having been raised more or less as an atheist, i’ve somehow developed a fascination with clergy over the past few years. i think the idea of priests and other “men (or women) of the cloth” is a beautiful one: they are essentially professional philosphers, full-time thinkers, and though they practice their profession as part of one ‘school’ or another, they can be some of the most interesting people out there in my limited experience. not one that i’ve been fortunate to talk to has been a robot for their church, and their opinions and beliefs seem to truly come after longer consideration than most of us give to anything.
that said, i found these comments by an episcopal priest in a little story about his recent ordination very well-informed:
“A lot of people read Kerouac and think about the excitement of travel, but for me, ‘On the Road’ reflects the spiritual experience of a lot of people,” he says. “No matter how much he tried to run away, Kerouac always had to come back to himself. Coming back to one’s self to find God — that’s a common experience.”
purchal has been ordained in new england, but is originally from nebraska… i found the following quote and the typo contained within to be very interesting:
i honestly read it the first time and thought it was unique and true… that old midwestern guilt and sadness. of course, what he probably said was “a thought doesn’t go unsaid,” which i disagree with. my people of minnesota and wisconsin can be a pretty reserved bunch.
The Rev. John Jeffrey Purchal 
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Dear Friend,
Imagine my surprise when a friend emailed me your Dec. 21 blog
to see myself quoted. Just wanted to let you know that I saw it
and to say hello.
Take care,
John Jeffrey+