Patrick McCollum

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Patrick McCollum is the first official government-recognized Wiccan chaplain in the history of the United States. Soon after a profound near death experience in 1965, McCollum became involved in Wicca and eventually became a priest of Brighid [1]. In 1997, after being contacted by the Attorney General's Office in conjunction with a case involving a Wiccan inmate in the California corrections system, McCollum became the first Wiccan chaplain officially recognized by a government agency [2] and now serves as a statewide correctional chaplain for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He is a member of the American Correctional Chaplain Association and is the Program Chair for the National Correctional Chaplaincy Directors Association, a conference held in conjunction with the American Academy of Religion conferences annually. He is also the national coordinator for the Lady Liberty League prison ministry program. In addition, he is on the faculty of the Cherry Hill Seminary where he teaches courses on chaplaincy, and he is an advisor for various government agencies regarding chaplaincy and pagans' religious practices. He recently was elected to the National Advisory Council of Americans for Separation of Church and State [3] and in that capacity advocates for the religious rights of people in minority religions.

McCollum also is an activist. As such, he has served as an expert witness and advisor for several lawsuits. One such lawsuit involved inmate, William Rouser, against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in Sacramento. Rouser was able to obtain religious rights for Wiccan inmates in California when he settled his lawsuit seven years ago. However, California has allegedly failed to honor the terms of that settlement and, consequently, Rouser and other inmates have had the settlement set aside and renewed the suit, which is proceeding in federal court.

Another case against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was filed by Patrick McCollum himself. The case originally was filed with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission because McCollum claims that the state of California's hiring policy, which only allows the state to hire clergy members from five state designated faiths (Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Native American), regardless of inmate demand, is discriminatory [4]. When he received his "right to sue" letter from the EEOC, McCollum expanded the suit to include constitutional claims under the first and fourteenth amendments on behalf of himself and California's pagan inmates, and he filed the suit in federal court in the Northern District of California. That suit is in process.

McCollum also is an author and a professional jeweler, as well as an [Irish American]. His book on Wicca, entitled "Courting the Lady: A Wiccan Journey, Book One: The Sacred Path" teaches the "Old Religion" in the old way -- by walking the path and learning from nature's wisdom. As a jeweler, McCollum does custom designs. As such, McCollum designed the presidential belt buckle for President Ronald Reagan, with whom he had many conversations about the issues of the day.