The
Caledonia Times
May 2015 - Volume 47 - Issue 5 A Diocesan Section of the Anglican Journal
Caledonia participates in BC-Yukon Consulation date on restructuring how the provincial of the Church has worked. In particular, there was a review of the reports of the Task Force on Restructuring (2006) and how that Task Force is to become the Provincial Co-operation/Partnerships Group.
File Picture - The current members of the BC-Yukon House of Bishops - Ed.
March 23rd and 24th, the Bishop and the Dean traveled to Kelowna to participate in a consultation of provincial bishops, executive officers and financial officers. There were some stated goals put out for the participants by Archbishop John Privett, our Metropolitan: (1) build relationships, (2) foster trust and (3) try to define ways in which we can work together and move forward. In his opening comments, Archbishop Privett noted that the group had come together to take council which was a fulfillment of the vows that many of the participants took at the time of their ordinations. The first morning of the consultation was spent taking about the ministry in each of the dioceses and the episcopal area in the province. Each participant was asked to share three things that they want the rest of the group to know about their geographical area of ministry; about two things that they are celebrating in the life and ministry of the area; and share one major challenge that the diocese is facing or is about to face. The sharing was followed by a presentation from the Archbishop and from retired Bishop James Cowan (BC) on the work that has been done to
There was a listing of all the ministries that the dioceses and the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (APCI) hold in common. For example, one of the longest standing relationships is
that of Caledonia and Yukon and the agreement made in the late 1960’s for Yukon to take care of Fort Nelson, Atlin and Telegraph Creek Parishes. Princeton, BC., is looked after by Kootenay but is in the New Westminster Diocese. Additionally, Kingcome Inlet Parish is in the Diocese of British Columbia but is cared for by New Westminster because in all these cases, it is easier for someone else to care for the congregation because of transport routes and costs. It was also point out that the pay roll of APCI is being done in Kootenay as is the treasurer’s work for the BC-Yukon Anglican Youth Movement. It was noted during the meeting that there has been a lot of changes and different ways of doing things and of getting things done. Buildings and geography are increasingly less relevant and the language of ministry is changing. The Church tends to think of itself more and more as a “Missional Community”. Such a community has to find new, missional type language to describe what it is and what it does.
cerning people for ministries – lay and ordained. Participants noticed that many of he dioceses are moving to having their own schools of ministry and training programs outside the normal way of doing things. In the days ahead, it may be that the dioceses will come together to work on making the training compatible which would go a long ways in making a locally trained ordain person transferable from one diocese to another within the province. It was also clear that there was going to have to be work done at the provincial level, to help prepare the provincial Advisory Committee on Postulants for Ordination for changes and providing outcomes from the interview process. There was some talk about how to identify people for the ordained mnistry, and in particular about understand the call and examining the character of potential postulants: (1) is the person a gatherer/of community? (2) is there a pattern of the spiritual life and a commitment to regualr study of scripture and to prayer? (3) Hpow does the inquirer deal and act where power and authority are concerned? (4) What is the inquirer’s emotional state and what kind of realtionships does theperson keep? (5) Is the person a learner and have the ability to continually learn? (6) How is the person deal with his/her stewardship: how is he/she at givign and how do does one deal with sacrifice? Diocesan Camps and the Camps as a tool for Christian Education was also discussed. Only Kootenay and Caledonia continue to run a summertime residential youth camping experience. The other jurisdictions have shuttered or have completely removed themselves from the residential camping type ministry. And as a consquence, they have moved on to other tyoes of ministry, both as a diocese and as parishes in the diocese. The Consultation took place at St. Michael and All Angels Cathedral in Kelowna.
There was much time spent talking about dis-
Diocesan Synod to Take Place this Fall The Bishop has set the date for our next Diocesan Synod! Synod is scheduled to take place in Terrace, BC September 11-13th. Our theme speaker this year will be the Rt. Rev. Stephen Andrews, Bishop of Algoma. This announcement is to make the diocese aware of the coming Synod. More details will be available soon! The Caledonia Times (1905 - 2015) - Celebrating 110 years of informing and inspiring the Faithful in Northern BC
The Diocesan Calendar
Bishop’s Notes
O! If these stones could talk! Due to scheduling and time constraints, the Bishop’s Notes article was not available at press time, so in its place this month, is the Easter Sermon of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop’s Notes will return in June! - Ed.
By Archbishop Justin Welby In this Cathedral I often gaze at the stones. They have seen everything; from the cries of the monks around Thomas down in the crypt, to the howl of the sirens in the blitz. So many people have come and gone, so much change has occurred, yet the stones do not move. That is the nature of great stones, they mark a finality, an established place. They say to us “you may change, live, die, but we are stone, once put in place we do not move. We watch.” Stones have spoken silently for millennia, from Stonehenge to the 10 Commandments, but they are not witnesses, but mysteries - or rules. And that was the nature of the stone in front of the tomb of Jesus. It should not move, it should, forever, testify that here was the body of Jesus of Nazareth, a failed rebel. But the women go to the tomb and find the stone has moved. It did not stand forever observing events without and decay within. We might think «If only it could have spoken of what it saw! Just a stone, unable to speak, to observe or to act.» Here is the greatest stone sign in the whole of history. Yet it still needed a witness who spoke, a human being. The women go very early and find the tomb empty, the stone moved. The disciples rush around at various speeds, and then: «Then the disciples returned to their homes.» In other words, they do nothing. But one of these women stands and weeps. Faithful to the memory of Jesus, she will not run away. She meets him, astonished - yes, but also full of belief. That is one of the key themes of John›s gospel, believing, and she believes. And she witnesses. What the stone at the tomb saw, and these stones around us today have heard, is that Jesus has risen from the dead. He has moved the greatest stone that exists for every one of us, the stone of death that tells us we have only a dark future without existence. The stone has moved and the light of life floods into our lives, our churches, the joy of Christ is among us and in us, the certainty of life forever is offered to all who say ‹yes›: because Jesus is risen. In every town and village in this country, in almost every country round the world churches stand as mute confession of the resurrection. They stand, but like the stone at the tomb they cannot speak. Only witnesses can speak, and in God›s values no witness more or less important than any other. Mary Magdalene became a witness of what she had experienced: «I have seen the Lord». Cathedrals and churches make great statements, but without words. Witnesses are those people who know Christ; lay or ordained, old or young, gender, politics, sexuality or whatever irrelevant - all are equally witnesses. The resurrection happened, and it changes our view of the universe. Once we have seen the reality of the risen Jesus nothing else should be seen in the same way as before.
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To witness is to be a martyr. I am told by the Coptic Bishop in England that the Coptic Christians murdered in Libya last month died proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord. They are martyrs, a word that means both one that dies for their faith and one that witnesses to faith. There have been so many martyrs in the last year. On Maundy Thursday, three days ago around 150 Kenyans were killed because of being Christian. They are witnesses, unwilling, unjustly, wickedly, and they are martyrs in both senses of the word. Christians must resist without violence the persecution they suffer and support persecuted communities, with love and goodness and generosity.
April 8th -18th National House of Bishops, Niagara Falls, Ontario April 24-26th - Diocesan ACW Conference, New Aiyansh, BC. May 1st – A raising the roof Canteen Dinner and Loonie Auction for the Cathedral, Nisga’a Hall Prince Rupert, (5-8pm) May 3rd – St. Peter’s Hazelton - Episcopal Parish visit for Baptism May 5-7th - Diocesan Clericus with Parish Clergy at Holy Trinity, Vanderhoof, BC. – On Spiritual renewal. Theme Speaker Most Rev. TO Buckle, (Ret.-Yukon) May 8th – Diocesan Executive Committee Meeting, Holy Trinity Church Vanderhoof May 9th – Strawberry Tea and Sale, St. Andrew’s Cathedral (2-4pm) May 10th - St. Mark’s, Dawson Creek, Episcopal Parish Visit for Confirmation May 31st - St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Prince Rupert – Episcopal Parish visit for Confirmation
Yet these martyrs too are caught up in the resurrection: their cruel deaths, the brutality of their persecution, their persecution is overcome by Christ himself at their side because they share his suffering, at their side because he rose from the dead. Because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead the cruel are overcome, evil is defeated, martyrs conquer. And all these martyrs in their testimony to the resurrection point at us and ask, “in your comfort, in your great buildings which call out soundlessly to the reality of the risen Jesus, in your well organised societies, you who have lived these many decades under governments that welcome opposition, and that are led by those who seek honourably and honestly to serve the people, are you still witnesses?” Today are we still witnesses that say, “Jesus is alive?” St. Peter says we are living stones: the church is a gathering of martyrs, of witnesses to the love and goodness of Jesus. Every action we take, every inaction, every agreement, every disagreement in which love is maintained, everything we do and say, or refrain from doing or saying, everything witnesses. As living stones we support each other to be witnesses, as do the stones of this Cathedral. The building around us, itself a gift of God, burns with the glory of God when we burn with the fire of His love and cry out in witness: RS Thomas writes of an abandoned chapel: But here once on an evening like this, in the darkness that was about his hearers, a preacher caught fire and burned steadily before them with a strange light, so that they saw the splendour of the barren mountains about them and sang their amens fiercely, narrow but saved in a way that men are not now The stone at the tomb was a silent witness; we are living stones, speaking witnesses: let us be clear, gentle, loving, peaceful - yet bold, fiery witnesses who in a dark world sing our song of light: The Lord is risen, Jesus is alive, all creation is transformed.
The Caledonia Times A Publication of the Diocese of Caledonia Publisher: The Bishop of Caledonia Editor: The Dean of Caledonia Published monthly, except July and August by: Diocese of Caledonia, 200 – 4th Avenue West Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1P3 (250) 627-1143 or (250) 600-7143 Address correspondence and copy to the address above or to caledoniatimes@gmail.com Submissions must be received by the 1st of the month for the following month’s issue. Send subscription orders, address changes Diocese of Caledonia c/o Anglican Journal 80 Hayden St. Toronto, Ontario M4Y 3G2 Printed and mailed by: Webnews Inc., North York Ontario
Caledonia Times — May 2015
Editorial Moments
Keep calm and continue worship In recent days, there has been a lot of conversation around me about how we manage to be Church. It is not just an Anglican issue. Nor is it s just a Prince Rupert issue. So I have been reading and listening widely to the council of different bishops in England, the United States and here in Canada as to how we might proceed in this venture called the (One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic) Church. So keeping in mind that we are moving through the Feast of the Ascension to the Day and Feast of Pentecost, what does Church growth look like? Well, let’s first remember that Jesus going up to the Father at the Ascension is not the end of things but rather it is the beginning. This means for us that it is not mission accomplished but that it is time to get on with things. Ascension is important for many reasons but I will pick one to concentrate on. Blessing. At the beginning of Luke’s Gospel we have a priest who would not believe that his wife could have children and so left the presence of the Lord unable to speak and thus unable to bless until his tongue was loosened and he was able to testify to what God was doing. At the end of the Gospel, as Jesus is being taken up, he cannot stop blessing those who have followed him all this way and
continues to bless the Church, Right up to this moment. We are blessed. At this moment for this ministry that we are called to, we are blessed. Ascension also means that we are waiting. We have been left behind and we are in a sense, in exile. We are waiting for that moment when we finally come home. This is where the bishops come in. What do we do in the meantime: between now and when we come home? During Ascensiontide we wait for the power to step out to boldly and clearly and that time will be Pentecost. The response to the Ascension and to the continual blessings that are being poured out on the Church ought to be praise and worship. We need to keep calm and pray on. We need to make sure that we are cultivating both Godly conversation within and outside the Church about the future and make sure that we are conversing with God about how he wants us to move
A Journey Just Begun is an organized and artistically pleasing book which does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the Sisters of St. John the Divine. The title page features a picture of the Sisters in their royal blue habits walking the labyrinth at their convent in North York, Toronto. Before the main text we are given two pages of maps showing where the Sisters have worked in Central Toronto, Greater Toronto and outside of the Toronto area. The book is divided into two parts: Sacred Time and Sacred Space. In “Sacred Time” the history of the community is told. There are six chapters - one for each of the Reverend Mothers. The community was started 130 years ago in 1884 by Hannah Grier Coome, an English widow. This history part of the book is illustrated by mainly black and white pictures. At the end of part one we are given four pages of timelines showing the work of the Sisters over the years. We see from the timeline that the Sisters built a new convent in 2004 beside Caledonia Times — May 2015
We need to start caring for those we find within our walls and love them as Christ has directed. And rather than insisting that the world get into the Church, the Church go out and brave the world so that they can, when the time is right, share the great things that God is doing. So let us praise and worship as we await power from on high – keeping calm, and praising and praying and worshiping. And let us walk with faces that will not turn away from our destination – home and at rest in the presence of him who loves us still. Jason+ Editor, The Caledonia Times.
Recommended reading for Anglican and Lutheran women and for all parish libraries.
Books on the Way After I graduated from UBC with a degree in secondary education I went to Toronto to see if I could be an Anglican nun. It took me only two months to realize that I did not have a vocation to the religious life. I was disappointed, but returned to BC and teaching. I have kept up my connection with the Sisters of St. John the Divine as an associate, but living at a distance has made communication difficult. It was with real interest that I learned last fall that the Sisters were publishing a book about their history and life in their new convent.
and to act. Worship and Praise only have depth when we see and know clearly who God is and what God has given. In this way we are responding to our culture and society out of prayer, out of the Spirit and out of the Scriptures. We need to meet people where they are, in their needs and on their terms while watching for and earning the opportunities that will allow us to speak about God and the great things that he is doing in and around us. We need to serve the Gospel “Hot and Fresh” (Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi of Jos) so that people will see and know that Jesus rules in our lives and desires to come into theirs and do the same. How do we do that? A start might be in working on having the spiritual fruit of the Spirit in ever increasing measure: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
St. John’s Rehabilitation Hospital.
Sisters of St. John the Divine. A Journey Just Begun: The Story of an Anglican Sisterhood. Toronto: Dundurn, 2015.
The second part of the book “Sacred Space” uses the new convent as a framework for describing the life of the Sisters. As each chapter begins we see a miniature floor plan of the convent with the featured room indicated. The emphasis is on the purpose of each room. Under Novitiate we are told about formation in the religious life. Under kitchen and refectory we are given six recipes. (The reviewer tried Song of India rice - yummy.) The section on the chapel has six hymns written by sisters. Under Scriptorium are eleven poems by sisters. The Arts and Crafts Rooms chapter includes pictures of the stained glass and other art work at the convent. Following the main text we are given the Rule of Life of the Sisters. The acknowledgements which follow the text thank Jane Christian for working with Sister Constance Joanna on putting this book together. Jane, now an associate of the Sisters, is the author of And Then There Were Nuns. The last two pages are devoted to the song “A Journey Just Begun” by Gordon Light which provided the title of the book. By the end of the book the reader could feel familiar with the Sisters and their home convent. Prayer continues to be central to the Sisters life and work. Their recent emphasis has been on providing retreats and spiritual direction.
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Wider Church Life News from the rest of Canada Bishop offers apology during demolition of residential school On Feb.18, Ash Wednesday, a crowd of over 1,000 people gathered to bear witness to the demolition of St. Michael’s residential school in the small community of Alert Bay, B.C. Though the school closed its doors just over 40 years ago in 1974, its continued presence served as a constant reminder of the wrongs committed within its walls and in residential schools across Canada. “It represented all that was wrong with Canada during that time, and all that was terrible between First Nations people and other Canadians,” said hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation Robert Joseph. Bishop Logan McMenamie of the Diocese of British Columbia attended the ceremony and offered an apology to the hundreds of residential school survivors in attendance. He also pledged to continue to journey with First Nations peoples on the long road to mutual healing, and to “stand with [them] at any time and any place.” The Diocesan Post Calgary church begins accessibility renovations Holy Cross Church in Calgary, Alta., has begun construction on a series of renovations aimed at creating a more accessible place of worship. The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) has provided a $10,000 grant and a further $100,000 loan that will enable Holy Cross to install a two-person elevator and wheelchair-accessible washrooms. The Rev. Kyle Norman, rector at Holy Cross, said that the church’s four-level design—the building does not currently have an elevator—will no longer pose problems for those with mobility issues. “For a long time, the dynamic of the building has been that it’s just not accessible,” he said. “Some people could attend a service but not the coffee time on another level if they couldn’t manage stairs.”
The support of the AFC has buoyed Norman’s spirits in more ways than one. Beyond the financial assistance, the grant and loan have demonstrated that Holy Cross has “the backing of the national church across Canada. We’re not doing this alone.” The Sower ‘Ashes to Go’ initiative greets Edmonton, Alta. commuters On the morning of Feb. 18, Ash Wednesday, Edmonton’s public transit commuters were greeted by teams of vestment-clad Anglicans and Lutherans offering up ash crosses and prayers. This was the Ashes to Go initiative’s fifth year in Edmonton, and over 550 people took a moment’s pause on their way to work to receive the sign of the cross. Archdeacon Chris Pappas, rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Edmonton, views the concept as one way in which the church can accommodate the busy reality of modern life. “As people get busier and busier, they need the church in new and non-traditional ways,” he said. “The people who accept ashes and a blessing in the train station… are often longing to make a connection between their faith and the forces of daily life.” The Messenger 110-year-old St. Aidan Parish building to ‘renew, restore, release’ St. Aidan Parish in Moose Jaw, Sask., has launched a five-year fundraising campaign in an effort to help restore its 110-year-old building. The campaign has been dubbed “Renew, Restore, Release”(3R), in reference to the renewal and restoration of its parish building, and the subsequent release of its ministry into the community. In acknowledgement of its place in a wider diocese and church community, St. Aidan has decided that 10 per cent of the proceeds—up to a maximum of $45,000—from the 3R campaign will go
Bishop of Brandon is to retire in July By André Forget, Journal Staff
On Palm Sunday March 29th, Bishop James Njegovan of the Diocese of Brandon announced in a pastoral letter that effective July 31, 2015, he will be retiring after 13-and-a-half-years of episcopal service. “For some this announcement may come as a surprise,” he said in the letter. But, he added, without elaborating, that for others “as much as I may regret it—it will not be entirely unwelcome news.”
In an interview with the Anglican Journal, Njegovan said there was no connection between his decision to retire and the diocesan lawsuit currently underway involving his son, Noah Njegovan. Bishop Njegovan’s episcopacy has faced challenges in the last two years since his son was charged with fraud for his alleged use of a diocesan business credit card for personal expenses during his time as diocesan archdeacon from 2009 to 2012. Although the Crown withdrew its charges against Noah Njegovan in 2014, the diocese subsequently launched a$350,000 civil lawsuit against him, claiming damages of $250,000 for fraud, breach of trust, breach of contract and fraud-
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ulent misrepresentation, and $100,000 for punitive and exemplary damages. The bishop has refrained from involvement or comment on the case, citing his personal relationship with his son.
to the diocese of Qu’Appelle’s Living the Mission financial stewardship initiative. The remainder of the proceeds will go to the three areas of construction that the 3R campaign committee has deemed crucial: completion of the parish hall, restoration of the north wall foundation and renewal of the lower hall space. The Saskatchewan Anglican ‘Our Faith—Our Hope’ grant helps Toronto church welcome youth Thanks in part to a $75,000 grant from the Our Faith—Our Hope campaign, St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Toronto has been able to reimagine the ways in which it welcomes youth to church. Much of the credit goes to the Rev. Jennifer Schick, who was made the parish’s part-time associate priest for children and youth in January 2014. Schick’s position was funded in part by the grant, which will be distributed over the course of three years. From the outset of her appointment, Schick identified the integration of children and youth into church life as a priority. To that end, she created events such as a March Break family movie night, a Halloween open house and an Advent wreathmaking party. She also revamped the church’s Sunday school programs, introducing a nursery service and a schoolhouse program that takes place during the 11 o’clock service. Attendance at these various initiatives has been good, but Schick is more concerned with whether or not the children feel included in the church itself. “It’s not just about Sunday school,” she said. “It’s about being part of the life of the community.” That, she believes, is the true measure of success. The Anglican
Comic Life
The bishop, who was on sabbatical from January until March of this year, said that this time of reflection “convinced me that the time has now come for me to step down as your Bishop and begin my season of retirement.” And while he faced challenges during his term, Njegovan said the ministry “has for the most part been my joy, honour and privilege,” adding that he has been “richly blessed through my visits to the parishes and in the celebrations of confirmations, ordinations and other special events.” He also said his involvement with First Nations communities in the north of his diocese has been “a wonderful experience, and just the generosity of church people and their support and care has been a real highlight.” He added, “it is the richness and diversity of God’s people that I really celebrate.”
Caledonia Times — May 2015