Michael Coyne

diocesan Priest

The Coyne family originally resided in Renfrew and has maintained a family residence here for the last century. My father moved our family to North Bay, where I was born.  Soon after my birth we moved again to Carleton place, where I grew up. I was a parishioner of St. Mary’s Parish in Carleton Place during my childhood.

After my childhood and exodus from home my parents moved back to the family home in Renfrew in 2001. I attended and graduated first from St. Mary’s Elementary School and then Carleton Place Public High School. After High School I attended studies in Ottawa to obtain my TESOL teaching License.

This certificate allowed me to acquire teaching contracts overseas and begin my teaching career abroad.  I spent the next decade of my life teaching English in a variety of countries.

I returned to Canada and became a novitiate for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate community in Ottawa at which point I began my Philosophy studies at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa.

During these courses I chose to leave the Oblate Community and re-enter the secular one.

At this point I attended the Crossroad Trucking Academy and obtained my ACZ truck driver’s license and began my career as a truck driver. I spent the next 10 years driving trucks for different companies across Canada. I lived and worked as a truck driver in North Bay, Sudbury, and Vancouver.

I have also spent some time at Madonna house discerning the call to Priesthood.

I was ordained a priest on September 8, 2020 at my home parish, St. Francis Xavier, Renfrew.

Vocation Story

My vocation story is a circular one. A return to the clarity of my youth, one born deeply rooted in the Catholic faith. As a child I loved being an alter server at St. Mary’s Church in Carleton Place and sometimes imagined one day being a Priest.  As I grew to adulthood I felt within myself a growing passion to see the world and to explore different cultures and experiences.  My faith remained with me but it now became a muted one to the colours and sounds of the world around me.  I could not stay in Canada so I took a course and began my adventure. As I traveled and squeezed every experience of life to its fullest my faith began to mirror my soul’s evolution back to me.  This moment of clarity shocked me and I knew I needed to stop the roller-coaster that had become my life and begin once again to listen to God’s plan for me not just my plan.

I returned to Canada and over the next few years I have attempted to hear God’s voice in authenticity and humility.