'DING DONG': Answering the door is a test of faith for many clergy

"B.C. priest stabbed, beaten in church rectory, court hears"


I appreciate this headline. It doesn't focus on the fact that the victim was a bishop, but rather a 'priest'. In truth, it was a priest who answered the door to face this assault, just as thousands of other  priests do (and clergy of all stripes) who often find the desperate at their door. I suspect that there is not a priest in the country who hasn't had to consider whether or not to answer a late-night call at the door, especially if they live in a prominent rectory that includes the church office. The dual drives of fear and faith battle, as one considers security for himself and others, and the religious imperative to respond to cries for help or assistance. Serving as I do in a diocese whose parishes are gathered alongside the Trans-Canada Highway, I have faced this situation quite a few times, and (thank God) have emerged each time unscathed... although there had been times when the services of the Police were required.  Others have not been so fortunate.


20+ years ago, I was visiting with a classmate who served in the North Bay Cathedral when our quiet evening in the living room was shattered with shouts for help. Turns out there was someone who remained hidden after the days masses and was found sitting naked in the dining room. A game of 'hide & seek'  through the various offices the large old rectory involving local police, resident clergy, and the inappropriately dressed intruder  finally ended with the patient safely corralled  under the dining room table.  He was quickly returned to the psychiatric hospital unharmed at no more cost than a few frayed nerves. One of the first lessons I learned from serving in such an environment was that appropriate precautions had to  be taken after dark, for the most innocent situation can 'go sideways' in the blink of an eye. The assault on Bishop Munroe is stark evidence that such events are just as likely to have horrid outcome as one that is helpful, humorous  or benign.


Ministry has always been a vocation that carried an element of danger as clergy are on the front lines between the profane and the Holy; between the sick and the 'well'. Psychiatric illness often manifests itself in religious delusions and Churches (and clergy as its local agent) can become targets for people in the midst of a psychotic episode. Often desperate people turn to the church for help when they're perhaps at the point of snapping if they don't get what they 'need'.  Mix in the criminal element and the 'knights of the road' who target priests for funds to acquire a roof and a hot meal, (and to 'borrow' money that he'll pay back when his cheque comes in ... tomorrow - funds he'll use for some form of libation or illegal substance to find release from another empty day.) and something as mundane as answering the door can prove to be a measure of one's faith and commitment to a life of service.


It has been thus through the ages. Each time the door bell sounds, clergy don't not know if they're going to encounter a principled man pushed to the edge (a la 'Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean, hero of 'Les Misérables,')  or suffer at the hands of the likes of a John Bandura. Such are the challenges of the ministry for those who remain available into the night, especially if they live alone.

It all starts with opening a door.