When to wear clericals
Back from Peter Boullata’s ordination, which went well, with a sermon from UUA President Bill Sinkford, a charge from Weston First Parish’s senior minister, Tom Wintle; the imposition of hands, led by WFP’s associate minister, Sue Spencer; and a wonderful choir. May Peter’s years of pastoral ministry be long and prosperous.
A small ecclesiastic matter. When I returned home, I discovered an email where a colleague asked others “wither the clerical collar?” OK, that’s my take on it. The discussion is confidential, but here’s my reply.
As many of you know, I am a collar-wearer, and this is where I wear it: 1. Any place I exercise pastoral ministry, including worship and meetings of the communion of the churches, like UUMA [Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, or here, the local chapter] and GA. [General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association] (Sometimes I’ll skip it for a lunch meeting, though.) – example, I wear it when I preach at someone else’s church, but not if I go on a Sunday off as a congregant. 2. When I travel, as a public ministry to worried travellers. (That might be more of a Washington post-9/11 thing.) But when I wear it, I’m “on.” So when I wear it, I informally plan how to get out of it.
