ADHD, hockey and grandma: Canada’s youngest Anglican bishop takes the Proust Questionnaire

At 37, Alexander Pryor is the youngest Anglican bishop in Canada.

The native of Newfoundland and Labrador was elected in May to lead the Diocese of the Arctic, after three years of serving Anglicans living in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

From his office in Yellowknife, Pryor recently took time to answer the Proust Questionnaire.

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

I would say perfect happiness is being sure of who I am and what my purpose is, and being content with my situation in life.

What is your greatest fear?

I don’t like heights. I mean that’s my greatest, you know, worldly sort of fear.

My greatest fear is missing the point. I hate wasted effort. I hate missing the point of what we’re supposed to be doing. It’s something that actually keeps me up at nights.

Which living person do you most admire?

That’s a tricky one. If you could see my bookshelf, you’d see that most of the people I admire are dead.

She’s gone, but my grandmother was my biggest inspiration. She had a hard life and wasn’t educated, but was just deeply faithful, deeply committed to her family and really just taught me what it is to love someone and to be there for them through everything.

She’s been an inspiration for much of my life in ministry.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I would love to be able to shed this last 25 pounds or so. I’m a little rounder around the middle than I would like.

Thanks for bringing it up.

When and where were you the happiest?

Many of my happiest memories were conducting the choir and playing the organ in St. Mary’s Chapel at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where I taught.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’d like to be able to play hockey. I have knee issues, so I’m not a very good skater, but I wish I could skate and play hockey.

What is your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement would be seeing my autistic son succeed in school. He’s had just all sorts of challenges, with social skills and language and all sorts of things but seeing him grow up into the 13-year-old he is now, it’s been a lot of work for my wife and I, but it’s my greatest achievement.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d like to be able to sit still. I have ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. I’m always twitching my legs or picking at my sleeve or doing something. I’d like to be able to just know what stillness is.

What is your greatest regret?

I would have to say it’s travelling so much and having such poor time management when my kids were young. I have four kids, they’re 13, 11, and eight-month-old twins.

So I’m hoping that I can do better with my time management with the twins than I did when my older kids were young.

Nunatsiaq News is borrowing the old Proust Questionnaire parlour game to get to know people who are in the news. If you know someone in your community who our readers should get to know by taking this questionnaire, let us know by email: editors@nunatsiaq.com.