Colour photo with caption: "Canadian Anglicans this fall mourned the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Sept. 8 [2022] at age 96. 'She was the ideal constitutional monarch', says Canon Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada. 'She set out to embody the values that unite us'. For coverage and a look back on her life in photos, see pp. 8-9". [Text of entire article.]
"Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people will be a major test for King Charles III, prominent Canadian Anglicans say .... Roseanne Archibald, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, urged the Crown to fulfill Call to Action No. 45 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which includes demands for the Government of Canada to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, the historical justification used by European monarchs to colonize Indigenous lands; and to issue a 'Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation' reaffirming nation-to-nation relations with Canada's Indigenous peoples" (p. 1).
"Bishop Chris Harper of the diocese of Saskatoon -- who is Plains Cree and the first priest from Treaty 6 territory ordained as a bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada -- says reconciliation presents an opportunity for King Charles III to 'start to see where he can come with the community and with the people themselves .. How he handles it will I think determine the strength of the monarchy going ahead in decades'. Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, believes Charles is attuned to the needs of the country's Indigenous peoples".
"Canon Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, a monarchist group, notes that ties between the monarch and Indigenous peoples of Canada long predate Confederation in 1867" (p. 11).
Ray Aldred, director of the Indigenous Studies program at the Vancouver School of Theology, says that generally speaking, "Indigenous peoples in Canada saw the treaties they made as being with the Crown, and sometimes saw the Crown as better disposed toward them than the elected Canadian government. 'On different occasions Indigenous people would petition the Crown because the Canadian government was not friendly to Indigenous people in Canada', he says" (p. 11).
"Bishop Riscylla Shaw, suffragan bishop for Trent-Durham in the diocese of Toronto, says she hopes and prays that Charles will support 'processes around people's need for self-determination'. .... Shaw, who is Métis, calls the change in monarch ' a new day for reconciliation and relationship-building'" (p. 11).
"Some Indigenous leaders, including Terry Teegee, regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, have called on Charles not just to denounce but to actually repeal the doctrine [of Discovery]" (p. 11).
"In May [2022], Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron said Queen Elizabeth II should apologize for Canada's residential school system to help survivors their families heal. Caron said residential school survivors told her an apology from the Queen, as leader of the Anglican Church and Canada's head of state, would be important to them" (p. 11-12).
"Canon Murray Still, co-chair of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, hopes King Charles III will make a statement on the residential schools. 'Before he was king, [Charles] did make a visit to Canada and heard from survivors of the residential schools, and I think the most recent discovery of children's remains in Kamloops and elsewhere impacted him', Still says" (p. 12).
The author, who describes his background as "evangelical, 'low church' end of the spectrum, with a preference for simplicity in worship, scriptural teaching over tradition and minimal decoration" (p. 1) decided, in advance of All Saints Day, about Anglicans and the commemoration of saints. Archdeacon Edward Simonton, vicar general and archdeacon of the diocese of Quebec, describes himself as a "high churchman" and "Anglo-Catholic". "[F]or the past decade [he] has been leading the research on a project to revise the calendar of saints and commemorations that appears in the Anglican Church of Canada's 'Book of Alternative Services'. .... Simonton believes saints are an essential component of Christian belief as they show the presence of Christ and his transformative power in their lives. 'The whole point of discipleship is that Christ works through his church. And if no one ever achieved any kind of sanctity in their life -- does any of this even work ?' he asks" (p. 6). "Historically, the Anglican Communion has been slow to canonize its own saints. .... However, the research project Simonton has been working on includes principles for dioceses and parishes to develop their own calendars with days commemorating local people who have shown special devotion, service or sanctity" (p. 6). "Canonized saints, as confirmed historical examples of Christ's presence in human lives, function as role models or heroes of the faith for modern Christians to look up to" (p. 6).
"Torrance Kirby is a professor of ecclesiastical history at MGill University. He says the practice of asking for the prayers of saints is mainly present in high church and Anglo-Catholic parishes. But he does not believe it is compatible with the Anglican Church's Reformation-era roots ... 'it is contrary to the Articles of Religion'" (p. 7). In the Thirty-Nine Article, "The 32nd article states that the invocation of saints 'is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God'" (p. 7).
The author spoke with the Rev. Seth Enriquez who comes from "a background similar to mine" ... Enriquez says he believes in saints enough to refer to St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas using the title, but that they typically haven't been part of his worship life" (p. 7).
See also inset article "Our Facebook followers talk sainthood", pp.6-7, indexed separately.
The people of "James Cree Nation and Weldon, Sask. asked people to pray for love and forgiveness after the stabbing attacks on Sept. 4 [2022] ... The stabbings left 11 people dead, including one of the suspects, and 18 more injured. Police identified brothers Damien and Myles Sanderson as suspects. Damien was found dead on Sept. 5 with multiple wounds. Myles was arrested on the afternoon of Sept. 7 and died that evening in police custody" (p. 1). James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon are in the Anglican diocese of Saskatchewan. "The Rev. Wilfred Sanderson and his wife the Rev. Theresa Sanderson are the Anglican priest and deacon, respectively, in the James Smith Cree Nation" (p. 10). The Rt. Rev. Michael Hawkins, Anglican bishop of Saskatchewan, "called Wilfred and Theresa 'the Anglican heroes in this story' and 'the finest pastors we have in the diocese of Saskatchewan'. He praised them, along with elders and families, as an example of leadership that has helped the community rally together after the attacks" (p. 10). Bishop Hawkins described James Smith Cree Nation "as a primarily Anglican community". "Hawkins says many residents would also have attended the nearby Prince Albert Indian Residential School and Gordon's Indian Residential School, both run by the Anglican Church of Canada and then the federal government. Gordon's was 'one of the worst residential schools .. we had in Saskatchewan for really horrific sexual abuse' and resulting intergenerational trauma, Hawkins said" (p. 10). Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, "recounted having visited the James Smith reserve in May [2022] with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. 'We were received there with such warmth and generosity, and my heart breaks for the families, the victims, the whole communities affected by this tragedy', she said" (p. 10). Archbishop Justin Welby "offered a handwritten letter to the chiefs of James Smith Cree Nation, in which he asked for God to give them strength, as they comfort the bereaved" (p. 10). "On Sept. 8 [2022], Nicholls and several other bishops held an online vigil on Sept. 8 to pray for James Smith Cree Nation and surrounding area. [Bishop Michael] Hawkins says the diocese of Saskatchewan hopes to partner with the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund to support long-term healing in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, and wants to see similar commitment from the federal government" (p. 10).
Part of the Capturing the Light series. Colour photos of stained glass window.
"At St. George's [Anglican Church in Trenton, Ontario] we have an unusual window that shows soldiers in battle while two angels look down from above, holding a cross. The War Memorial Window was installed in 1921 after the First World War. Few Canadian churches have a military scene, but this one seems especially appropriate for our church since Canada's largest air force base is here in Trenton. I have a personal interest in the window because I was named after my uncle, who was killed in the Second World War while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and I served in it also".
"The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Elora, Ont. was not the first Anglican parish to organize a 'poppy project', encouraging people to knit or crochet poppies for an art installation around Remembrance Day. Canon Paul Walker, incumbent at St. John's, and knitting club coordinator Barb Dunsmore drew inspiration from the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in Calgary, which had unveiled its own poppy display in 2018 to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. Even so, when St. John's organized its inaugural poppy project in 2021, like the Calgary cathedral it found a wave of outside volunteers eager to take part. Dunsmore was stunned by the level of support" (p. 2). Three parishes are planning similar poppy projects for Remembrance Day 2022.
In 2018 "Pippa FitzGerald-Finch, a member of the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer [in Calgary] knitting group, saw a poppy display at a church in England in 2017 and suggested the cathedral do a similar project" (p. 2). FitzGerald-Finch initially estimated that their 6 member group could make between 2,000 and 3,000 poppies. "Ultimately more than 100 people helped make poppies ... and the group ended up receiving more than 10,000 of them" (p. 3). "The group contacted the Royal Canadian Legion, which owns the poppy as a trademark, to get permission. The legion was happy as long as the church didn't sell the poppies, but only used them for an art display" (p. 3).
"The desire to connect people during the pandemic inspired a different kind of poppy display at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Oak Bay, B.C. Starting in 2020, St. Mary's began a community poppy project centred in the church's memorial garden. People were invited to spend time in personal reflection and prayer and place a red or black stone in the centre of the courtyard, helping create the image of a large poppy. Canon Craig Hiebert, incumbent of St. Mary's, drew inspiration from a Church of England parish which had organized a similar project" (p. 3).
'The Poppies for Peace campaign at Church of the Incarnation in Oakville, Ont., began after parishioner Pearl Moffat visited St. John's. She and fellow parishioner Leslie Hickey began planning a similar poppy display for this year, drawing on advice and knitting and crocheting patterns for St. John's" (p. 3). "As this story was being prepared in late September, the Church of the Incarnation was planning to host an open house on Remembrance Sunday where people could see the poppies, hear the choir, enjoy refreshments, and learn about inutilities like the work of its eco-justice committee" (p. 3).
"The meaning of this word 'apologia' is worth thinking about when we seek to express our sorrow for our actions. ... We need to know that an apology does not end with the proclamation of words, but that deeds need to follow them so that the hurt that was caused can be dealt with". "The non-token actions that are supposed to follow are still patiently awaited by Indigenous peoples". "Despite all the pain and sorrows that the Church has caused, it seems that words of forgiveness have been extended to the Church by those who have received the many apologies. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said, after his apology at Prince Albert, Sask. this past May [2022], 'I heard time and time again the words of grace expressed towards the church'. Further, he said he was 'humbled' and found it 'unbelievable that you are ever willing to attempt to listen to this apology, and to let us walk on the long journey of renewal and reconciliation'". Welby also said, 'The presence of grace is always the greatest sign of the presence of God', and I think God was in the thoughts of those who expressed words of grace to the church that day. The listeners had considered Jesus, they understood the reason for their hope, forgave and took the hand of the representative of the colonial church in hopes that a new relationship could be forged -- a relationship based on the One who can make a change and a difference".
Author is an ordained Anglican priest and "Cree from Norway House First Nation, Man. He currently lives in Winnipeg and serves as the urban Indigenous ministry developer for the diocese of Rupert's Land".
In the summer of 2022 Archbishop Linda Nicholls was "elected to the Anglican Communion's primates standing committee as the regional primate of the Americas, succeeding Archbishop Julio Murray, whose term as primate of Central America was ending". "The Consultative Council's standing committee of 14 people is formed from members of the Consultative Council plus five regional primates, elected by the primates of each region. This committee carries out the work of the council between gatherings, receives reports of various working groups and commissions and approves membership by new provinces. It meets about three time a year -- online or in person". "It will be my responsibility to listen to and contribute to the work of the standing committee and Council in light of the needs and concerns of the provinces of the Americas -- North, South and Central America plus the Caribbean". "We also find intersections among various areas of our work. Indigenous rights and protections are critical across many provinces. Climate change and human devastation of nature affect us all. Our calling to create new disciples will see each of us engaging with the world in new ways".
Author "is the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada".
"In response to the p. 1 headline in the September 'Anglican Journal', ("Lambeth Conference affirms 'diversity of views' on sexuality, marriage',) I have a question. Eucharistic Prayer 1 in the 'Book of Alternative Services' states, 'You created all things, You formed us in your own image'. Does that not indicate that God is female, male, LGBTQ, Black, white, Asian, Indigenous and any other form of humanity ? What then is the argument and why then is there such a diversity of views ? Since we are all in God's image, there should not be any division between who should and who shouldn't be able to be married". [Text of entire article.]