Just yesterday I was given a reminder of how powerful the clerical collar can be as a witness to the world of what a priest stands for. After having concelebrated a funeral at a neighboring parish I saw a nearby carwash and decided I had enough time so I turned in. As I was sitting in the waiting area a gentleman of around fifty walked to the bench I was sitting on while reading e-mails on my phone. He looked at how I was dressed and casually asked me. “What brand are you?” Although I thought the calling of one’s religious affiliation a 'brand’ was amusing I tucked my phone into my pocket and responded that I was a Catholic priest. To this remark the gentleman then told me that the Catholic Church would soon be ordaining women, he had heard it from his minister. I responded by saying that there were certainly a lot of different opinions on that subject but that the Church had been pretty clear on the question already. (I was trying to be polite!) We concluded the discussion pleasantly and he got up to claim his vehicle so I once more pulled out my phone but was again interrupted. This time the cause was two individuals who looked to be in their early twenties and, based entirely on their garb, might have been in a gang of some sort. This time I was shocked to see both of the individuals stop to nod their head at me and wish me a good day.

Yesterday was another reminder for me of the witness that wearing the clerical collar provides on so many people, even if they don’t know the individual priest. For some it provokes questions and discussion while for others it reminds them of what they grew up practicing and may still. My prayer this coming year is that I always wear the collar for the right reason and that all of us use the powerful symbols of our faith to witness to others; whether that be a parish bumper sticker on the family car or even by such a small act as praying over our meals despite whether we are in public. May God Bless Corpus Christi Watershed this coming year and may God Bless all those that support the valuable service they provide to the greater Church.

-A Newly Ordained Priest