Following the meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at the Vatican on 21 November 2009, at which they reaffirmed their desire to strengthen ecumenical relations between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, a preparatory committee met on 23 November 2009 to prepare the third phase of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). It has been decided that this phase will begin within the coming year.
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has ruled that the Anglican diocese of New Westminster retains possession of parish property even if congregations decide to leave the Anglican Church of Canada.
A Bach cantata plays quietly as customers stroll through the bookstore, looking for clergy shirts, commentaries, or that last book in their Sunday school series. For over 100 years, the Anglican Book Centre has provided these material accessories to ministry, and now thanks to Lutheran booksellers Augsburg Fortress, the service continues.
It looks like a strange kind of line dancing. In the middle of a church hall, a string of men and women silently hold hands. A woman from the side says, “If you’ve ever been told ‘you’re a credit to your race,'” take one step back.” Several people—Black and Aboriginal—drop back. The woman speaks again: “If your parents spoke English as their first language, take one step forward.” Several others inch ahead. The line is now jagged and people reach and bend to keep holding hands.
The first day of COGS’s fall 2009 meeting began with the Eucharist, celebrated by COGS’s chaplain, Bishop Tom Morgan. COGS members then spent time in Bible study with their assigned groups.
“It changes you in ways you can’t put into words.” This was Jeffery Hooper’s response to the three months he and his wife Michelle Taylor spent in Uganda with General Synod’s Theological Students International Internship Program (TSIIP). The Hooper-Taylors were in Toronto for a debriefing at the Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries from Oct. 15 to 18, along with TSIIP participant Nicolas Alexandre, who visited the Philippines.
In the single year since his appointment as executive director of philanthropy, Dr. Holland Hendrix has criss-crossed Canada, met many Anglicans, and laid a solid groundwork for new fundraising initiatives at parish, diocesan, and national levels. Also hard at work are a team of seven staff in the Department of Philanthropy, who are supporting the long-term plan to achieve sustained financial equilibrium for the whole church.
Today’s announcement of the Apostolic Constitution is a response by Pope Benedict XVI to a number of requests over the past few years to the Holy See from groups of Anglicans who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and are willing to declare that they share a common Catholic faith and accept the Petrine ministry as willed by Christ for his Church.
If two women—one in Yellowknife, one in Regina—hear the call to be priests in the Anglican Church of Canada, the steps they will take to become ordained are quite different. Although both will wear collars and be “the Rev.” in the end, their assessment and education will depend on their diocese’s unique program, which could range from an informal mentoring relationship to specific course requirements.
Just five months ago, the Rev. Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, General Synod’s director of Faith, Worship, and Ministry was considering a major life and ministry change. “I was taking a sabbatical, thinking, ‘maybe it’s time to leave and take a quiet parish. Or maybe take an early retirement, and put my feet up,’” she said in a recent interview.
Tomorrow, Oct. 1, is the last day on which you can respond to Vision 2019 and help plan the Anglican Church of Canada’s future priorities. Everyone is asked to answer the question, “Where is your church now, and where do you want the Anglican Church of Canada to be by 2019?” All responses will be heard and analyzed by a consultant and then a report will be presented at General Synod 2010.
The clock is ticking. Canadian Anglicans have until October 1 to send in their answers to the two-part Vision 2019 question, “Where is your church now, and where do you want the Anglican Church of Canada to be in 2019?” All responses will be heard and analyzed by an external consultant and then a report will be presented at General Synod 2010. This report will help shape the church’s future.
MinistryMatters, the magazine for Canadian Anglican leaders, has transformed into an online publication. The first fully online edition, Fall 2009, features the same assortment of ministry reflections and practical resources as the print version did, but with new elements of weekly columnists, a video feature, and the opportunity for readers to comment.
