October 2023
October 2023 Issue
Reaching out to diaspora Christians
Written by
Sean Frankling
Let’s lose—and find—ourselves in community
When I moved to London, Ont. I was immediately struck by the community spirit here, something I’ve rarely experienced in much larger cities. Almost everyone walking by on the street nods and says hello, acknowledging your presence. Drivers politely allow you to turn into the stream of traffic without aggression. You are acknowledged as a participant in the community, respected and cared about. I realize this spirit exists in many smaller communities—and I think we should treasure it as an outward sign of the threads of connection we experience as human beings in a shared time and space. Maybe it …
Written by
Archbishop Linda Nicholls
On being thankful in a time of anxiety and loss
In this month of October, it is hard not to be anxious as wildfires this summer have ravaged homes and lands; floods and strong storms, rising temperatures and tornados have touched many and uncertain futures walk with us. Our natural world ravaged by our greed and ingratitude humbles us all to waken our eyes and hearts to changing our ways. Nature’s true power humbles rich and poor, faithful and faithless alike. And when we, either individually or collectively fail to foresee the inevitable, or lose the ability to forestall it, and when we have nowhere else to lean … we …
Written by
Archbishop Chris Harper
Joseph Vecsi retiring as communications director
Joseph Vecsi, director of communications at the Anglican Church of Canada’s national office, will retire effective Nov. 20. Having served in the position since October 2019—a role he called the most challenging and often the most rewarding in his career—Vecsi said his decision to retire, announced by the national office Aug. 2, came with mixed emotions. “I just felt that I basically accomplished what I needed to accomplish,” Vecsi told the Anglican Journal. “So I’m taking the next chapter in my life, which is both scary and kind of exhilarating.” Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, …
Written by
Matthew Puddister
Canada interfaith ‘mission field’: Idowu-Fearon
The Anglican Church of Canada is in a unique position to promote understanding between people of different faiths around the world, says the former secretary general of the Anglican Communion and head of the group that drafted the Lambeth call on interfaith relations. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, who is also a past archbishop of the province of Kaduna in the Anglican Church of Nigeria, says Canada’s position as a hub for immigration from diverse nations, backgrounds and beliefs gives Christians in Canada the opportunity to reach out for meaningful exchanges with people of other religions. And they will then pass their understanding …
Written by
Sean Frankling
Jones to retire as General Synod chancellor
Canon (lay) David Jones says he’s optimistic for the future of the church as he looks forward to his retirement as chancellor of General Synod in September. Jones has served as a chancellor in the Anglican church for 28 years, first for his home diocese of Edmonton, then for the ecclesiastical province of Rupert’s Land and for the past 13 years at the national church level. During his time in the volunteer position, he says, he’s had the pleasure to serve three diocesan bishops, two provincial metropolitans and two primates of the national church. Jones stressed that he was confident …
Written by
Sean Frankling
Crossing paths
A nearly-lifelong atheist reflects on becoming an Anglican at 82 I recently debated the existence of God with an atheist/materialist colleague at Simon Fraser University. I am an 82-year-old unable-to-retire post-secondary instructor with an interdisciplinary PhD in English literature and Kantian philosophy … and a recent convert to Anglicanism after a life spent mostly as a hard-headed, uncompromising atheist. My debate opponent, some 20 years younger than me, was a recent apostate from Anglicanism … so the well-attended debate was aptly called “Crossing Paths.” During the Q & A period after the formal debate, every question was aimed at me. …
Written by
Graham N. Forst
National office plans 2026 move-in with United, Presbyterian churches
The office of General Synod is finalizing plans to move from its current Toronto building to a new location in the city, where it will share office space with the United Church of Canada and the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Archdeacon Alan Perry, general secretary of General Synod, said in a staff announcement Aug. 4 that the Anglican Church of Canada was preparing to enter into a lease agreement with the United Church of Canada in the coming months for a property at 300 Bloor Street West, owned by Bloor Street United Church. The property is in the midst of …
Written by
Matthew Puddister
Western fires wreak havoc
PWRDF starts fund for in-Canada emergencies as blazes spur N.W.T. exodus, claim B.C. Anglican camp Wildfires in western Canada this summer forced residents to evacuate from Yellowknife, disrupting ministry in the already logistically difficult diocese of the Arctic, and all but destroyed an Anglican summer camp in the Okanagan Valley. In response, the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) created a new fund for emergency responses inside Canada, which received $22,000 in donations in its first week. Fires in the Northwest Territories forced about 19,000 people to evacuate Yellowknife Aug. 18, sending out a long line of cars to …
Written by
Sean Frankling
CLAY holds first in-person gathering in five years
Hundreds of young Christians gathered in Waterloo, Ont. Aug. 10 to 13 for the Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth (CLAY) gathering, the first time the biennial event has been held in person since 2018. Bringing together Anglicans and Lutherans between the ages of 14 and 19 plus their leaders, CLAY offers a variety of youth-oriented activities, worship services and leadership development sessions. The last in-person CLAY took place in Thunder Bay, Ont. The following gathering, originally scheduled for 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually took place online in 2021. Sheilagh McGlynn, youth animator for the Anglican Church …
Written by
Matthew Puddister
Proposed settlement reached in Ralph Rowe lawsuit
A proposed settlement for abuse committed by former Anglican priest and scouts volunteer Ralph Rowe, reached earlier this summer could total up to $13.25 million according to a copy of the settlement agreement posted on the website of Koskie Minsky LLP, the law firm representing the plaintiffs. The settlement has been approved by the plaintiff’s representatives, by Scouts Canada and by the Anglican diocese of Keewatin as of Aug. 7, but must still be examined and approved by a judge in a hearing set for Oct. 27. It also stipulates that “General Synod shall engage in a consultation process with …
Written by
Sean Frankling
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