"With the Anglican cathedral in Regina unavailable due to renovations, the consecration of Rob Hardwick as the 12th bishop of Qu'Appelle took place at a Roman Catholic church instead. Since the other Anglican churches in Regina were unable to hold the massive event either, the diocese of Qu'Appelle looked to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Regina for assistance. The archdiocese generously provided Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church as the site for the March 2 [2013] consecration of Hardwick ... Both Christian denominations signed a covenant of co-operation in January 2011, with the understanding that both would work to further the gospel of Jesus Christ together in any way possible". "Bishop Hardwick's installation then took place March 3 [2013] at St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, with the colourful ceremony beginning the English-born priest's official pastoral duties in the diocese".
"The Ven. Robert Hardwick is the new bishop of the Anglican diocese of Qu'Appelle in Regina, Sask. Currently serving s the diocese's assistant to the bishop and executive archdeacon, Hardwick was elected on the first ballot of the electoral synod. held Dec. 8 [2012]. He succeeds Bishop Greg Kerr-Wilson, who is now the Bishop of Calgary".
"Rob Hardwick, bishop of the diocese of Qu'Appelle, will spend much of his four-month sabbatical -- May 14 to Sept. 3, 2018 -- bicycling across Canada to raise money for ministry projects within the diocese and beyond. Hardwick plans to cycle from Victoria, B.C., to St. John's, Nfld., a total of about 7,877 km. With one rest day factored in each week, the trip is expected to take 82 days, with Hardwick aiming to cover 114 km. each day that he rides. This may seem a less-than-restful sabbatical, but Hardwick says that the pedalling pilgrimage will be an 'opportunity to pray -- throughout the ride -- for unity and reconciliation, and also for unity across the church'."
Bishop Rob Hardwick of the diocese of Saskatchewan was asked, before he began his 18-26 June 2016 cross -province bicycle ride, what was the point of the trip. "Hardwick responded that the nine-day, 723-km ride was to be a pilgrimage for prayer and worship with parishioners, with the goal of raising $10,000 to support mission and the Bishop's Discretionary Fund". "Soon after the ride, more than $22,000 had already been raised, without even any overt fundraising on the bishop's part, he said. Moreover, the nine days, the bishop says were also 'a time of intense prayer and fellowship', as he stopped to lead worship in 19 places along the route. All told 377 people gathered in 19 churches along the way, for morning prayer services, Eucharist, mid-day prayer, evening prayer and gospel jamborees -- not to mention, he says, potluck feasts. Fifteen other cyclists joined him along various sections of his pilgrimage". "The Bishop's Discretionary Fund is used to pay for a variety of expenses in the diocese, such as hotel rooms for people needing a place to stay because of family medical problems, or sending spiritual leaders for education training".
"On July 31 [2018], Bishop Rob Hardwick of the diocese of Qu'Appelle dipped the wheel of his bicycle in the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Nfld., bringing an end to a cross-Canada journey that began months earlier. On May 19 [2018], he had performed the same ritual in the Pacific, at his starting point in Victoria, B.C. Hardwick planned the more than 7,200 km ride across Canada after he dreamed of raising $1 million for the diocese Living the Mission campaign for mission and ministry. He had also hoped to raise as much as $800,000 for the Anglican Healing Fund and Indigenous Ministries. In mid-August [2018], donations to the campaign itself totaled $156,400. But the ride spurred a number of other related donations, bringing the total to more than $250,000. For example, a portion of the money raised was to go towards building a medical centre in Burundi. (The diocese of Qu'Appelle has a companion relationship with the diocese of Muyinga.) Hardwick says this project can now be completed thanks to additional gifts, totalling $20,000, from two families in the diocese". "Hardwick had bypass surgery nine years ago. He turned 62 during the ride".
"When the House of Bishops met in Niagara Falls, Ont., from April 13 to 17 [2015], they discussed some contentious issues, including possible amendments to the marriage canon and a call from the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) for significant changes to church structures. But Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said there was, nevertheless, 'a spirit of hopefulness' at the gathering". "The bishops discussed the document, 'Where We Are Today: Twenty Years after the Covenant, an Indigenous Call to Church Leadership', in terms of what they thought needed more clarification, what they found encouraging and what they found challenging." "Hiltz observed that what underlies much of these discussions is the question, 'What is everybody's understanding of self-determination ?' This is a conversation that needs to continue, he said. People are not sure what self-determination will mean in terms of concrete changes, said Hiltz". "Bishops also endorsed the #22days campaign calling Anglicans to commit to working toward healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. ... Hiltz noted that Bishop Robert Hardwick of the diocese of Qu'Appelle shared plans to ring church bells for murdered and missing women and girls, and other bishops decided that could be done in all of their dioceses".
"Donations from the diocese of Qu'Appelle have recently helped feed at least 200 families, displaced by fighting in strife-torn Burundi, according to its Burundian companion diocese. As violence mounted in Burundi late last year [2015], the diocese of Qu'Appelle provided an initial grant of US $2,250 to help the diocese of Muyinga support families fleeing from Bujumbura, capital of the east African country. This was followed, said Qu'Appelle diocesan bishop Robert Hardwick, by a second grant of US $2,500 sent in mid-December [2015] to support another wave of families in serious need" (p. 1). "Hardwick explained that Muyinga and Qu'Appelle's companion relationship dates from 2009, and has involved a number of projects ... Muyinga diocesan Bishop Paisable Ndacayisaba did not ask for financial support following the influx of displaced people into his diocese, but requested prayers for Burundi" (p. 6). "In December [2015], Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, warned that the country was 'at bursting point, on the very cusp of a civil war' with at least 400 people killed and 220,000 displaced since April, and that the conflict has 'ethnic overtones' that harken back to the nation's 'deeply troubled, dark and horrendously violent past' (p. 6)".
"In a stunning reversal, a July 12 recount of the vote to allow same-sex marriage in the Anglican Church of Canada showed that while the motion was reported the previous day to have failed by one vote in the Order of Clergy, it had, in fact, passed there by one vote" (p. 1). "A two-thirds majority was needed in each of the Orders of Laity, Clergy and Bishops for the motion to pass, and it had been widely assumed that there was not enough support among the bishops. ... In fact, the motion appeared to have been scuttled by the Order of Clergy, with the vote originally recording 51 of 77 clergy in favour of changing the marriage canon. As it turned out, this number did not include the vote of Archdeacon Michael Thompson, general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada. With Thompson's vote counted, it became 52 of 78 in favour, nudging the vote above the required threshold of a two-thirds majority. Incorrect information sent to Data On The Spot, the electronic voting services provider contracted to manage the voting by clickers, led to the mistake, according to Thompson"(p. 1). "After the change was announced, several members from the diocese of Caledonia, including Bishop William Anderson, walked out of the plenary hall, followed shortly by a number of members from the Arctic, including Bishops David Parsons and Darren McCartney" (p. 12). "Bishop Rob Hardwick, of the diocese of Qu'Appelle, chastised the house for not extending sympathy and care to those who had opposed the motion to change the marriage canon" (p. 12).
"In a stunning reversal, a July 12 recount of the vote to allow same-sex marriage in the Anglican Church of Canada showed that while the motion was reported the previous day to have failed by one vote in the Order of Clergy, it had, in fact, passed there by one vote" (p. 1). "A two-thirds majority was needed in each of the Orders of Laity, Clergy and Bishops for the motion to pass, and it had been widely assumed that there was not enough support among the bishops. ... In fact, the motion appeared to have been scuttled by the Order of Clergy, with the vote originally recording 51 of 77 clergy in favour of changing the marriage canon. As it turned out, this number did not include the vote of Archdeacon Michael Thompson, general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada. With Thompson's vote counted, it became 52 of 78 in favour, nudging the vote above the required threshold of a two-thirds majority. Incorrect information sent to Data On The Spot, the electronic voting services provider contracted to manage the voting by clickers, led to the mistake, according to Thompson"(p. 1). "After the change was announced, several members from the diocese of Caledonia, including Bishop William Anderson, walked out of the plenary hall, followed shortly by a number of members from the Arctic, including Bishops David Parsons and Darren McCartney"
(p. 12). "Bishop Rob Hardwick, of the diocese of Qu'Appelle, chastised the house for not extending sympathy and care to those who had opposed the motion to change the marriage canon" (p. 12).