Holy Crap! (Quite Literally)
As I mentioned once before, my dear friend and co-worker Dee* is in training to be a Christian minister. Since Pickering LLC** is a 24-hour company – meaning the building is open and the business is running all day, every day – the owners thought it prudent to provide spiritual services for customers and workers who found themselves regularly working through their usual Sabbath day. Some months ago, the usual Christian minister had retired, and in recent weeks, Dee stepped up to fill in.
The response from staff and clientele alike was unanimous: they loved her. In all honestly, it’s kind of hard not to. Even a tried and true cynic and agnostic like myself can’t help feeling a little touch of the joy that Dee feels when she is preaching her faith. As the service ended, those in attendance were asking Dee when she would be back with them again and complimenting her on her sermon. All in all, it was a smashing success.
Feeling the sort of joy that comes from fulfillment in one’s faith, Dee spoke with Ron, her supervisor, regarding an idea she’d had. Several members of Pickering staff share Dee’s faith, and seemed quite keen on the idea of gathering together once or twice a week in prayer. Knowing the sticky situation that religion in the workplace can create, Dee first checked with Ron to be sure that such a thing would be allowed. When he green-lighted it, Dee and a handful of others began meeting two mornings a week, before their schedule work hours and before they had clocked in, in her office to share a morning prayer.
It should be noted that while I agree totally with Dee’s right to do such a thing, I am not a member of the fold. My own faith has long been wishy-washy since I rejected my Catholic upbringing and my only real thoughts in terms of prayer are that it is a private thing. So while I didn’t join them, I was glad that Dee had found others that shared the joy she felt in her faith.
But, as always happens at Pickering, the other shoe had to drop.
You may recall my previous mention of Sally, an administrator who must always know everything and anything that is happening at Pickering, regardless of whether or not it’s any of her damn business. She is a consummate liar and backstabber, capable of doing anything at all to get her own way. And for some reason that no one has ever quite been able to understand, she has the company owners, brothers Mike and Eddie, firmly entrenched in her back pocket.
When Sally heard that Dee had been conducting the Christian services at Pickering, she must have hit the roof. After all, no one had asked her permission, let alone told her it was happening. And even though the arrangement of religious services at Pickering is not only not under Sally’s list of responsibilities or even based out of the department she presides over, she had to stick her nose in and cause trouble.
It came up during a management meeting. First, she questioned Dee’s qualifications to be doing such a thing. Never mind that Dee is mere months away from completing her ministry studies, or that Dee’s own pastor personally vouched for her capability to perform the service. Knowing all of this, Sally had the nerve to question it.
Then came the deathblow, sure to end Dee’s volunteering for the Christian service entirely. Sally questioned the legality of having an employee volunteering on her time off. Mike and Eddie quickly became alarmed; while generally kind and easy going, mention a matter of money or lawyers to the two and they immediately clam up. There could be problems, Sally slyly pointed out, with the labor board, and they might have to pay Dee overtime to allow her to continue.
Even though Dee wanted to volunteer.
Even though Dee never asked for any money.
Even though her only impetus, aside from spreading the faith she adores, was to earn hours towards her ministry degree.
And so came an end to Dee’s ministry at Pickering, even though the clientele adored her. But, of course, Sally couldn’t end it there. There was still the matter of Dee’s morning prayer meetings.
The details were never made entirely known to us, but the word was handed down by Rob that the morning prayer meetings must come to an end. Somehow, Sally had found a way to make Mark and Eddie overly concerned over such a thing, as though they might get sued by someone whose religion was not being represented.
Even though it was a private meeting of a group of friends with shared faith.
Even though it was done behind a closed office door – with said office being in the basement, at the end of a long corridor where no one but the Supply Manager and Dee herself ever ventured, so it’s not as though someone might stumble upon it and become offended.
Even though all those involved were not due to work at the time nor clocked in to work at the time.
Pickering is a diverse place, and we like it that way. People here come from all walks of life and still manage to work together towards the singular goal of keeping the company afloat. While not everyone are best buddies, there are those of us who form tight and lasting friendships among the staff, based on common interests and the like – and for some, common faith.
At the end of the day, the freedom of religious expression is being denied a select few. And for what? Because they had failed to inform Sally of their every thought and action? Or maybe it runs deeper than that.
As I had mentioned quietly to Dee one day, I truly believe Sally’s viewpoint on the situation would have been entirely different if Dee hadn’t been a protestant Christian. Sally herself is a supposedly devout Catholic – as devout one can be while being a sneaky, vindictive wench. Posted on the outside of Sally’s door is a full color photo of Pope John Paul II himself.
Which kinda makes me want to speak to Mark and Eddie. After all… as lapsed Catholic myself, just perhaps I find that photo to be disturbing and a little offensive.
* Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.
** Right, like I’m really going to tell you the actual name of my employer.
