The long road to understanding
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/article33813
- Author
- Bothwell, John (John Charles), 1926-2014
- Material Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Ministry Matters
- Date
- 2006 Fall
- Material Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Ministry Matters
- Date
- 2006 Fall
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Page
- 19-20
- Notes
- The author celebrated the 35th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on 11 June 2005. In this article he looks back on some of the highlights (joyful and painful) of his ministry as a priest, Bishop of the Diocese of Niagara and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. Bishop Bothwell mentions his participation on the 1976 consecration of Desmond Tutu, and his ordination of the first women priests in the Anglican Church of Canada that same year. He attended both the 1978 and 1988 Lambeth Conferences and travelled widely throughout the Communion. He also talks about the challenges of being a bishop, working within the House of Bishops, of the Anglican Church of Canada. "No wonder we have trouble making national decisions as Anglicans, for as the late, beloved Father [Roland] Palmer pointed out 'The Anglican Church of Canada is like a train with 30-plus freight cars called dioceses, and each one has its own set of brakes !" "To me, in a bishop's task, and indeed, in all Christian ministries, the most important thing is not to be successful, nor to make an important personal contribution to God's work. Our first priority now and always, must be to develop much more personal and communal maturity in order to deal with the anger, impatience and negative feelings that are inevitable, especially in times of rapid change. For by God's grace, those feelings must be endured in faithfulness as we seek all together, a deeper understanding of God's Will."
- Subjects
- Bothwell, John (John Charles), 1926-2014
- Anglican Church of Canada - Bishops
- Episcopacy - Anglican Church of Canada
- Change - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Location
- General Synod Archives