I’ll keep this short because I’m preparing for tomorrow morning and want to stay focused.
Ha ha!! Like I was focused to begin with!
Ha ha! I’m glued to the internet reading about the unbelievable drama of the past week!
Lord, help me really center down and get ready to be with my community in prayer and worship and sorrow and pride and mourning and hope and anger and joy tomorrow.
The coming weeks are going to be intense ministry in the Boston area. I want to make sure I am publicly identified as someone who’s available to talk, hold hands, pray, share stories, ask the big questions with, and silently companion. So I’m going to be wearing a collar. And a Boston Red Sox baseball cap with its iconic “B” logo. A funny combination and not one I would usually wear, but it will communicate two things: 1. I’m a Bostonian 2. I’m a minister.
I couldn’t find my clericals the other day, because I hardly wear a collar. So I quickly ordered a sleeveless version from WomanSpirit.
I’m grateful to have found a comfortable clerical shirt to wear under cardigans and cotton blazers. I hope they ship it out tout suite.
I hope they ship it out tout de suite too. Because that might mean I’ll get mine too. The one I ordered in early November. The last three shirts I’ve ordered from WomenSpirit have taken 3 months or more to receive. I’ve been waiting for this one for 5.5 months. The latest update indicated that they hoped to ship them in mid- to late April, which would be…now. So perhaps there is hope that you will get yours quickly. I do love WomenSpirit’s clothing, which is why I keep ordering it despite the extreme frustration of such long waits. Fingers crossed for both of us! [Wow, that is really unacceptable. I know they’re a small company but that’s no excuse. Thanks for letting me know. – PB]
Overnight from Almy. But I do like the WomenSpirit fit. Surprised you would choose sleeveless unless you always plan to wear a sweater or jacket (Yes, I do. I am never without one or the other. I loathe short sleeved shirts. – PB] Better to buy a “dickie” if you want one you can easily use with other shirts, etc. I like the full collar rather than the tab. BTW in Boston you can buy them at the Catholic bookstore.
Stitches of Ayr is a great resource for shirts. I love LOVE my shirts from them. the breathability is great and it is the most comfortable collar.
I have 3 clericals from WomanSpirit, and have found them comfortable and durable. They’ve stood up well to washing, fit AND flatter, and work well under jackets and cardigans. They were worth the wait.
Love the combination of clerical identity and community support. Keeping the people of Boston in our prayers.
I wear clericals almost every day, and I *love* this shirt. I have three of them in rotation (in addition to several short- and long-sleeved blouses) and they are marvelous. I’ve worn them year-round under jackets, sweaters or cardigans, depending on the season and the occasion. The only difference is that mine have an Anglican (round) collar, rather than the tab collar shown here.
I’ll also note that I’ve never had the shipping issues that A. notes above. My experience with WomenSpirit has been generally pleasant– good product, delivered in a reasonable time frame, with very helpful customer service. The shirts seemed pricey when I first shopped for them; but given the way they hold up (my first shirts have seen weekly wear for 7-8 years now, and they still look nearly new), I cannot complain about the value.
God be with you as you minister among the good people of Boston.
I have a friend who makes clergy shirts of a number of pastors. For those of you who buy online, perhaps you would enjoy having a shirt made to your specifications, body type, and fabric preferences? I’m sure there is a good seamstress in your area. FWIW.
I love Womenspirit, too, but I’ve had to give them up. I’ve lost about 60 pounds in
the last year, and each time I’ve ordered new shirts they have been too big to be
useful by the time they’ve arrived. I’ll go back to them when my size stabilizes,
because they pay attention to women’s bodies and quality materials, but taking two or three
(or five) months to fulfill an order doesn’t work. I took my Janie to a tailor to be altered but I’m
wearing Almy shirts for the time being.
I am a UCC clergy person and need to order a clerical shirt. Can you tell me — is there a difference in meaning or significance between the tag collar and the all white collar? Thank you. [A quick Google search will tell you everything you need to know, doll! – PB]
Stacy, this might help: http://www.askthepriest.org/askthepriest/2005/09/why_the_collar.html
And then there was the little boy who asked if it kept fleas off for 6 months like his dog’s collar.
As an Anglican priest I’m often in clericals. I like Almy because they ship quickly and easily to Canada but I have noticed that their fabric is getting shinier…don’t like that. May need to give Women Spirit a try.
I, too, have a sleeveless clerical shirt that I wear under alb and stole on very hot Sunday’s. I make sure to put on a cardigan or blazer before I join for coffee hour, but it does make those stuffy Sunday mornings easier to bear.
PB — thanks for donning the uniform so strangers can tell who you are. One of my pastor friends who does a lot of work in the street has a baseball hat with PASTOR spelled out in large letters. Since he’s also about 6 feet tall, he’s hard to miss and no one has any questions about his role.