time I checked, I reply. I can see him prepare to ask something, surely about the weird way in which I’m dressed, but he then just smiles and leaves.

On Toronto’s TTC I was approached by an atheist who wanted me to argue him into faith. “Go on, convince me, convince me,” he said rather aggressively. There were enough passengers for it all to be slightly embarrassing. I said that I wouldn’t argue with him, and he responded with a, “See, you can’t.” I said that I might or might not be able to, but that it was all too important for that, that it wasn’t a game, and that he had to first genuinely want answers. He got off the train at the next stop, and while most people continued to pretend they couldn’t hear, one woman in a hijab smiled broadly at me and gave a thumbs-up gesture. There’s ecumenism for you.

But negativity is incredibly, and surprisingly, rare. There’s often apathy, but when there is acknowledgement it’s generally disarmingly supportive. A young woman in an empty carriage sat next to me and wanted to tell me about the death of a close friend. What fascinated me was that she had no interest in religion, no desire to attend church, but thought she could speak to me and trusted that I would listen.

An older man, clearly not in great shape, beckoned to me and asked me to sit with him. He told me of his mental health, his struggles, and how he played music on the street for money, but often had to move location because panhandlers apparently discover where the talented buskers are and then stand next to them all day. “It puts people off,” he said. That’s a common phenomenon apparently. Who knew?

The temptation is to see all of this as evidence of a sweeping need and desire for spiritual sustenance. While that’s too glib, it’s not totally without foundation. I’ve long believed that it’s not faith that’s irrelevant, but the way it is packaged and presented. I also know that loneliness, perhaps the great darkness of modern western society, is also part of the explanation. People feel isolated, especially and ironically in crowded cities. Starting a conversation with a stranger is considered socially unacceptable, but talking to an idiot in a dog collar is fine.

A late bus home on an early December snowy and cold evening. A young man with a backpack, and holding a coffee cup walks past me towards the exit, and as he does so pushes a folded piece of paper into my hand. I’m half-asleep, and a bit shocked. He’s gone by the time I read it. “I know who you are, and I used to hate what you wrote. I know about the change too, but didn’t know this priest thing had happened to you. I’m not Christian, not religious, but I’m glad it did. Good luck, Michael.”

That’s about the best gift I could ever receive, and his scribbled note is now stuck to a mirror in my bedroom. I see it every single morning as I put on my clerical collar and begin the day. It helps remind me what all this is about.

 



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Michael Coren

About the Author: Michael Coren

Rev. Michael Coren is an award-winning Toronto-based columnist and author of 18 books, appears regularly on TV and radio, and is also an Anglican priest
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