Archibald Lang Fleming (1883-1953), enrolled at Wycliffe College in 1908, and was ordained deacon in 1912 and priest in 1913. Fleming was Archdeacon of the Arctic, 1927-1933 and first Bishop of the Arctic, 1933-1949. Earlier he had served as rector of the Church of St. John The Evangelist, Saint John, New Brunswick. His duration as Bishop, which landed him the name "The Flying Bishop", saw the Diocese of the Arctic add sixteen mission stations, two modern hospitals, nine churches, four residential schools, four chapels and two day schools.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of personal papers created and collected by or about A.L. Fleming. Includes: Notebooks regarding specifications for numerous ships and customs of the Eskimo; a dictionary of translated words; correspondence; financial records; scrapbooks; newspaper and magazine articles; cartographic records; Fleming's diaries, writings and photographs.
Fonds consists of the following series:
Series 1. Certificates, diplomas and personal documents;
Series 2. Diaries, notebooks and journals;
Series 3. General files;
Series 4. Scrapbooks, clippings, and memorabilia;
Series 5. Photographs;
Series 6. Maps and drawings;
Series 7. Manuscript writings;
Series 8. Publications
The Rev. Harry Sherman Shepherd, the Rt. Rev. Archibald Lang Fleming, and the Rev. Thomas Umaok with the first Confirmation class at Shingle Point, NWT. - June 1934
Herbert Girling (1891-1920) lived and worked in Nottingham, England before he responded to a call for men by the Colonial and Continental Church Society. He studied at Emmanuel College, Saskatoon from 1909-1913. Girling was ordained deacon in 1914 and priest in 1916. He began missionary service under the direction of Archdeacon C.E. Whittaker in Fort McPherson and Kittigazuit, NWT. 1915-1919 he was Missionary with the Inuit in the Bernard Harbour and Coronation Gulf areas. During that time he made extensive travels and did significant translation in the Copper Eskimo language. He died in Ottawa while on furlough.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of articles by and about Girling regarding his work among the Blond or Copper Eskimo and photographs taken while in the north. There is also a list of articles published in the Mission World by and about Girling and his work.
File consists of correspondence with Bishop Fleming regarding theological training, ordination, and missionary service in Lake Harbour (Kimmirut) and Eskimo Point (Arviat).
The Diocese of the Arctic was formed in 1933 and incorporated in 1961. The territory of the diocese spans the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Nunavik (Northern Quebec). Originally the See city was in Aklavik with All Saints as the Pro-Cathedral, but in 1972 the See city became Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit), because the Mackenzie River area had become its own Episcopal District. St. Jude's Cathedral was built in Iqaluit especially to be the Cathedral for the Diocese of the Arctic. The diocese ministers primarily among Inuit people, but has also included First Nations and Caucasians in its mission stations. From the earliest days the missionaries in the Arctic were involved in translation, medical services and education.
The Diocese of the Arctic has had five diocesan bishops - Archibald Lang Fleming (1933-1949), Donald Ben Marsh (1950-1973), John Reginald Sperry (1974-1990), John Christopher Richard Williams (1991-2002 ), Andrew Philip Atagotaaluk (2002-2012), David Parsons (2012- ).
Suffragan Bishops were introduced in 1963 with Henry George Cook (1963-1966). Since then others have followed - James Charles MacLeod Clarke (1979-1986), J.C.R. Williams (1987-1990), Terrence Owen Buckle (1993-1995), Paul Oodleteta Idlout (1996-2004), Andrew Philip Atagotaaluk (1999-2002), Larry David Robertson (1999-2010), and Benjamin Tatigat Arreak (2002-2010), Darren McCartney (2012-2019), Joey Royal, (2019- ), Annie Ittoshat (2019- ), Lucy Netser (2019- ).
The diocese was formed from the northern portions of four diocese - Yukon (formerly Selkirk), Keewatin, Moosonee, and Mackenzie River. In 1955 the diocese was expanded to include the Mackenzie River area, until 1966 when it was transferred to the spiritual jurisdiction of the diocese of Athabasca. In 1971 the Mackenzie River area became the Episcopal District of the Mackenzie with the Rt. Rev. Henry Cook as Bishop. The district rejoined the diocese of the Arctic in 1974.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records created or accumulated by the Diocese of the Arctic. The records cover missionary work in the Arctic and include missions that were originally administered by the dioceses of the Yukon (formerly Selkirk), Keewatin, Moosonee, and Mackenzie River (1884-1970).
The fonds is arranged in series which include:
Administration records, bishops records, parish records, translation records, hospital records, financial records, audio-visual records, graphic records, cartographic records, printed material, and collected material from various Arctic missionaries.
The bishops' records include clergy files, women workers, catechists and lay workers, mission station files, diocesan files, pastoral letters, executive committee files, Arthur Turner Training School and catechist schools files.