Dorian Baxter

Dorian Baxter (born 3 April 1950 in Mombasa Island, Kenya) is an Anglican priest in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada who uses the music of Elvis Presley in his services, using the name "The Reverend Elvis Priestly".

Background

Baxter was baptized and confirmed by the first Black Bishop of Mombasa in Mombasa Cathedral. His father, Arthur Baxter, was a major in the British Army and his mother, Ena Baxter, was a corporal. From 1962 to 1967, he competed in the Amateur Boxer in Kenya National Championships, but failed to gain a medal. In 1966, he became the Kenya National Backstroke Champion.^[1] Baxter came to Canada, landing on 28 March 1968, moving to Toronto.

Education and ministry

He obtained his B.A. from York University in humanities and his master's degree in divinity from the University of Toronto. He has been an educator for over 30 years, commencing his career as a classroom teacher with the York County Board of Education in 1970. In 1972, he was invited by the headmaster of St. George's College, Jack Wright, to join the staff. Baxter taught Grades 4 through to 10, coached the school swim teams, and ran the Independent Schools Athletic Association (Swimming) in Ontario.

In 1980 Baxter resigned after a quarrel with the headmaster, a Mr. Allen, who attempted to fire Baxter before the end of the school year. Over 400 parents protested and Baxter was immediately reinstated and an apology letter was written to him by Allen.

At the end of the school year, he resigned and entered Wycliffe College of the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto. He was ordained at St. James' Cathedral on 15 May 1983 after serving as Head of Divinity, elected by the student body at the college. He served as a priest with the Anglican Church of Canada at St. Paul's Church in Thunder Bay, Ontario and as priest-in-charge of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Manitouwadge, Ontario. He then was an associate professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

In 1996 Baxter began incorporating the music and look of Elvis Presley into his services. That year, he won the Canadian Showstopper at the Collingwood Elvis Festival. In 1997 he won the Grand Champion of Showstoppers at that same festival. After that year, festival founder Billy Cann was ousted and control given to the town's business groups, a decision which Baxter objected to before Collingwood Town Council. Baxter joined Cann to establish a competing Elvis festival in Orillia and has since refused to return to the Collingwood festival.^[2]

In 1998, Bishop Ronald Ferris of the Diocese of Algoma removed Baxter from his parish and revoked his license to perform Anglican weddings because of his use of Elvis in Anglican services, saying it was "in poor taste". In 2002, the church revoked his invitation to be the keynote preacher at a Masonic service in a Toronto Anglican church. Baxter has said he found this particularly difficult, as he has been a Freemason for more than 25 years and was Worshipful Master of his lodge in 1980. Baxter attended the service anyway.^[3]

Baxter says that the controversy re: Collingwood originated when the media reported that Yvonne Prince had falsely told reporters he performed weddings and funerals dressed as Elvis, which he denies doing. Instead, he says, he performs the services in traditional clerical garb and changes into the Elvis clothes for the reception. He is now fully recognized federally and provincially as the Archbishop of the Federation of Independent Anglican Churches of North America. As the governing authority of this federation, Baxter legally performs weddings himself and licenses his own priests and bishops to perform such weddings.

In 2003, he set up an independent church, Christ the King Graceland Independent Anglican Church of Canada, in Newmarket, Ontario, where he continues to conduct services using Presley's music, with his signature Elvis pompadour and sideburns. Baxter was consecrated on 9 March 2003 in Newmarket by the Rt. Rev'd Christopher Andrew Jukes of Calgary, Alberta, who at that time was a bishop in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, using the traditional ordinal of the Book of Common Prayer (1962 Canada). He also established the Federation of Independent Anglican Churches of North America with himself as archbishop; this organisation was incorporated by Federal Canadian Letters Patent on 1 October 2003.^[3]

Political Life

Baxter has run for federal Parliament four times in the riding of Newmarket-Aurora, under the Progressive Canadian Party banner. In the 2004 federal election, he received 1,079 votes, placing last out of five candidates. In the 2006 election he received 729 votes, and in the 2008 election he received 1,004 votes. He placed fifth out of six candidates in both 2006 and 2008. In the 2011 election, he received 1,001 votes, placing fifth out of six candidates, surpassing only Yvonne Mackie of the Animal Alliance Environment party. Baxter also ran in the 2010 byelection in the riding of Vaughan, finishing seventh of out eight candidates with 110 votes.

He founded NAPPA (The National Association for Public and Private Accountability)^[4] after an 11-year battle with the Canada Children's Aid Society over custody of his two daughters.^[5][6]

Baxter serves as official Padre to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 426.

Electoral record

See also

• Elvis impersonator

References

External links

• Christ the King Graceland