The Saskatchewan Anglican, September 2018

Saskatchewan

anglican

The newspaper of the Dioceses of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and Qu’Appelle • A Section of the Anglican Journal • September 2018 www.facebook.com/thesaskatchewananglican — www.issuu.com/thesaskatchewananglican

Bishop of Muyinga visits the Diocese of Qu'Appelle

By Joanne Shurvin-Martin With files from Phyllis Armstrong, Archdeacon Dell Bornowsky, and Laura French REGINA — Bishop Paisible Ndacayisaba of the Diocese of Muyinga has finally visited the Diocese of Qu’Appelle after several years of communicating by email with the Canadian diocese and its bishop and synod staff.

Paisible spent four full days in the diocese in July.

This was the bishop’s first visit to his companion diocese, as well as his first visit to Canada. He travelled to Qu’Appelle following a meeting of African and Canadian bishops, held in London, Ont. Paisible, which is French for “peaceful,” is pronounced pa with a soft A, seeb, and the l is barely sounded. The accent on the

second syllable, more like the French pronunciation of “possible” than the English pronunciation of “passable.”

Bishop Paisible spent most of his time in rural areas of the diocese: Maple Creek, Swift Current and Whitewood.

During his time in Regina, Paisible attended the mid-week eucharist service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, had lunch and conversation with diocesan staff at the Synod Office, and met with parishioners and immigrants from Burundi at All Saints.

He also met with retired Bishop David Ashdown, who was acting as commissary while Bishop Rob Hardwick was on sabbatical, cycling across Canada.

Paisible expressed his disappointment that he was not able to meet Hardwick in person. This is the second time they have been unable to connect, despite being

Touching a horse was a highlight of Bishop Paisible Ndacayisaba’s visit to Maple Creek and area when he was in the Diocese of Qu'Appelle in July. He visited Ann Lawrence's ranch during his time in the diocese. The two dioceses have been in a companion relationship since 2013.

Photo by Archdeacon Dell Bornowsky relatively close. In 2015 Hardwick was in Tanzania for an international meeting of bishops. Paisible was actually on the way to the meeting, when a coup forced him to quickly return home.

Paisible says that his prayer is that Bishop Hardwick will be able to attend the official opening of the medical clinic, for which the Diocese of Qu’Appelle has provided significant funding.

The clinic is currently under construction beside the cathedral in the city of Muyinga. He hopes it will be operating in about a year and a half, “trusting there will be funds to complete it.

Without your help it will not happen. This building will be a sign of the relationship between our dioceses,” says Paisible.

This clinic is desperately needed, says Paisible, because there is no other in

the area.

People now have to walk for three or four hours to reach medical care, while many die because of the distance. In addition to providing medical treatments, the clinic will be an important centre for the community, providing education on nutrition, AIDS prevention, maternal health, sanitation, immunizations and much more.

Continued on page 10

Bishop David Irving to retire in October Contributed SASKATOON — After eight years as the Bishop of Saskatoon and 32 years as a priest, the Right Rev. David Irving is set to retire.

Bishop Irving announced that his retirement as the 12th Bishop of Saskatoon is effective Monday, Oct. 1.

An electoral synod will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Saskatoon, at 814 Spadina Crescent East, on Saturday, Sept. 8, to elect Irving’ successor.

The synod begins at 10 a.m. with an opening Eucharist, followed by the viewing of candidates’ video

Bishop David Irving clips and the voting itself.

The Most Rev. Gregory Kerr-Wilson, archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land, will chair the meeting.

Only the metropolitan, synod officers, recording secretary, voting members of the laity and clergy of the Diocese of Saskatoon, and candidates and spouses will be permitted into the cathedral for the election.

Please pray for all the synod delegates who will be present to prayerfully elect our new diocesan bishop.

We request that everyone throughout the diocese offer the following prayer from now until the electoral synod: Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who

shall choose a bishop for this diocese, that we may receive a faithful guide, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

There will be a diocesanwide retirement farewell thanksgiving service for Bishop David and his wife Joan celebrating their service to the diocese on Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Saskatoon at 10:30 a.m. The service will be followed by a reception.

Parishioners and clergy are encouraged to

attend this service and the reception that follows, rather than Sunday worship in their home parishes.

There will also be a retirement banquet dinner honouring and celebrating the retirement of Bishop David and Joan Irving at the Saskatoon Inn on Sept.

14.

Tickets are available for purchase from the Synod Office at 306-244-5651, or from anglicansynod@ sasktel.net.

For those requiring overnight accommodation, the Synod Office has arranged for a block of hotel rooms.

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

There is joy in responding to God How do we reconcile God’s sovereignty with human freedom?

By Archdeacon Cheryl Toth

G

oing to the dog park with my dog, Baxter, is one of the joys of a day off. Baxter is a two-year-old Border Collie who loves to run, chase balls and herd other dogs. He can easily spend an hour running and roaming the park.

When it comes time to go, I call him, “Let’s go, Baxter. Time to leave.” I watch as Baxter, probably 100 metres away, looks at me—trying to decide how serious I am. I call again and move toward the exit.

Baxter, despite wanting to play with the other dogs, comes running toward me.

Every time he does, I take delight in his doing so, because it is only in the last few months that he has willingly left to come with me when I call.

It makes the entire experience of going home so much easier and the dog park far more enjoyable.

In a strange way my relationship with Baxter reminds me of our relationship with God. At some point in our relationship, Baxter decided that pleasing me by coming was preferable to having me tromp across the field to get him after he ran the other way.

I don’t know what has made the difference in his dog-brain, but I see the effects. I can also see the effects in my life when I move toward God rather than away.

God will follow me when I run away, seeking me out and helping me see the consequences of my flight, but I am in a more joyous state of being when I respond to God’s call quickly. My choice.

God, the Creator of us all, gifts us with many things and one of them is freedom. We are creatures of a God who has made us able to choose how we live in this world.

That is a huge gift because our choices do not always please God and yet God does not take away our freedom to make them.

Instead, in God’s sovereignty, God chooses to help us.

God’s sovereignty is the word we use to talk about God’s ultimate power and authority over all the cosmos. What is amazing about our God is that the Holy One uses that power and authority for the purposes of redemption and love.

We are all too aware in our lives how often we, with our free will, choose attitudes and actions that do not benefit us or those we love. We act against our best interests as individuals, communities and nations because of our fear, anger, grief and hatred.

As the confession in Morning Prayer says, “We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.”

Yet God does not abandon us in the morass of our sinfulness, but instead forgives and redeems.

Article X of the Thirtynine Articles reminds

us that God graces us by going before us and working within us that our free will may be good will.

“We have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.”

The word prevent is used here to mean precede or go before. Christ has gone before us and opened the way of salvation so we may follow in his way, and with the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, use our freedom for the good of ourselves and others.

But it’s not a one-time thing. Similar to Baxter every time I call him, we get to decide every day if we move toward the One who loves us and calls us to be God’s own or turn the other way. Your choice.

God’s choice — sovereign and ever-lasting — is always to Love.

Archdeacon Cheryl Toth is a priest in the Diocese of Qu’Appelle and serves as intentional interim priest with All Saints, Regina.

God's love frees us from the curse of separation How do we reconcile God’s sovereignty with man’s freewill?

By Archdeacon Norbert Haukenfrers, D.Min

A

g is what everyone called him. Ag was more powerful than any other political or economic entity, an entrepreneur of innumerable enterprises. It was believed that without Ag, the existence of the world was questionable and yet, oddly, Ag never managed anything.

Ag, while responsible for establishing and tearing down kingdoms, delegated all authority.

Among the designated, Ag never wanted to instill fear; in fact, Ag was most readily remembered with joy. The designated ones were given responsibility to manage the enterprises as they saw fit.

Ag provided all the information they needed to make the best decisions.

The designated ones were chosen by Ag not to be employees, but were invited to become part of the family. They were

bound together by the action and activity of Ag into the community of Ag. In this place, everything good, beautiful, or true bore Ag’s trademark, AT. Ag gave unfettered freedom limited only by one directive to avoid one dangerous fruit that would fill them with toxins.

Instead of domineering the designated ones, Ag charged them with the care are reproduction of what is good, true, and beautiful. Ag revealed to the community the real nature of what is good, true and beautiful.

But that did not stop the first designated one to violate the one directive.

Violating the one directive released the power known as Cinnanteth.

Without exception, the power of Cinnanteth infected all. Why or how this first designated one chose not to follow the one directive is a mystery. Ag gave the first designated one freedom to choose all his actions.

The responsibility of this choice clearly lies with the first designated one.

The failure of the first designated one did not stop Ag from choosing other designates to join his family. This graciousness is in the very nature and character of Ag who keeps giving of himself, generously and lavishly.

But the designated ones kept rejecting the gifts and wisdom of Ag and went off in their own directions, infected by Hattath, the same syndrome as the early designated one: disease.

This disease infected all the designates and the loss of togetherness devastated Ag. It was clear that if this disease was allowed to run its course, it would finish the community of Ag and any hope of togetherness.

It wasn’t long before Ag gave his chosen ones a treatment plan known as Korban to make them fit for life again. Over time, the designated ones began taking Korban casually, performing it without any attention or intention.

Throughout history designates have postulated much about Ag, some have proposed that being completely free of any

charges and regarded with favour with complete confidence in Ag changed everything.

While others emphasized that everything hinged on the supreme power and authority of Ag. The stories of Ag, that have been passed down, indicate that the designates are free to screw things up, or to do things in agreement with the desires expressed by Ag. Oh, I must apologize, Ag was never properly induced: Agapeos Theos, or Ag for short is The God who is Love, whose action and activity is determined by the shape of agape love.

Agapeos Theos’ defining characteristic is love, so it is this love that finally puts an end to the disease infecting the designated ones.

Only by Ag giving out of who Ag is would the designates be free from the curse of separation brought on by the disease Hattath.

Agapeos Theos made himself available to anyone who would be his designated one, leaving Continued on page 3

Published by the Dioceses of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and Qu’Appelle.

Published monthly except for July and August.

Whole No. 292, Vol. 47, No. 1 A Section of the Anglican Journal SUBSCRIPTIONS For change of address, undeliverable copies and subscription list updates, contact: • Your parish • e-mail: circulation @national.anglican.ca • Or send to Saskatchewan Anglican, c/o Anglican Journal, 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, Ont. M4Y 3G2 RATES $10 in Canada $17 outside Canada SUBMISSIONS Submissions for the October issue must be received by the diocesan editor no later than Friday, Aug. 31 All pictures must be sent as JPEGS and 1 MB (megabyte) in size.

CONTACT INFORMATION Managing Editor: Jason Antonio SKAnglicanEditor@gmail. com 1501 College Ave Regina, Sask., S4P 1B8 Phone: 306-737-4898 Qu’Appelle: Joanne Shurvin-Martin joannesm@myaccess.ca 6927 Farrell Bay Regina, Sask.,

S4X 3V4 Phone: 306-775-2629 Saskatoon: Peter Coolen ptrcoolen@sasktel.net 820 Avenue I South, Saskatoon, Sask., S7M 1Z3 Phone: 306-244-0935, Saskatchewan: Munden and Linda Coates linda.munden@sasktel.net Box 208 Arborfield, Sask., S0E 0A0 Photo: 306-769-8339 Advertising agent: Angela Rush saskatchewan.anglican.ads@ gmail.com 905-630-0390 PUBLISHING DETAILS Published from 59 Roberts Place Regina, Sask., S4T 6K5

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

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To be a pilgrim on the journey

By Bishop Michael Hawkins

P

rovincial Synod fired me up! You do not hear that too often. I was refreshed by the music, liturgy, preaching, teaching, fellowship, hospitality and even the resolutions.

At May in Edmonton our Provincial Synod passed Ps49-C-10: Resolved that the Provincial Synod of Rupert’s Land adopt and endorse the resolution of ACC16 that ‘Every Province, Diocese and parish of the Anglican Communion adopt a clear focus on intentional discipleship and to produce resources to equip and enable the whole church to be effective in making new disciples of Jesus Christ.’

This focus on Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour, and on growing in understanding ourselves and one another as disciples of Jesus excites me and is a unique sign of hope for the Communion, the Province of Rupert’s Land, and us as Anglicans in the civil province of Saskatchewan.

We are not alone in focusing on intentional discipleship. I was graciously invited to share in a day on intentional discipleship hosted by the Diocese (Roman Catholic) of Prince Albert at

the end of April.

With Christians across the world, we are being invited to think of ourselves as student followers (disciples) of Jesus Christ.

As disciples of Jesus, we seek to learn from His teaching and to follow His example. This is a life-long journey, begun in Baptism and that continues unto our life’s end.

As those who have come to know the saving, healing and forgiving power of Jesus, we seek to learn more about Him and to follow him more closely.

Our Anglican Communion has plenty of resources available to assist congregations in this focus, but I would commend to everyone, and especially the Diocese of Saskatchewan, the resource that Bishop Stephen Cottrell — our guest speaker at Provincial Synod — had a

hand in preparing.

Pilgrim, A Course of the Christian Journey, is a thoughtful, open-minded and accessible resource that will help us all to grow into disciples of Jesus Christ.

In the greatest variety of ways and by all kinds of means, Jesus the Saviour has called us to follow Him. Will you join me in the resolution and prayer of a recent song and ancient prayer?

I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.

Celebrating 60 years in ministry

By Rev. Peter Coolen SASKATOON – It’s rare for someone to remain in the same job for 60 years, but the Rev. Canon Colin Clay and Father Bernard de Marjorie can both lay claim to that feat.

On June 3, a service of celebration of the Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of ordination to the priesthood was celebrated, in a service of solemn evensong, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Saskatoon for both men.

Father de Marjorie (Roman Catholic) and Rev. Canon Clay (Anglican) were ordained as priests on June 1, 1958.

During the service, the Right Rev. Thomas Morgan provided the

sermon, while the Rev. Canon Colin Clay’s son, Alan Clay, read the gospel.

Alan Clay and Dr. Darren Dahl, director of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, spoke words of appreciation for Colin and Bernard.

Father Bernard was the founder of The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in 1984 and served as the executive director of the centre until 1994. Rev. Canon Clay has been involved in Ecumenism in Saskatoon for many years.

The Most Rev. Mark A. Hagermoen, Bishop of Saskatoon (Roman Catholic), conducted a renewal of commitment for Father de Marjorie.

He also presented Father de Marjorie with

written congratulations from His Holiness, Pope Francis.

Executive Archdeacon Ken Watts – on behalf of the Right Rev. David Irving, Bishop of Saskatoon – conducted the renewal of commitment for Rev. Canon Colin Clay.

Father de Marjorie spoke briefly and Rev. Canon Colin Clay at much greater length about their careers, hopes for the future, and gave thanks to all in attendance for being present to celebrate with them.

Following the blessing

by Bishop Hagermoen and the dismissal, a reception with refreshments and a time of celebration and fellowship was held in the cathedral parish hall.

... God's love frees us from separation Continued from page 2 the choice of response with the designated ones. Whether they choose the cure or not, doesn’t change who Ag is, what he has done, or what Ag is doing, for Agapeos Theos is embodiment in the person of Jesus Christ, suffering to work the cure to release all who want to be free from the power of Cinnanteth.

On June 3, a service of celebration of the Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of ordination to the priesthood was celebrated in a service of solemn evensong in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Saskatoon for the Rev. Canon Colin Clay and Father Bernard de Marjorie. In front are Father Bernard de Marjorie and Rev. Canon Colin Clay. In back are the Right Rev. Rodney Andrews, the Most Rev. Mark A. Hagermoen and The Right Rev. Thomas Morgan.

Photo by Kip Yaworski

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

Rev. Anne Marie MacNeil retires

By Mae Boa REGINA — Friends, family, and colleagues gathered after a Sunday worship at St. Matthew’s, Regina to celebrate with Rev. Anne Marie MacNeil on her retirement from weekly services.

They shared prayer, fellowship, food and many personal stories and messages of thanks as Anne Marie and Ed MacNeil turn to a new chapter in their lives. It was a moving experience to see the openness with which people from youths to seniors came to the open microphone to thank

MacNeil for her spiritual leadership, and to wish the two special guests happiness, health and safe travels in the years ahead.

Flowers, plaques, cards, letters and money were given. Presentations were made by Bishop David Ashdown on behalf of Bishop Rob Hardwick; Kathy Chlopan, president of the parish ACW; warden Marlene Skaalrud, on behalf of vestry; and Mae Boa, lay incumbent and moderator who thanked the couple on behalf of the congregation. Rev. Blair Dixon offered opening and closing prayers.

The event was June 17.

At a retirement celebration for Rev. Anne Marie MacNeil, Bishop David Ashdown (l) represented the diocese and presented the diocesan crest which MacNeil is holding. Other presentations were made by (from the centre) Kathy Chlopan, Mae Boa and Marlene Skaalrud. Retired priest Blair Dixon (back) offered prayers.

Photo by Morley Evans

DIOCESE OF SASKATOON

Announcements for September 2018 g Saskatchewan Anglican online! You know you can read current and past issues of the Saskatchewan Anglican online on the Diocese of Saskatoon website or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ saskatchewananglican. g No news is not Good News! Is your parish planning an event, a fundraiser or has it already held one and has something you can report? Well, don’t keep this to yourself! g Lutheran-Anglican Women’s Retreat 2018: Please mark your calendars for the Walking our Faith, Women’s Retreat on Friday, Oct. 12 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., evening social, and on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the retreat proper.

It is being held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 812 Preston Avenue, Saskatoon.

Rev. Dr. Jessica Latshaw will be the retreat facilitator. To register or for more information, please contact Betty Lloyd at 306-3436959 or bmlloyd@sasktel.net, or Mercedes Montgomery at 306-3745182 or mjmontgomery@shaw.ca.

Registration fee is $35; the registration deadline is Sept. 28. Please share this information. All women are welcome! g Autumn Annual Fowl Supper at Pike Lake: St. Martin in the Field’s, Pike Lake, will be holding its annual fowl supper on Sunday, Sept. 30 – one sitting only – at 5:30 p.m. at the Pike Lake Community Hall, Pike Lake. The annual fowl supper is the major Pike Lake Community event held to raise funds for the operation of its parish church.

Tickets are: Adult $18, ages six to 12, $8, and preschool, $4; They are pre-sold only; tickets for dining in or take-out may be

purchased from Nancy at 306-2422473 and Cheryl at 306-934-4852.

Avoid disappointment and get your tickets early. Tickets for the annual fowl supper have sold out in each of the last two years. g Creating Connections: Celebrating Religious Diversity in the Arts: This event, from Sept. 27 to 28, is the first event in the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism’s fall schedule.

The events kickoff at the Remai Modern on Thursday, Sept. 27, with An Evening with Yann Martel. On Friday, Sept. 28 the day will be spent at Queen’s House of Retreats, 601 Taylor Street West.

Learn from the plenary speakers, community artist Kevin Peeace and Dr. Justin Jaron Lewis of Winnipeg.

There will also be shorter sessions throughout the day providing a wide variety of learning opportunities. Registration fee is $75; this includes the Yann Martel event on Thursday, Sept 27, workshop and lunch.

Please forward registration and payment to Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, 535 8th Street East, Saskatoon, S7H 0P9, or programs@pcecumenism.ca.

As a part of Creating Connection, an old-fashioned pie social will be held on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., during which you can enjoy a slice of pie while enjoying music

by Saskatoon Serenade and other cultural entertainment.

Please save the date as we finalize the location. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person or $25 per family.

Appointments, Anniversaries, Obituaries, etc. g Rev. Joseph James Ponic: The Rev. Joseph James Ponic died

peacefully on June 20 in the loving presence of his friends at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.

A full obituary may be found elsewhere in this issue. g Electoral Synod 2018: The Right Rev. David Irving has announced his retirement as the 12th Bishop of Saskatoon effective Oct. 1.

An electoral synod will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Saskatoon on Saturday, Sept. 8 to elect his successor.

Location: The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 814 Spadina Crescent East, Saskatoon Time: 10 a.m. Opening Eucharist followed by viewing of candidates’ video clips and voting Chair: The Metropolitan of The Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land, the Most Rev. Greg KerrWilson Attendance: Only the metropolitan, synod officers, recording secretary, voting members of the laity and clergy of the Diocese of Saskatoon, and candidates and spouses will be permitted into the cathedral for the election.

A prayer for guidance: Please pray for all the synod delegates who will be present to prayerfully elect our new diocesan bishop.

We request that everyone throughout the diocese offer the following prayer from now until the electoral synod: Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this diocese, that we may receive a faithful guide, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

g Bishop David and Joan Irving’s Retirement Farewell Service: A diocesan-wide farewell thanksgiving service celebrating Bishop David and Joan Irving’s service to the diocese will be held be Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Saskatoon at 10:30 a.m.

The service will be followed by a reception.

Parishioners and clergy are encouraged to attend this service and the reception that follows, rather than Sunday worship in their home parishes. g Bishop David and Joan Irving’s Retirement Banquet Dinner: A banquet dinner honouring and celebrating the retirement of Bishop David and Joan Irving will be held at the Saskatoon Inn on Sept. 14.

Tickets are available for purchase from the Synod Office at 306-244-5651, or from anglicansynod@sasktel.net.

For those requiring overnight accommodation, the Synod Office has arranged for a block of hotel rooms; preferred rate rooms are available at the Saskatoon Inn so ask Lorea Eufemia for details.

To reserve or to purchase your tickets please contact Lorea at anglicansynod@sasktel.net or 306244-5651 before Aug. 31..

Deadline To be included in a timely manner, brief notices should be sent to the Associate Editor by e-mail or “snail mail” by the last week of the month, two months before the month in which insertion is desired (for example, December submissions will be in the February issue).

Detailed and longer texts of upcoming events will not be included here, but should space allow, could be the subject of article and notices elsewhere in the paper.

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

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Regina hosts ecumenical conference on diaconate

By Canon Michael Jackson REGINA — Close to 100 people gathered at Campion College, the Jesuit-affiliated college at the University of Regina, for an international Anglican-Roman CatholicUkrainian Catholic conference on the diaconate.

The conference, held May 10 to 13, was cosponsored by the Diocese of Qu’Appelle and the Archdiocese of Regina.

Believed to be the first of its kind, the conference attracted four bishops, eight priests, 55 deacons and a number of diaconal candidates and lay people, from seven Canadian provinces, six U.S. states, England, Scotland and New Zealand.

Bishop Rob Hardwick of Qu’Appelle and Archbishop Donald Bolen of Regina co-chaired the conference, while Bishop Bryan Bayda of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon was a session chair.

Anglican bishop Donald Phillips of Rupert’s Land also took part.

The conference was an outcome of the covenant between the Diocese of Qu’Appelle and the Archdiocese of Regina, which has been in place since 2011.

Said Archbishop Bolen, “This international conference is a new venture in our covenantal relationship, building on the fact that both our Churches have a threefold ministry including the diaconate, and that diaconal ministry is being explored in significant ways by both Churches, including our respective dioceses, at the present time.”

Entitled “The Ministry of the Deacon: Word and Sacrament, Charity and Justice,” the conference brought together 11 leading authorities on the diaconate from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. They addressed nine topics: — The Conundrum of the Transitional Diaconate — The Theological Basis of the Diaconate — Women and the Diaconate — The Diaconate as Ecumenical Opportunity — The Diaconate in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches — The Prophetic

Ministry of the Deacon — The Deacon in the Worshipping Community — Diaconal Formation — Diaconal Relationships Roman Catholic speakers were Deacon Frederick Bauerschmidt, professor of theology at Loyola University in Baltimore, Sister Gloria Marie Jones of the Dominican Sisters of St. Jose in California, Deacon George Newman of Newman Theological College in Edmonton, and Dr. Brett Salkeld, archdiocesan theologian of the Archdiocese of Regina.

Sub-Deacon Brian Butcher of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, was the speaker from the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

From the Anglican Communion, speakers were Deacon Phina Borgeson of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California; Canon Rosalind Brown of Durham Cathedral, Church of England; Deacon Susanne Watson Epting of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa; Deacon Canon Michael Jackson of Qu’Appelle, Deacon Maylanne Maybee, formerly principal of the Centre for Christian Studies in Winnipeg; and Canon Alison Peden, director of ordinands for the Scottish Episcopal Church.

The final event of the ecumenical diaconate conference was a joint prayer service held at St. Paul's Cathedral on May 13. From left are Deacon Michael Jackson, Protodeacon David Kennedy of Toronto, Bishop Bryan Bayda of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, and Father Vladimir Simunovic.

Photo by Margaret Ball

Convergence and common ground The presentations and discussions showed considerable convergence and common ground on the diaconate among the participants despite their different faith traditions.

For example, there was a majority consensus the “transitional” diaconate – the practice of ordaining people deacons for a brief period before they become priests – was unnecessary and undesirable.

Deacon Susanne Watson Epting described efforts in the American Episcopal Church to come to grips with this conundrum. As Roman Catholic deacon George Newman said, “One would be led to wonder, if [a candidate for the priesthood] is not going to engage in traditional deacon ministry, why ordain him as a deacon?”

Anglican deacon

The three bishops involved in the ecumenical conference gather at Campion College.

From left are Bishop Bryan Bayda of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, Bishop Rob Hardwick of the Anglican Diocese of Qu'Appelle, and Archbishop Donald Bolen of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina. Photo by Frank Flegel Maylanne Maybee noted, “If we were to be consistent, we would resume the practice of direct ordination (i.e. ordination to the priesthood without passing through the diaconate first).”

However, countering this, Roman Catholic deacon Frederick Bauerschmidt and Anglican canon Rosalind Brown defended “sequential” ordination as deacon, then priest, on the grounds that all orders of ministry

incorporate the diaconate.

Several speakers commented on the welcome recovery of the permanent or vocational diaconate, especially since the Second Vatican Council, as a distinctive order of ministry.

It is no longer the “inferior office” referred to in the 1662 Anglican Book of Common Prayer, but a symbol and instrument of the New Testament idea of diakonia, or service,

which is the vocation of every Christian through baptism.

“Diaconal ministry,” said Canon Brown, “is a dynamic extension of Eucharistic celebration, as deacons are incarnational ministers of the Eucharist in the forgotten, awkward corners of the world.”

The session on the prophetic ministry of the deacon explored in depth this role of incarnational minister. Deacon Phina Continued on page 20

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

New chapter for shared ministry in Biggar

By Cindy Hoppe BIGGAR (S’toon) – Emmanuel Eigenfeldt, north of Biggar, is a beautiful white country church surrounded by green fields and a charming cemetery.

It was closed in 1961 and merged with St. Paul’s Lutheran in Biggar to form Redeemer in 1963.

It has been part of Redeemer Lutheran’s culture for the last 30 years to hold a service in the refurbished heritage church followed by a potluck picnic.

When Redeemer Lutheran and St. Paul’s Anglican became a shared ministry, an invitation to the event was extended to the Anglicans, but few had attended.

On June 24, the Bennett and Beckman families, Anglicans going back four generations, celebrated the baptism of their youngest family member at this

the church rang with familiar hymns.

The baptismal font and cross from St. Paul’s, Anglican were also brought out to the Eigenfeldt church for the service to continue in the family tradition.

Pastor Sarah Mowat presided over a beautiful service blending future and past kingdom of God moments together.

The two church cultures were able to share a highlight of their church year and it was very good.

Thanks be to God.

The Stroebel family with Pastor Sarah Mowat, as their daughter Rosa Lynn Bennett Stroebel is baptized at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Eigenfeldt.

Photo by Brian Back lovely church.

She was christened Rosa Lynn Bennett Stroebel.

The day was magical.

The church was polished

with fresh peonies in the windows and the grounds were immaculate.

The old pump organ was pressed into service and

Extraordinary Living Begins Here...

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DIOCESE OF QU’APPELLE

Diocese of Qu'Appelle events and news g QDS presentation Two former students of the Qu’Appelle Diocesan School for Girls will give a presentation on the legacy of the school and their time there.

The event is hosted by the St. Matthew’s, Regina ACW, 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, at 2161 Winnipeg Street, Regina. Lunch and fellowship will follow in the hall. Goodwill donations will be given to the Living the Mission fund. g Winna Martin to be ordained priest Deacon Winna Martin is to be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, Sept.

22 at 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Regina. g Diocesan Readers to be commissioned Diocesan Lay Readers will be commissioned in a special service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 2 p.m. on September 29. g Fashion Forecast Saturday, Oct. 20 at St. Matthew’s, 2161 Winnipeg Street, Regina. Lunch begins at 12:15 p.m. with the latest in fashions presented by Henry’s Clothing Boutique at 1 p.m.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call Olive at 306-586-5458 or the church at 306-522-5383. g Mino-maawanji’itiwag, Mino-maawanji’itiwag is Saulteaux for “coming together in a good way.”

Join Indigenous Jesus-followers and people ministering in an Indigenous context for a special opportunity to learn, connect, and grow, reconciling the past and journeying towards contextualized ministry.

Nov. 2 and 3, at Living Hope Alliance Church, 3900 Arcola Ave. East, Regina. For full details see https://housingdirector. wixsite.com/mysite, or phone Diane at 306-3471900. The host sponsor is Regina Youth For Christ. g Christmas Festival Bazaar and Tea Saturday, Nov. 24 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s, 2161 Winnipeg Street, Regina, featuring treasure Continued on page 7

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

The Arthursons celebrate 50 years of marriage

By Mary Brown PRINCE ALBERT – It was an eventful July for Bishop Charles Arthurson, as he celebrated his 81st birthday on July 3 and later celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary on July 5.

He was ordained a deacon on Aug. 9, 1972 and the next day on Aug. 10, he became a priest; 17 years later, in 1989, he became a bishop. He and Faye started out at Norway House, Big Trout Lake for two years, then on to Split Lake, Man., Sioux Lookout for five years and La Ronge for 25 years. He retired in 2008 and now lives in Prince Albert.

They were married in Russell, Man., Faye’s home. Faye had five bridesmaids, four of them her sisters. Her mother made all of dresses. They have two children: their daughter Devon, who will

... Qu'Appelle news, events Continued from page 6 tables with jewelry and vintage items, crafts and baking just in time for your Christmas shopping!

Goodwill donations will support the Christmas Cheer Fund for Transition Homes and the ACW Christmas basket program for families in need. g Christmas Eve Candles and Carolling St. Matthew’s annual Christmas Eve lighting of the candles and carolling worship is at 7 p.m. on Dec. 24, with music by Patrick Johnson and Rev. Michael Bruce officiating. 2161 Winnipeg Street, Regina.

Fay and Charles Arthurson celebrated 50 years of marriage on July 5.

Photo by Mary Brown be 40 in September and lives in Japan teaching English to university students, and Richie, 36, who is an accountant for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in Winnipeg.

The Arthursons have travelled extensively. They had quite a few trips to Europe and England, one of them to the Bishop’s Lambeth Conference in

2000. Another favourite destination is northern Scotland. Since retiring they take bus tours.

One tour took them to Tennessee and California, while another to Kansas City to watch a Blue Jays game. They have gone to New York City twice in the last few years to take in Broadway Shows, which is surprising for a guy who

played hockey for years on the Rusty Hookers team.

At the end of December Faye quit her job as a tutor to adult students at Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan.

Since she was a child, Faye has ridden horses and she is planning a trip to a ranch, in a couple of weeks, with a girlfriend to go horseback riding. Her husband will stay home Even though he retired 11 years ago, the bishop is still involved in ministry.

He is honorary assistant at St. George’s Church in P.A., where he does a service once a month.

He is also Legion padre, which means he does the opening prayers at various functions such as July 1 ceremonies and Remembrance Day events. He will also do Legion burials.

But what keeps both Charles and Faye busy is their artistic work.

Faye has been doing ink drawings, mostly of wildlife; my favourites are her chickadees. She is a member of the Mann Art Gallery and has sold some of work at the Winter Festival in Prince Albert.

After we toured their garden, Bishop Arthurson took me into his garage/ workshop. In there was a model of the church he went to in Norway House.

His attention to detail was awesome; there were tiny little pews, an altar, lectern with a tiny open Bible, little carved brooms and even the stick.

The stick was used by the elders in the church to tap the kids into behaving.

Right now he is carving tiny little dogs for a friend of his. There are many churches in the Diocese of Saskatchewan with stained glass windows designed by Bishop Arthurson.

His handiwork can be seen in the Edward Continued on page 10

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

'The Rose Lady,' Eileen Morris, dies at 101

By Alan Hustak Special to Grasslands News/Fort Times FORT QU’APPELLE (Qu’A) — Eileen Morris was not only a newspaper publisher’s wife, but a mother with a green thumb who was one of the founding directors of the Fort Qu’Appelle Horticultural Society.

During the four decades that her late husband ran the Fort Qu’Appelle Times, she was involved in the community and was an active volunteer at St. John’s Anglican Church, where an overflow crowd of mourners attended her funeral on July 23.

“You can judge a person

by the garden they grow — variety, quality, beauty and abundance — they were all her hallmarks,” her daughter JoAnne said in the eulogy for her mother.

“She loved to grow things…what she counted as most pleasurable was giving all the stuff she grew away.”

Eileen Phyllis Matlock — “The Rose Lady,” as some people in church referred to her — was a farmer’s daughter who was raised on the family farm near northwest of Regina where she was born in September 1916.

She attended Central Collegiate in Regina then worked in a clothing store where she honed her elegant sense of style.

Customers often said she resembled Madeline Carroll, who in the 1930s was the highest paid movie star in Hollywood.

In 1950 she married Cyril Morris, who had published the Lumsden News Record for 10 years.

They bought The Times in

Fort Qu’Appelle in 1951.

They had four children: Diane, now a retired provincial court judge, Richard and George, both lawyers, and JoAnne, a retired teacher who raises horses.

Mrs. Morris never lost her love of nature and was a devoted gardener who won numerous awards for her prize roses. For years she came away with ribbons from the Regina Exhibition Flower and Vegetable Competition.

When the Queen came to Fort Qu’Appelle in 1978, Mrs. Morris was responsible for the floral arrangements.

She was, according to her daughter, someone

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who loved to laugh and do “edgy, silly things. One night she decided to phone the Queen.

She didn’t get past the secretary to the secretary to the secretary, but the next morning, she did get a call — from Buckingham Palace security.”

Widowed when Cy died 30 years ago, she took up painting still life and landscapes. Near the end of her days, she moved to Echo Lodge where she lived for about four years until her death on July 19.

She would have been 102 on Sept. 12.

In addition to her children she leaves six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

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PRINCE ALBERT – Rae Benson was one of the volunteers who came to the synod office faithfully every Thursday. You’d think she was being paid by the hour.

If she missed a few hours she would come in and make them up on another day. For the last 10 years, at least, she dealt with many health issues. Sadly on June 12, Rae died.

She was given the Order of Saskatchewan in 2009. Her home parish was St. Alban’s Cathedral, where she served as people’s warden for more than 10 years, served on five selection committees, and was a synod delegate to both diocesan and provincial synods.

She was also a member of the executive and finance committees and a member of the cathedral corporation and its ACW. I knew her as the director of the archives department for the Diocese of Saskatchewan.

When researching information, we knew that if Benson did the work there was not one page left unread.

She was a storyteller who wrote two books of stories. Every Thursday she would regale us with stories of her childhood and her children.

Benson was a very caring person with a great sense of humour and we all miss her very much.

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

9

St. Stephen's dedicates news stained glass windows

By Mary Brown MACDOWALL (Skwn) – St. Stephen’s last words before being stoned to death were, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Two new windows have been installed in St. Stephen’s Church in MacDowall: one of St. Stephen and another of the Good Shepherd in memory of A. Derwyn Shea.

What was unusual but effective in the Good Shepherd depiction was the lamb was looking at Jesus instead of out at the observer.

In the window of St. Stephen, he is shown holding a book with stones on the cover to depict his life of preaching and his death.

In his sermon, Bishop Michael Hawkins spoke of forgiveness and that judgement will be harsh to those who have shown no mercy.

To be unwilling to forgive is to be a prisoner of that unwillingness, which makes you the guard, therefore putting you in prison too.

Bishop Michael Hawkins gathers with the congregation of St. Stephen's, MacDowall after the dedication of new stained glass windows. Photo by Mary Brown In 1966, Derwyn Spencer Shea was ordained a deacon, and in 1967 he was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Saskatchewan in the church of St. Stephen’s, MacDowall.

He spent two years in MacDowall and left in 1968. He believed in direct

community involvement; you could say he moved into the neighbourhood!

He went on to serve in the Diocese of Algoma and Toronto, with his final parish being St. Hilda’s, Fairbank. He was born in Hamilton and grew up in Toronto.

Not only was Rev. Shea

a minister, but he was a politician at the local and provincial level. He was senior alderman in Toronto’s Ward 1, while in 1995 he was elected MPP for High Park Swansea. He received the Canada 125 medal and was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals.

Canon Shea also donated a third window in memory of his wife Julia Anne, who died in 2009. It is a testament to the parish of MacDowall that, considering the full life Rev. Shea experienced, he still remembered his humble beginnings in the Diocese of Saskatchewan.

... Arthursons' 50th anniversary Continued from page 7 Ahenakew Chapel in the Synod Office, Holy Trinity Church in Prince Albert and the church in Weyakwin, plus other churches in the North.

The Arthursons attend St. David’s Church in P.A. Sometimes the bishop will take services in a vacant parish. In his sermon at a service in St. Andrews,

Shellbook, he told a story of a faithful dedicated lay reader who helped in one of his previous churches. To the bishop, the best part of his story was how this man died.

He died in the church on a Sunday morning, which Arthurson told us is how he would like to go out.

We hope years from now, of course.

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

... After years of email conversations, bish Continued from page 1 It will also be a centre for evangelism. Paisible says it is important to offer real medical help, rather than witchcraft, to which people may otherwise turn.

Burundi is the secondpoorest country in the world.

It has a population of 10 million, in an area 24 times smaller than Saskatchewan. Public services and infrastructure are severely lacking.

Paisible says although he has a vehicle, there are many areas that can only be reached on foot.

He mentions that vehicles are so rare, women in childbirth will call him in the middle of the night to get a ride to hospital.

‘You have done great things for us’ Recent wars and political unrest have exacerbated people’s poverty.

Many Burundians fled to neighbouring Rwanda and Tanzania, but then were “obliged” — which really means forced — to return home with nothing.

“The money that Qu’Appelle sent last year bought food and seeds for the people, and now the famine is over,” reported the bishop.

“You have done great things for us.”

Many Anglicans from Muyinga diocese are still in Rwanda and Tanzania, some in refugee camps and many in prisons. Even children and babies are imprisoned.

Paisible and other clergy visit and minister to them, but he says it is complicated and difficult.

“One of my priests is a former prisoner. He converted to Christianity while in prison, and was baptised and confirmed while there.”

In Burundi and many other parts of Africa, the church can have a significant role in politics. This can bring danger to clergy and lay people.

In fact, Paisible’s brother was killed in 1972 because their father was in a group that challenged the government.

His father was the first black bishop of Burundi, when there was only one diocese for the whole country.

He was also the first to ordain women as priests,

Bishop Paisible Ndacayisaba from Muyinga observed prairie agriculture while visiting the Diocese of Qu’Appelle.

Here he stands by a field of flax near Whitewood with farmer Ted Briggs. Photo by Archdeacon Dell Bornowsky which is still rare in Africa.

One of Paisible’s sisters is currently an archdeacon, while a brother is a priest. Paisible’s first career was as a lawyer and then judge.

He is using that legal background as he works to revise the diocesan canons into a post-colonial African context.

Paisible’s first destination in the diocese was Maple Creek on July 23 and 24.

He described several highlights from that visit, such as touching a horse, which he had never even seen before; experiencing the “outdoor cathedral” at Camp Harding in the Cypress Hills; and observing the variety of people in the local cafe, “Chinese people, black people, all kinds.”

After hearing about the situation in Burundi, people from the Maple Creek congregation asked if a micro-financing system would be helpful.

Paisible said it would be a very good way to assist women, many of whom struggle to support their families as their husbands have gone away for work.

Paisible is quite excited

about this possibility, and said the local Mothers’ Unions would be well equipped to administer such a system, with initial financing from Qu’Appelle.

Paisible and Archdeacon Dell Bornowsky spent the afternoon of July 24 at St. Stephen’s, Swift Current, where the bishop played with children at the parish day camp.

That evening he shared a meal with members of the parish and discussed life in Burundi and the conditions in his diocese.

The following day he had lunch and conversation with diocesan staff at St. Cuthbert’s House.

Finance Administrator Amanda Sather Page later said, “We were blessed to hear about the different ways he ministers to the people in his diocese and were able to gain insight into a different way of life. ...

“When you are in an administrative role, it is difficult sometimes to see exactly how your efforts contribute to the overall mission that is taking place outside of the office setting.

“Hosting visitors brings us closer to the people who Continued on page 11

Bishop Paisible Ndacayisaba, the second bishop of the Diocese of Muyinga in Burundi, visited his the Diocese of Qu’Appelle in July. He said it was a privilege to meet some of the people in the diocese, with whom he has been communicating since he became bishop of the companion diocese in 2013.

Photo by Joanne Shurvin-Martin

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

11

hop from Muyinga finally visits Qu'Appelle

Bishop Paisible, visiting from the companion Diocese of Muyinga, sits on the bishop’s chair in the outdoor chapel at Camp Harding in the Cypress Hills. The bishop called the space, known as “St. Mary in the Pines,” an outdoor cathedral. Archdeacon Peter Boote, of Maple Creek gathers with Paisible.

Photo by Archdeacon Dell Bornowsky Continued from page 10 are truly making a difference and is always a very rewarding experience.

Being part of an organization that strives to achieve positive change in the world really does make you feel good.”

All Saints, Regina, hosted an evening gathering with parishioners and several families originally from Burundi.

Some of those families had been refugees sponsored or co-sponsored by All Saints refugee committee.

Paisible thanked the diocese for supporting his diocese, and also said, “Thank you very much for caring for my brothers and sisters who have come to Regina.”

‘Continue to pray for Burundi’

Bishop Paisible gathers with staff from the Diocese of Qu'Appelle Synod office during his trip. From left are Archdeacon Dell Bornowsky, Archbishop David Ashdown, office administrator Shelley Baron, Bishop Paisible and finance director Amanda Sather Page.

Photo courtesy Amanda Sather Page

Members of the Burundian community were very interested in news from their former home.

When asked about the current political situation, the bishop replied that sometimes it is getting better, “but it is not what we can trust.”

He added many children

have left school, while refugees have returned home but do not have education, and without education there are no jobs.

An All Saints parishioner asked, “Why is Burundi so poor?”

Paisible’s reply showed there are many contributing factors.

The colonial history is partly responsible, because Belgium encouraged and even created divisions between the African peoples.

People grow coffee and tea, but their farms are very small and this prevents progress.

The farmers use only the most basic tools, because that is all they can afford and all that is practical.

He was also asked, “What do you see God doing in Burundi?”

Paisible replied, “You see Him in the families. The war is over, but the future is a problem.”

Parishioners also enquired about progress on the medical clinic.

The bishop reported that the walls and roof are up, but it is not yet equipped with doors and

windows.

When completed, the clinic will have a common room to accommodate about 20 patients, as well as five rooms for doctors and nurses.

There are also plans for a small pharmacy.

Water and electricity service will be extended from the nearby cathedral.

The governments will provide some funding to pay medical staff, but the diocese will continue to pay for many operating expenses of the clinic.

“We have a plan, if God wills, to expand the clinic.

For now, it is just basic,” explained Paisible.

On his last full day in the Diocese of Qu’Appelle, Paisible and Bornowsky visited Whitewood, where activities began with a barbecued beef lunch, served at the local livestock auction barn.

The bishop was pleased that one of the other visitors spoke French, and knew the dialect used in Burundi.

The second stop was the Richardson Grain Terminal, where he was able to see how grain is tested.

A tour of several local fields showed the variety of crops grown in the area.

At the Mannle/ Armstrong farm they were able to see a 4H show heifer.

A highlight for Paisible was seeing a freight train, something they do not have in his country.

The afternoon ended with a tour of the Whitewood and District Museum and the local heritage building, which records the effort of French aristocrats to build a French settlement at nearby St. Hubert.

The bishop was able to have some quiet time in St. Mary’s Church and hear some of the church history.

In the evening he was joined by people from the community for supper and a time of sharing.

Much was learned of the bishop’s ministry in Muyinga and the great need for the basics in life.

People here in Canada take for granted our education, health care, transportation, our buildings and food.

It reminded all those present of the need to share the abundance God has provided to us with our neighbour.

12

The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

Luther College choir performs at fundraising gala

By Mae Boa REGINA — A very successful gala evening to support the restoration of St. Matthew Anglican Church was held at the Regina parish.

Tickets for this wonderful event were sold out well in advance.

The Luther College Senior Choir, led by Dr. Melissa Morgan, entertained more than 100 guests in the church.

With Patrick Johnson at the organ, the cathedral-calibre acoustics rang with an outstanding variety of classical and spiritual compositions.

The performance by these accomplished Luther students — our leaders of the future — was amazing and the audience responded with standing ovations.

Restoration of St. Matthew’s heritage building has been in progress for three years and the gala provided an opportunity to showcase the results to many guests.

The eight-year plan is continuing with additional work on the roof and stabilization of the building.

Special guests included J.C. Kenyon Engineering and BrXton Masonry.

BrXton, a firm nationally recognized for its work on heritage proper-

The Luther College Senior Choir performed at St. Matthew Church in Regina as part of the fundraising gala.

Photo by Morley Evans ties such as Viterra Inc., is the restoration project manager.

The South Saskatchewan Community Foundation was represented by our patron, Duna Barber.

The South Saskatchewan Community Foundation represents dozens of foundations, including the Lloyd and Duna Family Foundation.

The Barber family has a long history with the parish.

Frank Korvemaker, local heritage and construction historian, also attended.

He has published three books on a variety of Anglican churches and stone buildings in

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To everyone’s delight, guests were served roast prime rib of beef prepared by executive Chef MacNeil, which is always

a special delight.

The hall was beautifully decorated to complement this gala evening.

The organizers thanked the many volunteers

and the 20 silent auction sponsors whose generosity contributed to another successful fundraiser that raised more than $5,000!

The gala was May 5.

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

ACW learns we are all one body in Christ's Church

By Mary Brown PRINCE ALBERT – The Diocese of Saskatchewan ACW held its annual meeting entitled Our Continuous Journey in Ministry on May 12 at the Synod Office. There were 15 people at the meeting.

The guest speaker was Michael Lyons.

This meeting recognized and celebrated the ministry of Rev. Joanne Beacon, who has been the chaplain since 2009. She now lives in St. Brieux and has resigned her position with the diocese.

Beacon attended every executive meeting and annual meeting. She was always there to listen to every phone call and to encourage and pilot all those who asked for her counsel. She helped put together a diocesan cookbook for the national meeting held in Saskatoon.

In her resignation letter, Beacon said through her whole life the ACW has been there for her. They are her sisters, aunts, cousins, teachers, historians, cheering squad, confessors, examples and friends, and she will

Bishop Michael Hawkins and Sharon Chesley gather with Rev. Joanne Beacon during the ACW meeting.

Photo by Mary Brown

always cherish her time as their chaplain.

She was presented with a birch bark biting picture and many hugs and well wishes. Bishop Michael Hawkins described Beacon as extremely and highly involved, plus a fierce supporter and advocate for the ACW. Many of the women at the meeting have known Michael Lyons since he was a little boy attending St. Alban’s Cathedral, so it probably is no surprise to them that he plans on becoming a minister. He will be going to Wycliffe College in Toronto this fall to study for the diaconate and priesthood.

Lyons spoke on our diversity of gifts and that we are all one body and different members in Christ’s Church.

He attributes his ministry in the church to two things: his trust in Jesus Christ and the support he has received at the hands of family, friends and his church.

Lyons has limited vision and told us he is working on speaking without notes.

Knowing him he will succeed in whatever he sets his mind to.

The meeting continued with the business of the ACW. The executive for 2018 is Opal Harris,

president; Kathleen Stewart, vice-president, secretary/treasurer; Sharon Chesley, Book of Remembrance; Sharon Chesley, Certificate of Recognition, Muriel Young, Sharon Chesley and Kathleen Stewart, Notes and News.

A motion was made to change the chaplaincy donation to Vacation Bible School instead. The ACW sponsors a student at the Bishop McAllister College in Uganda.

Violet Goodfellow read a letter from Rosemarie Kingston, who reported on her visit to Uganda.

She was humbled by their requests for gifts of powdered milk, which makes the morning maize taste better and ketchup that makes the plain boiled beans served for supper much tastier.

Harris reported on the national conference in Hamilton. She met women from all over Canada and learned that they are also struggling to maintain their membership.

The bishop thanked the ACW for its faithfulness and its loyalty.

He spoke about the success of the Quiet Day and prayer conference earlier this year and diocesan plans for the coming months.

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13

A 700-yearold Bible returns to Canterbury Cathedral after 500 years

By ACNS CANTERBURY, ENGLAND — A rare medieval Bible has been returned to Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, some 500 years after it was removed.

The Lyghfield Bible — named after the 16thcentury monk who once owned it — was among a number of items removed from the cathedral’s monastic library at the time of the Reformation.

The monastic community at Canterbury was one of many that were dissolved on the orders of Henry VIII as he attempted to assert his authority over the newly independent church and plunder its assets.

The 690-leaf volume was purchased in July from a private seller at a specialist sale of manuscripts in London.

The purchase was funded in part through a £96,000 (C$162,300) grant from Britain’s National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) and further funding from the Friends of the National Libraries, the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral and a private donation.

The purchase of the Lyghfield Bible and its return to Canterbury Cathedral means that the rare manuscript will remain in the U.K. “The Lyghfield Bible was written in the latter 13th century on high quality parchment or vellum which is almost tissue-like in quality,” Canterbury Cathedral said.

“The fine Latin script and extensive and very fine illumination [decoration] was probably produced in Paris, one of the medieval centres for this type of work.

“The Bible is pocketsized and as such was designed for personal use, possibly whilst travelling.”

14

The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

The benefits of a healthy ministerial group By the Rev. Matteo Carboni Parish of Humboldt HUMBOLDT (S’toon) – The Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6 captured the world’s attention.

During the subsequent weeks, Humboldt received numerous offers from individuals, groups, and civic and religious organizations who wanted to send aide. Realizing we were on the hearts and minds – and in the prayers – of so many people who had never before heard of Humboldt was a humbling experience.

The kindness so many people reminded us we were not alone and the world was with us. These new relationships helped us to remember God was still with us too.

As the Anglican priest in Humboldt, I also gained strength from the other ministers in the city. We worked together to do the prayer vigil on April 8, while we sat together during the funerals for Broncos team members who died.

In the weeks that followed, we checked with each other and made sure everyone had access to mental and spiritual care services. We also shared information about what was going on in the community and swapped resources to help us do grief work with our parishioners.

Personally, I think the Broncos bus crash illustrates the importance of having a healthy ministerial association. One of the ministers observed that the crash was much bigger than any one of us. Most weeks we can do our own thing in our own corners of the community, but on that

weekend, we needed each other, and our community needed us to stand together.

So, how can ministers from different denominational and theological traditions work together? Will their differences get in the way? They can but they don’t have to.

The Humboldt Ministerial Association has two practices that help us work together: first, we create strong boundaries.

At ministerial meetings we only talk about issues all of us share. For example, we all believe that God gives particular attention to people suffering from poverty.

Instead of working on our own, the ministerial created a program called The Helping Hands Fund.

This fund brings the financial resources of the churches together to help people buy groceries, childcare materials, and pay bills. Second, we designate the last 30 to 60 minutes of each meeting to shop-talk.

The topic for these discussions is chosen by the chairperson. They are topics such as, “What are your favourite books to give to people?” Or, “How do you do marriage preparation?” These sessions allow us to relax and learn from each other. They also help us to realize just how similar our daily practice of ministry really is.

I experienced the fruits of these two practices during the weeks that followed the Broncos bus crash. It was easy for us clergy to work together and to support each other because we already know and trust each other.

I thank God for my colleagues. They helped me see God in the midst of this tragedy.

Bishop's cycle ride complete

By Joanne Shurvin-Martin

Locally raised clergy program spring training weekend

The Diocese of Saskatoon held a weekend training retreat and workshop for its Locally Raised Clergy Program from May 11 to 13 at St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster; the topic for the retreat was pastoral care. Rev. Dr. Jessica Latshaw, the diocesan hospital chaplain, was the facilitator for the weekend. As part of the training weekend, the Right Rev. David Irving, Bishop of Saskatoon, visited to spend some one-on-one time with each of the participants. In attendance for the weekend were, in back, Rev. Dr. Jessica Latshaw, diocesan hospital chaplain, Rev. Canon Shawn Sanford Beck, diocesan training and development officer, Rev. Peter Coolen, St. George’s, Saskatoon and Muriel Foster, St. John’s Munster, Lloydminster. In front are Rev. Sheldon Carr, St. Paul’s, Biggar, Rev. Jan Trost, Battlefords Parish, and Eliza Meggs and Rev. Denise McCafferty, St. George’s, Saskatoon.

Photo by Rev. Peter Coolen

REGINA — At press time, Bishop Rob Hardwick had just completed his crossCanada cycle ride.

To see his daily progress across the country from Victoria, B.C., (top picture) to St. John’s, NFLD (bottom picture, with wife Lorraine), with photos and prayers, check the bishop’s Facebook page, or the diocesan website at

quappelle.anglican.ca.

In his post just before starting for home, Hardwick wrote, “The bike ride across Canada is now complete, however, it is imperative to note that the journey to unity, healing and reconciliation is just beginning. “... Pray for it, believe it, and do all in your power to live it. ... Be extraordinary and be people of faith and love, who live in unity, healing and reconciliation.”

September 2018

The Saskatchewan Anglican

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The churches of the summer pilgrimage

By Mary Brown

I

am sure that in most dioceses across Canada there are summer churches. These churches are usually in a rural setting and part of a larger parish. They may have only one service a year that is usually in the summer.

The wonderful thing about these churches is the devotion and love their congregations have for their special little church.

In the Diocese of Saskatchewan there are quite a few summer churches.

St. Mary’s Church just outside of Prince Albert, beside the penitentiary, was the first one to have a service this summer.

It ordinarily has a service in June, July and August, but this year its first service was on May 10 Ascension Day to start off Stay Pray Together.

This was an invitation to the churches in the Prince Albert area to attend services for 10 consecutive days on the theme of the fruits of the spirit.

The first service of the 10-day cycle was held in St. Mary’s Church commemorating love.

St. Saviour’s Church in the Parish of Birch Hills is another summer church.

It has only two services a year; the first one was May 27, Soil and Seed. St. Saviour’s is a heritage site.

It was built in 1905 and its heritage value lies in its status as a landmark in the community.

Also of note is the property’s architecture that exhibits the influence of Gothic Revival design, which can be seen in the central tower and spire.

The service was communion, and when the collection plate was presented at the altar, there was another plate with seeds to be blessed.

Bishop Michael Hawkins was the celebrant and said the following blessing over the seeds: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation: in your goodness you have given us this seed to sow. In it we perceive the promise of life, the sign of your creative power, that in sowing and watering, tending and watching, we may see the miracle of growth, and in due course reap a rich harvest. As this seed must die to give life, reveal to us

Members of St. Martin, Briarlea gather in front of their church on a sunny day.

David Butorac gathers near St. Mary's, Prince Albert, after leading a service with the Book of Common Prayer. the saving power of your Son, who died that we might live, and plant in us the good seed of your Word.

In the Name of the Father,+ and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Appropriately, at about the same time the blessing was said, a large tractor towing a seeder could be seen and heard driving down the road by the church on its way to seed their crop.

St. Luke’s Church in Mont Nebo is part of the Leask/Shellbrook Parish, and every year, the parish has a picnic at the end of June in this church.

There is a faded newspaper article on the wall reporting on the church’s 80th anniversary celebration on June 20, 1999, which means next year the church will celebrate its 100th birthday.

Rev. Stan Cuthand and Bishop Anthony Burton were at the 80th party.

Muriel Young is the sole

member of this congregation. She has been a lay reader for years and will keep the church going as long as she is able.

As in most of these summer churches, there is usually a graveyard attached. Rev. Mary Ann Boote rests in this country graveyard. Everyone in the parish looks forward to joining Muriel in her quaint little church – or maybe it’s the wonderful lunch that is held after the service?

Another summer church in the Leask/ Shellbrook Parish is St. Martin’s in Briarlea. On June 17 a flower service was held with 47 in attendance. This church is a mile from my house.

Services are held twice a month, with one of them a candlelight service in the winter months. As happens in the rural communities, people move to town, and as a result, Continued on page 16

Photos by Mary Brown

Muriel Young, the lone parishioner of St. Luke, Mont Nebo, part of the Leask/Shellbrook parish.

Children hang out in front of Church of the Epiphany, Glen Mary, which was built in 1904.

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

Faith is a living reality By the Rev. Dr. Iain Luke Principal, College of Emmanuel & St. Chad

W

elcome to another season of living and learning the faith! That is the message I will shortly be offering to Emmanuel & St. Chad students as we begin another academic year, but it is also my message to you.

Living the faith isn’t something separate from learning it. The two belong together, and they happen together, wherever you find disciples of Jesus.

That truth was the starting point of a conference I attended, along with Archdeacon Catherine Harper from Regina, in England in late July.

The conference drew together theological educators of different denominations from around the UK, and although we were the only foreigners,

it was fascinating to see how the same issues come up for the church in quite different places.

The conference focus was on how theological education is a resource for building discipleship. The opening speaker, Professor Mike Higton, made that point very clearly.

He reminded us that the institutions of the church, including its colleges and training programs, exist to support people who are living their faith.

Members of Holy Trinity, Bracepeth gather after a service.

In practice, though, there can be a frighteningly large gap between “learning the faith” in theological studies and “living the faith” as disciples in God’s world.

Our historic systems of training rely on a model of disseminating knowledge.

Scholarly research happens in centres of learning, where professors transmit it to clergy, who (we hope) teach it to lay leaders, who pass it on in Sunday school or Bible studies, and so on.

One could also call this a trickle-down model, and it has the same problems as the economic model of the same name. On the one hand, the process of transmission means the person in the pew is rarely exposed to the deepest riches and nuances of contemporary theology.

On the other hand, the process only works one-way, outward from the centre, which misses a

And O, our God, we thank thee, We thank thee for the flowers (Hymn 718 Blue Book).

Another summer church in the parish of Birch Hills is Holy Trinity in Brancepeth. Every Wednesday evening in June, July and August, Rev. Chris Dow has a service of Evening Prayer, followed by a Bible study.

It may have been the evening sun in the church that showed off the beautiful furnishings and architecture. This

hope to come back to it in a future column.

The need to learn from the cutting edge of faith does not, however, devalue the traditional disciplines of theological study.

Biblical studies, doctrine, and the many other topics I’ve addressed in previous months, are vital and necessary resources for disciples living their faith.

In part, those subjects represent the hard-won wisdom of previous generations of people of faith.

But they also teach us critical tools, which enable us to see beneath the surface of both the story of faith and the story of the world, and to perceive God’s fresh activity at the place where those two stories meet.

My hope, then, is for theological education to grow in the direction of two-way traffic, where scholarship and the practice of faith enrich one another.

If that happens, it will breathe new life into our learning as well as our living.

St. Saviour's, Birch Hills is a happening little church.

... The churches of summer Continued from page 15 the congregation felt it was unable to keep up regular services.

A committee was formed to look after the cemetery and church.

Once a year we put together about 30 to 40 flower arrangements and display them in the church. Letters are sent to family members of the deceased inviting them to the flower service. After the service everyone takes an arrangement and places it on a grave.

crucial point.

The faith we study is not an abstract idea or a set of concepts. It is the living reality of a movement of people, dedicated to following Jesus through two millennia, and all over the globe. It is when faith is practised that it is most likely to spark discovery, or new insight.

Each new context, each new set of challenges, brings to light new resources which are already there in our faith, just waiting for us to put them to use.

Gradually but with increasing attention, theological institutions are looking for ways to study this kind of discovery, as it emerges from people and communities practising their faith.

The ecumenical Doctor of Ministry program in community development, shared by three colleges here in Saskatoon, is a good example.

In the theological studies curriculum, this approach is known as practical theology, and I

church was built in 1905.

The walls are made of beautiful narrow boards, while the windows were replaced with replicas of the original windows.

The organ and lectern are intricately carved as is the wood stove (pictured).

There was one candle lit to enable Chris to read his prayer book. He told me the original wall scones are also lit in the evening.

What a peaceful place to end your day in prayer.

After what seemed like forever driving down

a dusty gravel road, I came to the Church of the Epiphany in Glen Mary.

You wonder how a large church appears in the middle of nowhere.

This church was built in 1904 and proof of that is shown behind two small glass walls that show the original log church. Métis pioneers were given a quarter-section of land with a 99-year lease to settle in the area, and with them came a love of God. They also built a church.

There were about 70 people out on Saturday at 2 p.m. for a communion service and funeral led

by Rev. Chris Dow. Tables

were set up outside for a feast afterward.

As with the other churches in the Birch Hills Parish, the church is well looked after and the graveyard is kept up by members of the congregation. At one time this congregation had an ACW, as there were fancy carved chairs donated by the ACW in the 1950s.

Visiting these summer churches is like taking a step back in time.

There are more summer churches in the diocese I will be visiting and reporting on next summer.

If you know of one that I should visit, let me know.

September 2018

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Joseph Ponic used his gifts to help in changing times Submitted SASKATOON — Rev. Joseph (Joe) James Ponic died peacefully on June 20 after a short battle with cancer, at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, in the loving presence of his friends.

Joe was born June 9, 1937 in Chicago.

He graduated with a bachelor of arts, history and English from the College of William and Mary, Virginia in 1959.

Joe said, “The friends I made, the experiences I had, and the knowledge I gained at William and Mary were the pivots of my life.”

Joe went on to study medieval and renaissance studies at the University of Illinois and theological and pastoral ministry at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and fine arts (and gained certificates in teaching and teaching ESL) at the University of British Columbia.

On May 19, 1973 Joe was ordained as a Catholic priest and went on to serve parishes in the United States and Canada.

Rev. Joe Ponic, June 9, 1937 to June 20, 2018 In 1983, Joe left parish ministry and taught at schools and tutored in Richmond, Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia; Cairo, Egypt; Green Bay, Wis.; York, Penn.; and Parma, Ohio, U.S.A. In August 1999, Joe was

ordained an Anglican priest and came to Saskatoon to serve as rector at Christ Church.

Since 1999, he served various parishes in Saskatoon, including St. James’ and St. George’s, as well as St. Peter’s, Revelstoke, St. Ann’s, Richmond and St. Michael and All Angels, Prince George, B.C., and All Saints, Windsor, Ont. Most recently Joe served at St. Andrew’s, Tangier, Morocco.

He also served as Anglican hospital chaplain in Saskatoon from 2002 to '06.

Joe was an extrovert, a brilliant teacher, a renaissance art expert, gifted priest, world traveller and phenomenal friend.

Joe loved deeply and was deeply loved.

He was equally at home in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York a used book store and Value Village.

He shared his gifts of patience, optimism, experience and experiences of a life well-lived, his “toolbox” and his humour, generously with

all those who had been lucky enough to cross his path.

A funeral service for Joe was held at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Saskatoon – St. James’ prior to amalgamation – on June 23.

The Right Rev. David Irving, Bishop of Saskatoon presided and the Rev. Quinten Little provided the homily and reflections on Joe’s life.

The service was followed by a time of fellowship and refreshment in the parish hall.

Interment will take place at a later date.

The Right Rev. Dr. David Hamid, suffragan bishop of the Anglican Diocese in Europe, said of Joe, “Known to everyone as Father Joe…he was a past chaplain of St Andrew’s, Tangier, and a priest who had served on our diocesan locum list for a number of years.

“He considered this diocese to be part of his family.

“Joe was a citizen of the U.S.A. by birth and of Canada by adoption.

“He had a long ministry as a priest, first in the

Roman Catholic Church, then in the Anglican Church of Canada where he rejoiced in its blend of tradition and openness.

“In his own words, Father Joe described the Anglican Church as ‘a wide gate that led to a nurturing environment.’

“In his ministerial life he had specialised in what we now call interim ministry, using his gifts in helping parishes through times of change and transition … .”

Former churchwarden of St. Andrew’s, Tangier, Christopher Gibb, described Father Joe as “gentle Joe, a priest of many gifts, and one of the most precious was his capacity for healing local problems and misunderstandings.

“His wide reading and historical interests enlivened his sermons, sometimes leaving the congregation wide-eyed with wonder.

“He had a beautiful modesty, how rare and attractive is this.”

May he may now find eternal rest and happiness in the company of the saints in light.

Among those present at the 17th joint ecumenical convocation of the Saskatoon Theological Union on May 4 were Right Rev. Fraser Lawton, Lisa McInnis, Andrew Mason, Derwyn Crozier-Smith, Rev. Dr. Iain Luke, Rev. Dr. Reg Wickett, Kelly Griffiths, Dr. Adam Wright and Rev. Dr. Bill Richards.

Picture by timkip Imaging

Saskatoon Theological Union celebrates 17th convocation

By Lisa McInnis, Registrar/College of Emmanuel & St. Chad SASKATOON – The University of Emmanuel College-College of Emmanuel & St. Chad, The Lutheran Theological Seminary, and

St. Andrew’s College of the United Church, celebrated the 17th joint ecumenical convocation of the Saskatoon Theological Union.

The event took place on May 4 at the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Saskatoon.

The day started with the graduation Eucharist at the seminary chapel, with Rev. Dr. Bill Richards as the presider and preacher. During the Eucharist, prizes were awarded to the students.

This was followed by a lunch, with the grads and

their guests along with staff, faculty and students.

It was a memorable time of shared food and festivity.

At the evening convocation, a master of theological studies degree was awarded to Kelly Griffiths.

A doctor of divinity (honoris causa) was given to Right Rev. Fraser Lawton and doctor of canon law (honoris causa) was given to Andrew Mason.

Thank you kindly to all who made this event a glowing success.

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

Girl Guides give Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers to Eileen Herman From an original article

by Gloria Toews, printed in The Qu’Appelle Spirit, July/August issue. Used with kind permission.

QU’APPELLE (Qu’A) — Eileen Herman, long-time member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the Town of Qu’Appelle, has received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, signed by GovernorGeneral Julie Payette.

The award was given

by Girl Guide Provincial Commissioner Laurie Lanovaz at the District wind-up on June 21.

The Medal for Volunteers recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a wide range of fields. As an official Canadian honour, it also pays tribute to the dedication and exemplary commitment of volunteers.

Herman’s volunteer work has spanned the decades and the globe, and shows her vast interests.

Herman has been a volunteer for Girl Guides for 37 years, during which she has been a leader for Brownies, Guides and Pathfinders. She has been part of the camp staff for 50 camps and the Guiderin-Charge for 22 of them.

She has taught many girls —and other leaders — about wild flowers, camp knots and gadgets, outdoor cooking and a general appreciation for nature at these various camps, which range from overnight to week-long camps, and from Unit to District to Division to Area to International camps.

She has also served as camping advisor at the Division and Area levels; as commissioner at District, Division and Area levels; and is the district treasurer, since 2013.

From 1998 to 2017, she organized the yearly canvas for the Community Birthday Calendar As-

Bruce Farrer honoured with Canada 150 award

Super-volunteer siblings honoured

By Joanne Shurvin-Martin QU’APPELLE (Qu’A) — Sister and brother Eileen Herman and Bruce Farrer grew up attending the small rural church of St. Thomas, Vernon, in southeast Saskatchewan. Farrer says he recalls walking three and a half miles from the family farm to church. Sometimes he would ride on the cross-bar of his big sister’s bike.

Both have become the kind of people referred to as “pillars of their community,” active in many aspects of their respective churches and communities. It is fitting that both received prestigious honours for their volunteer work in a variety of fields. Herman received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers on June 21, while Farrer the Canada 150 Award on June 28. Please see articles on both these outstanding Anglicans in this issue.

Volunteering clearly runs in more than one generation of the family. Herman’s daughter, Gloria Toews, received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor-General in Ottawa, for her work with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. She has also volunteered extensively with the Girl Guides.

Eileen Herman wears her newly-presented Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers — on the striped ribbon — and holds the framed certificate that explains the medal.

She is also wearing other awards she has received for her many volunteer efforts.

Photo by Gloria Toews sociation which raised money to donate for local Girl Guide activities.

Herman was president of the local Anglican Church women for 30 years — from 1978 to 2008 — and has been the church treasurer since 1987.

During the 30 years from 1966 to 1996 that Herman was a Sunday School teacher, she also taught confirmation classes in 1989 and 1991.

She was the director as well as a teacher for the local ecumenical week-long Vacation Bible School for nine summers from 1974 until 1982.

Herman has helped clean St. Peter’s Church and care for the church yard for years, while she gives historical tours of the church upon request.

She has baked hundreds of dozens of cookies for church bake sales as well as baking and decorating

dozens of cookies each Christmas to donate to local food hampers.

Herman has been a member of the Qu’Appelle Historical Society for the past 40 years.

She, along with five other members of the society, spent several years researching and writing the nearly 500-page history book, Footprints to Progress. She wrote the book's 1900 to 1930 sections.

Herman was also the co-creator of flip-chart displays for Qu’Appelle Main Street depicting each side of the street through hand-drawn images of the buildings, showing changes from the 1880s to the present.

In 1985 Herman was co-author of lesson plans with First Nations’ content for the elementary school curriculum. These lesson plans were sent to all the

elementary schools in Saskatchewan.

During the past 20 years Herman has been treasurer for the local library board. She has made and donated several bookcases to the Qu’Appelle library, as well as a magazine rack and a craft cupboard. She also organized and led the Summer Reading Program from 1997 until 2007.

She has sewn and donated dozens of lap quilts for seniors in nursing homes, has sewn sleepers for small children in shelters, and even made a quilt to raffle for Forever Friends of Hope, which helps cancer patients.

Herman volunteers at the Qu’Appelle tourist book for several days each summer (1998 to present).

She has also helped in the kitchen for the community dinner theatre for 13 years and raised money for community groups such as the volunteer firefighters.

Internationally, Herman has volunteered with Earth Watch, an organization where volunteers help

Contributed

career in 1961 and continues to substitute teach. He also operates a farm near the Town of Qu’Appelle.

For all of his life Farrer has been very involved in many volunteer activities in his church and community. He has operated a weather station for Environment Canada since 1962, taking twice

daily readings.

For 55 years he has been organist at his home church of St. Thomas, but he is also organist at Holy Trinity in McLean and has also played the organ for various other churches.

He joined the Masonic Lodge and the Order of Eastern Star in 1970 and has been secretary of the local lodge for most of

QU’APPELLE (Qu’A) — Bruce Farrer, a lifelong parishioner at St. Thomas Church, Vernon, near Qu’Appelle, was one of the recipients of the Canada 150 award, presented by Hon. Andrew Scheer, MP, to a number of Saskatchewan residents.

Farrer began a teaching

scientists study the world's environment.

She has travelled to Papua New Guinea to help scientists determine which areas had the highest concentration of plants on which the bird-winged butterfly depended; to Mexico where she helped count the number of endangered species of trees in certain areas; and to Madagascar, where she helped trap and release wildlife to study which rain forest areas were the most valuable to protect based on wildlife concentration and diversity.

Herman grew up in rural Saskatchewan and moved to Qu’Appelle with her husband. He died when their five children were still young.

Herman is very creative: with words, food, needle and thread, and hammer and saw. She is also interested in a wide variety of subjects.

Her volunteer work has clearly benefited her church, community, province, nation and the world. those 47 years and pianist for the Eastern Star for 46 years. He also is a member of the Monarchist League and has been on the Saskatchewan executive for about 30 years.

Farrer and his wife, Cathy, raised five children and occasionally accepted hard-to-place foster children in their home.

Continued on page 19

September 2018

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... Farrer receives award Continued from page 18 Since 1994 Farrer has operated Camquest, an agency that places Mexican students in Saskatchewan schools.

In addition to the nearly 300 students who have learned English through his agency, he has taught 75 of them privately in his own home, some of them without payment.

The Farrers always made their home available to many Mexican students, even those who lived with other host families. Many young Mexican men and women who knew no English at all, were too old to attend school, and could not afford ESL programs lived with them.

After a few months they returned home with good English, essential to their getting a good job in Mexico. A few remained in Canada and have become accepted as part of the Farrer family.

Bruce and Cathy have 14 young grandchildren.

Nine of them, including two who are children of

their Mexican son, live close enough that they can babysit them or the grandkids can stay at the farm for a few days during the year.

Two years ago WestJet featured Farrer in a video “Above and Beyond” about an assignment he gave his Grade 9 students - writing a 10-page letter to themselves which he delivered to them 20 years later.

He is still delivering letters. He had dozens of television radio and newspaper interviews around the world about that assignment.

Many years before much Aboriginal content was taught in Saskatchewan schools, Farrer and his sister, Eileen Herman of St. Peter’s, Qu’Appelle, obtained a provincial grant to enable them to develop lessons plans with First Nations content.

These were provided for distribution to all Saskatchewan schools.

For many years Farrer researched local history through interviews with

old timers and reading copies of newspapers from the 1880s and onward.

He was one of the authors of Qu’Appelle Footprints to Progress. He always served on planning committees for school, community and family reunions.

He organized a 500 Club at Qu’Appelle and at Kenlis, near Abernethy, where he first taught school. He also helped organize Indian Head’s Duplicate Bridge Club and became its first director.

Ever since he was in elementary school he acted in plays or directed them, and recently, had acted in the annual dinner theatre productions in Qu’Appelle.

Farrer began donating blood when he was in his 20s and was forced to quit when he was just four donations short of his goal of 150 donations.

People who do not know him well would not realize that Farrer often picks up hitchhikers and sometimes takes them home for a meal or even

Hon. Andrew Scheer presented the Canada 150 Award to Bruce Farrer in recognition of his volunteer work in a wide variety of areas.

Photo by Pat Siemans a chance to wash their clothes and clean up and stay overnight.

He loves to eat all kinds of wild foods and has taught courses in schools and provincial parks on edible wild plants and medicines. He has a reputation for having driven more than 75 times to Mexico, often non-stop if there is another driver, but

many times alone.

Farrer just never seems to run out of energy or interests. For instance, this summer, after a 10-year break he decided to return to a former annual summer activity, backpacking in the Rockies.

In mid-July he returned from a 60-kilometre trek in Kootenay National Park with his son and three grandchildren.

It's a pizza party!

At the 2018 Provincial Synod in Edmonton this past May, youth delegates were treated to a pizza lunch with the Archbishop, the Most Rev. Greg KerrWilson; the guest speaker for the synod, the Right Rev. Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of the Diocese of Clemsford, U.K.; and the Right Rev. Michael Hawkins, Bishop of the Diocese of Saskatchewan.

In back are Dominic Beardy, Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson, Bishop Stephen Cottrell, Joshua Haggstrom and Alexa

Wallace.

In front are Brittany Perkins, Hanna Jordan, Breanna Beeler and Nick Takkiruq. In front is Rosa Huestis.

Alexa Wallace, youth delegate for the Diocese of Saskatoon, said, “The pizza wasn’t exceptional but the conversation was.”

Three group pictures of the clergy and lay delegates for Qu’Appelle, Saskatoon and Saskatchewan appeared in the June issue (back page) of The Saskatchewan Anglican.

April in labour: a reflection on tragedy By the Rev. Marie-Louise Ternier

Rev. Marie-Louise Ternier

HUMBOLDT (S’toon) – Editor’s note: Rev. Marie-Louise Ternier, an Anglican priest living in Humboldt, serves the Anglican and Lutheran parishes of Watrous. MarieLouise blogs at http:// graceatsixty.wordpress. com.

This is a shorter version of the homily preached on the Third Sunday of Easter on April 15 – the week after

the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy. Readings were Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; and Luke 24:36b-48.

Needless to say, I have not had much fuel in my tank this past week.

When you’ve never been to a hockey game, but find yourself at an arena-turned-worship space; when you gather there daily, packed to the rafters, not with cheering fans but with a grieving

community; when the clapping and chanting happens not because your team won, but because a player leaves the ice in a coffin, something cracks in your spirit … and a painful thick layer of hoarfrost settles on your eyelids.

Fifteen – no, 16 – people dead in a senseless accident, just hours from our doorsteps. Add to that: in Syria more than 100 people killed in air strikes and a chemical attack.

Suicides and addictions in First Nations communities continuing to cause tragedy and trauma. A dead whale full of plastics.

A friend’s relatives in a serious car accident, with one dead and the other suffering life-threatening injuries.

In India 23 children perished in a school bus crash, while 257 dead in a plane crash in Algeria.

“The valley of darkness”, Pastor Sean Continued on page 20

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The Saskatchewan Anglican

September 2018

... Reflection on tragedies Continued from page 19 called it in the prayer vigil. The valley of darkness for too many, way too many … Senseless death invades like a famished monster. The sun rises; the light and warmth melts the ice.

Then here comes another Alberta clipper! April is labouring hard toward spring this year, just as the Church is labouring hard to nudge us into Easter joy.

But death keeps blurring our vision. “Answer us when we call, O God, defender of our cause!” (Psalm 4).

I get it… I get why the disciples, mired in grief, were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. I saw the risen Jesus this past week and I was just as startled as the disciples were when Jesus appeared.

I was involved in 19-year-old Jacob Leicht’s funeral. Jacob’s parents Kurt and Celeste are griefstricken along with all the others in Humboldt, in our province, in our country

and the world.

But Celeste and Kurt are people of deep faith; they love their son – and three other children – and they love God. Less than two days following the crash, they already sensed that this tragedy will direct them to a higher purpose.

Two days after the crash, Celeste was crying at her kitchen table, pleading with God, “God, you’d better give me a purpose here because I fear the darkness that lies ahead.” Then she added, “Jacob, help me out.” At that moment Celeste felt Jacob’s presence more strongly than she had ever felt while he was alive.

The Hockey News reported their story publicly already. These parents are filled with grief yes, but also with incredible peace, a peace the world cannot give. “I want to be part of something bigger,” Celeste says.

“There is so much hurt in this province in so many ways, particularly with the First Nations community. There is so

much tragedy and affliction in this world and they don’t get the attention they deserve sometimes.

“I have no idea what this is going to look like, but I want to start a movement of some sort. People are hurting in this province and it’s time we reach out. From hurt can come good … .” These are the words from a mother whose son just died a horrible death … .

Yes, I encountered the risen Jesus this week. Yes, like the disciples, I was startled by His appearance in grieving parents who hadn’t even buried their son yet.

What the disciples didn’t realize, and what we often don’t realize, is there’s a force in the loving that has the power to break the force of evil, the cold darkness of death and the barrier between earth and heaven. Why does loving have such power? Because God is love, and Jesus is God in the flesh. Peace be with you, He says, again and again.

We Prairie people are resilient. We instinctively band together in tragedy, much like the disciples did when their

beloved Lord was taken from them. Many of us have also forced our breath onto the frosted windows of life, scratching our names on life’s iced window panes with frozen fingers.

We dig deep into our spirits to receive Jesus’ breath of peace. Jesus speaks peace, the peace that comes from a God who is so near to the broken-hearted that He breathed His own final, tortured breath on the cross … and then … rolled away the stone, startling us all by the radiant sunrise following the darkness.

When winter cold and hoarfrost obscures our vision, God is like the sun continuing to labour in April, stubbornly melting the ice, stubbornly breathing peace into grief until that peace reaches deep into the recesses of our spirits.

In time, our vision becomes clear again and we can see the steps into life and beauty on the other side of the loss.

So, we hold the grieving space as holy ground, we will be offering our prayers and we will

pray for the courage of countless families everywhere around the globe who are whispering goodbye with griefstricken hearts.

We will pray for the grieving to be wrapped in the light and warmth of the stubborn coming of spring and the care of surrounding communities. We draw on our God who is grieving with us, the God who is with us on both sides of the losses.

May we be filled with courage to whisper goodbye to what has been. May the tears also slowly clear our vision to see and receive the life that follows loss.

“Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself ” (Luke 24:38-39).

There’s a force in the loving that has the power to break … the force of evil, the cold darkness of death and the barrier between earth and heaven. Why does loving have such power?

Because God is love, and Jesus was God in the flesh. Peace be with you, He says, again and again.

... Regina hosts ecumenical conference on diaconate Continued from page 5 Borgeson called on deacons to “exercise leadership in the church’s prophetic activity ... speaking out about injustices and inconsistencies” and protecting God’s created order. Sister Gloria Marie Jones emphasized that “the prophetic mission of Jesus, and therefore of the deacon, is about unity, inclusivity and forgiveness.”

The issue of women in the diaconate was of particular interest to the Roman Catholic participants: their Church does not admit women to ordained ministry, while the Anglican Communion ordained its first women deacons in the 1970s, soon to be followed by priests and more recently bishops.

Sister Gloria spoke poignantly of her own experience as daughter of a deacon, whose wife actively supported him in his ministry.

“It was truly a shared preparation and ministry….but one was ordained and the other was not.”

She was present in Rome in 2016 at the meeting of women religious superiors where Pope Francis announced a commission to study the question of women deacons.

“I have come to believe,” she said, “the ordination of women to the diaconate is important for the sake of the Church, much more than for the sake of women.”

Anglican and Roman Catholic

speakers alike asserted the value of the deacon’s role in worship, despite a tendency in some areas of both Communions to downplay it.

Deacon Bauerschmidt, who has published a book, The Deacon’s Ministry of the Liturgy, explained from the Roman Catholic perspective how the diaconal function in the Eucharist and other liturgies “points to the importance of the diakonia of the Church as a whole.”

Canon Brown sees the deacon’s functions at the Eucharist – reading the Gospel, leading the intercessions, calling for the Peace, setting the Table and clearing it, giving the Dismissal – as highly symbolic of the Church’s ministry of hospitality.

Special contribution of Ukrainian Catholics One of the most intriguing aspects of the conference, especially for the Anglicans, was the unique contribution of the Ukrainian Catholic participants.

Brian Butcher gave a comprehensive overview of the diaconate in the Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic traditions, noting the presence of women deacons in the early church.

Sub-Deacon Butcher, along with Bishop Bayda and Protodeacon David Kennedy of Toronto, led

a moving choral celebration of Ukrainian Catholic vespers in Campion College Chapel. The conference participants also experienced Anglican compline and morning prayer, and Roman Catholic morning prayer.

Highlights of the conference were the two eucharistic celebrations. While the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches are not in communion, Archbishop Bolen spoke of a real but incomplete unity.

The bishops took part in each other’s liturgies for the Feast of the Transfiguration. Bishop Hardwick preached at the Roman Catholic Mass at Campion College Chapel on May 12 concelebrated

by Archbishop Bolen and Bishop Bayda.

In turn, Archbishop Bolen preached at the Sung Eucharist at St. Paul’s Cathedral on May 13, where Bishop Hardwick presided.

All three bishops joined in giving the final blessing at both celebrations. Bishop Bayda also preached and gave the blessing at the May 13 joint prayer service of the Diocese of Qu’Appelle and Archdiocese of Regina – Solemn Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral – the final event in the conference.

A month later, Archbishop Bolen ordained nine permanent deacons – who had all attended the conference with their spouses – at

Holy Rosary Cathedral. This was the first group to graduate from the diaconal formation program of the Archdiocese of Regina, directed by Dr. Salkeld.

As Roman Catholic journalist Frank Flegel reported, in spite of the vigorous debate, organizers said it was a learning experience.

“We learned so much from each other, experienced each other’s worship and theology and came closer together, which is really what the ecumenical movement is all about,” said conference secretary Deacon Michael Jackson, who has served 41 years in the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle.

Joe Lang, a Roman Catholic deacon for 20 years, felt reaffirmed in his ministry after listening and taking part in the discussions, and said he found it interesting to hear about the variety of ministries in all the faith communities.

Conference organizers thanked the Faith, Worship and Ministry Department of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Archdiocese of Regina for grants, to both sponsoring dioceses, the Regina Catholic School Division for providing resources, and to Campion College.

Canon Michael Jackson is deacon at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Regina, and was secretary of the 2018 conference on the diaconate.