The Golden City's Anglican minister

From the majestic outline of St. Vitus Cathedral to the imposing Gothic spires of Týn, Christian places of worship dominate Prague's skyline. But only one - St. Clement's on Klimentská street - can boast a minister who left the rolling hills of rural Oxfordshire to tend an expatriate flock in Central Europe.

Meet the Reverend Ricky Yates.

For many, the typical English country vicar is a genteel tea-drinker who has deliberately chosen to lead a life secreted away from the realities of the modern world. However, while he may be eccentric, and he certainly drinks tea, you can't accuse Yates of being a fuddy-duddy. In fact, the reverend thinks his trans-Atlantic cousins are more likely to be flabbergasted when first encountering life in the Bohemian capital.

"For Americans from the Bible Belt, it's a surprise when they see a woman openly breast-feeding, but as far as I'm concerned, it's great," he tells The Prague Post.

Although Yates may not have experienced culture shock after moving to Prague, his job has certainly not been uneventful. Since becoming chaplain of the Anglican Episcopal Church in Prague in September 2008, Yates has played host to two royal visitors: Prince Charles and Camilla attended a service during their Central European tour last year. Another major highlight has been the BBC Radio 4 broadcast of a service Dec. 26 last year - the Feast of Stephen mentioned in the celebrated Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas."

Then, of course, there's the business of standing at the pulpit and delivering a sermon every Sunday. But Yates says "there are actually more similarities than you might realize" between a Mass in Prague and a Mass in the United Kingdom.

"But it is still quite a change," he says.

One significant contrast is the parish demographic: Having recently turned 59, Yates is among the oldest 10 percent of his flock. This means that unlike his colleagues supporting expat congregations in France or Spain, Yates is fortunate to officiate more marriages than funerals.

"One of the pleasures ... is getting to share in people's major life events," Yates says. "The three weddings I did last year all had their own lovely bits to them because of their cross-cultural nature."

The range of nationalities in Yates' Prague congregation is another significant difference from the homogenous flock of churchgoers he tended to in England. While Brits predominate, there are also Aussies, South Africans, Nigerians, Tanzanians and Indians to name but a few, along with Czech and Slovaks who are happy to worship through the medium of English.

"Working with a multicultural congregation here ... is lovely," Yates says.

It's safe to say no-one ever received communion "in a Gandhi outfit"  back in the village of Finmere where Yates was rector, located in the corner of Oxfordshire that provided the setting for Flora Thompson's celebrated portrayal of English country life, Larkrise to Candleford, but one Indian worshipper, posted to Prague by Raiffeisen Bank, has done so. 

Visitors to Prague heralding from all over the globe make up a significant proportion of the congregation which is on average, fifty strong. This community of worshippers is only limited to Anglicans but also Episcopalians and non-conformist backgrounds such as American Methodists. "It's more than just Brits abroad," Yates stresses."I live in the real world, and I deal with people where they are rather than where I'd like them to be, which includes remarrying divorcees," he says.

Part of the reason for this may be that Yates came to the ministry later in life, following a successful career in sales.

"We're not born wearing dog collars, despite what people think. You need to be able to talk to and be relaxed with a wide variety of people," he says.

In a society where atheism is the norm, how can religion enrich people's lives?

"It's this business of people having a God-shaped hole," Yates says. "Czechs have seen communism go and capitalism come and have recognized the ills of both systems. There is more to life than consumer spending."

Being a man of the cloth doesn't mean Yates is free from material concerns, however. St. Clement's only receives limited financial support from the Church of England, while running costs remain considerable: 26,000 Kč ($1,547) a week and 1.35 million Kč annually. Meeting the gap is currently Yates' main challenge.

"The best way to overcome the problem is to grow the congregation, which is something we're actively working on," he says.

Yates is now facing his busiest season, as Easter Sunday in Prague pulls in the biggest crowd of worshippers all year, partly because of an influx of visitors during the long weekend and partly because, unlike at Christmas, relatively few congregation members return home. Despite the apparent decline in religious faith, it seems there are a significant minority who still wish to fill the "God-shaped hole" within themselves without heading off to an ashram or embracing Scientology.

"I'm slightly wary of the 'in' thing these days, people who say they are 'spiritual' and don't really define what that is," Yates says. "But I would still say there is an emptiness in a totally secular outlook, and there are plenty of people who realize that."

Lisette Allen can be reached at
features@praguepost.com