Diocesan leaders cautiously optimistic about the future
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/article42181
- Author
- Forget, André
- Material Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican Journal
- Date
- 2015 October
- Author
- Forget, André
- Material Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican Journal
- Date
- 2015 October
- Volume
- 141
- Issue
- 8
- Page
- 8, 10
- Notes
- "The past decade has not been an easy one for the diocese of Niagara. Beset by financial woes, theological divisions over the place of gays and lesbians in the church and a series of lawsuits from parishes that left the diocese to join the breakaway Anglican Network in Canada, diocesan leadership has faced challenging times. But these days, its leaders are cautiously optimistic about the diocese's future. For one, a settlement with the Anglican Network reached in 2012 has ended crippling lawsuits and left parish buildings from three breakaway churches in the hands of the diocese. Over the past three years, said diocesan Bishop Michael Bird, the diocese has been able to climb out of a financial hole 'and the financial picture of the diocese is pretty stable'. Canon Terry DeForest, vision advocate and director of human resources, added, 'we're no longer just feeling at the mercy of those financial situations'. A decision was made, for instance, to turn real estate assets into funds" (p. 8). "These conversations have been crucial to the diocese's most ambitious real estate decision yet: developing Cathedral Place (where the diocesan office and Christi Church Cathedral are located) into a mixed-use housing and office complex that will include a number of market-value condominium units. Christ Church Cathedral's dean, Peter Wall, said the decision was a matter of sound financial stewardship. 'Our aim was the highest and best use of what we had in order to guarantee ourselves a sustainable future for the next 50 to 100 years', he said" (p. 10). The Rev. Bill "Mous said the developer chosen for the project, Ottawa-based Windmill Developments, has a 'triple bottom-line approach', in which social and environmental effects are considered alongside economic interests. 'It's not just about profit. They strive to ensure the dignity of people, the care and well-being of the planet" (p. 10).
- Inset column with basic statistics about the Diocese of Niagara accompanies article on page. 8.
- N.B. Correction pertaining to this article appeared in the Nov. 2015 issue of the Anglican Journal, page 5: "Canon Christyn Perkons was identified as the Rev. Christyn Perkons in the caption of a photo accompanying the article, 'Diocesan leaders cautiously optimistic about the future', Oct. 2015, p. 8. The same caption misspelled the last name of Joanna Beck (not Becks) and should have included an apostrophe in the name, Christ Church's Cathedral in Hamilton, Ont."
- Subjects
- Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of Niagara
- Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of Niagara - Finance
- Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of Niagara - Trials, litigation, etc.
- Anglican Network in Canada
- Real estate development - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Church buildings - Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of Niagara
- Christ Church Anglican Cathedral (Hamilton, Ont.)
- DeForest, Terry (R. Terry)
- Beck, Joanna
- Perkons, Christyn
- Mous, Bill (William)
- Wall, Peter A. (Peter Allan), 1951-
- Windmill Developments