Priest voices displeasure

Reverend Ryan Boyce at yesterday’s Barbados Labour Party Annual Conference. (Picture by Nigel Browne.)

By Mike King | Mon, October 29, 2012 - 12:08 AM

An Anglican priest has taken issue with some elements of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for questioning his eligibility to preach at the party’s annual conference yesterday.

Before a packed Queen’s Park Steel Shed at the 74th edition of the party’s conference, Reverend Ryan Boyce denounced attempts by what he termed “an internal contemptuous tribunal and scrutinizing committee” to probe into his background.

“This committee sought the following information: whose father I buried, whose baby I baptized, whose mother’s home I visit to take communion to, which politician has my cell number and BB pin, and how many sermons and addresses I gave during Lent,” he said.

The 32-year-old priest in charge of St Catherine’s Anglican Church said he was neither BLP, DLP or PEP, and recommended that the personalities involved in politics undergo a “spiritualoscopy”.

Boyce said he was called to serve all people regardless of their denomination, sexual and political orientation and said that politicians should do the same.

Please read the full story in today’s DAILY NATION, or in the eNATION edition.

Share your thoughts

Please sign in or register to post your comments.

Page 1 of 1 pages

Posted by Olutoye WALROND 6 months, 3 weeks ago: “This committee sought the following information: whose father I buried, whose baby I baptized, whose mother’s home I visit to take communion to, which politician has my cell number and BB pin, and how many sermons and addresses I gave during Lent.”
It would be comforting to assume that the above quotation represents an overplayed case of hyperbole
for if we were to take it literally we would have to weep for this dear country of ours.

But if it is, why would Mr. Boyce think he needed to go to such lengths to make his point?

I Like
I Dislike

Comment Link

Posted by Marva Marshall 6 months, 3 weeks ago: As a member of St. Catherine's Church, I know the practices of my priest and I can identify the person referred to in paragraph three. But before I go any further, let me inform you all of the many instances where -members and non-members of St. Catherine’s (including non-members who are not Anglicans) were buried at St. Catherine’s, whose children were baptised there etc. We spread love, faith as the Bible teaches at St. Catherine's.
As to Para 3, that person is part of the St. Catherine’s family. His mother, a long standing chorister of our church and member of its organisations, has a right to have the sacrament which is part of our faith, taken to her by the priest? That family has a right to baptism, burial etc like other member and like we extend to non-members. That is the duty of our priest … should it exposed him to be daubed with yellow, blue or red political paint?
Priests are human beings, they think, or I expected them to. They are entitled to his political views and leanings, to eat and drink at anyone's table. (Jesus entered some houses that the people of the day questioned).
If the priest at my church preaches an opinion about government policy without logical underpinnings; one based on raw subjectivity driven by his party bias and he does so with regularity. I who say nothing at church will call him out on it and I know that many frank members will not let him get away the first time.
But I applaud his visiting and speaking to both the Dee and Bees because Christ must enter both camps if we are to have a right and just Barbados. Jamaica is trying hard to destroy and clean up their garrisons (or so we are led to believe) after years of political hate and violence, let’s not keep Barbados garrison-free. Other priests, economists, citizens need to show tangibly that we can mix and we can speak out in any camp; that we are united.
Have a God-bless election campaign.

I Like
I Dislike

Comment Link

Posted by Pan Wallie 6 months, 3 weeks ago: Ah begging ya Father: Preach the word of God and don't be sidetracked. Barbados needs the word of God now more than ever before. Like see how everything going downhill fast fast, and ya getting kill now for even a lil 25 cents. We need pray.

I Like
I Dislike

Comment Link

Posted by Olutoye WALROND 6 months, 3 weeks ago: Ms. Marshall, you are arguing a case that really shouldn't need arguing. Where are we going if people are uptight over a Priest burying someone from the rival political tribe - but as I said, the Priest might not have been speaking literally.