On May 26, the Rev. Dr. Sony Jabouin was received as a priest in the Anglican Communion in a public celebration of the Eucharist at the Church of St. Bartholomew in Ottawa.
Originally from Haiti, Jabouin previously served as a parish priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Many friends and family from the Haitian community attended, including former Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, who read a lesson from Corinthians.
The service was bilingual, and the Rev. Simone Hurkmans moved smoothly between the English and French in an insightful sermon that she began by considering the phrase “stay in your lane.” Although it is often used as a negative admonition, she put it in a different light by referring to Bishop Mariann Budde’s sermon at U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. In it, Bishop Budde asked the newly elected president to be merciful and show compassion for people who were fearful — people in the LGBTQ+ community, people who might be in the country without proper documentation and whose children fear that their parents might be taken away.
“Why that sermon resonated the way it did is because it’s not that different from a sermon you would have heard in a lot of churches. These are foundational principles. These are not some radical leftist woke ideas. This is pretty mainstream compassion, the pillars of human decency,” said Hurkmans. “There’s something to be said for being that kind of pillar. We’re not going to let some of these things go. Bishop Buddy stays in her lane and encourages us to do the same. And from her lane, she can courageously do great things for her congregation, her denomination, her country, and our world,” she said.
“From our lanes, we can do great things for our congregations, our denomination, our country, and our world, in whatever lane we’re in right now. Whether we’re in the working lane, retired lane, volunteering lane, student lane, whether our body, our mind, our relationships, our finances, you name it,… lanes that are healthy, not so healthy. Our lane is our lane. And we can do great things from it. When we get overwhelmed by the world, when we wonder what we can possibly do to help, it’s comforting to know that we can and should stay in our lane. We can do the next right thing within our contexts and our environments.”
Hurkmans added her own qualification, the word “gently.” We should stay in our lanes, gently, she advised. “Not only because this work of speaking out on behalf of the vulnerable from wherever we are takes courage and energy. I add it not only because it’s always good to be gentle with ourselves. I add it because gentleness is power….And if you watched Bishop Budde address the president, her gentleness was apparent. And in that gentleness is great power. Methodist minister and psychologist Thema Bryant says, gentleness is reflective of being at peace with yourself. You are not easily agitated or offended simply because someone has a different opinion. Gentleness is not based on fear, but in clarity of who you are.”
Turning to Jabourin, Hurkmans smiled and said that although some might think she was leading up to saying “’Sony, you did not stay in your own lane.’… Or…‘Sony, you were in the wrong lane and now you’re merging into the right lane.’ I will say neither of those things.”
Instead, she said: “Sony, you have always known that your lane is wide. Because you know that your lane is God’s lane for you. …Your lane has taken you many places in your lifetime — from a young priest, teacher, an instant school principal in Haiti, to a new Canadian academic and Roman Catholic parish priest, to being a caring and dedicated grade school and high school teacher, Christian educator, chaplain and advocate for your most vulnerable students. Your lane led you to worshipping in an Anglican parish on Ogilvy Road, to learning from experienced clergy, and laity about all things Anglican at our Cathedral and here at St. Barts. And now your lane has brought you here tonight to be received into our Anglican community. And you’ll continue learning in the Parish of the Valley this summer….,” she said.
“I’m honored to have journeyed in your lane for a time. I’m honored to be here this evening, and I’m honored that I now get to call you my colleague and friend. Your intelligence, your wisdom, your humor, your experience, your loyalty, your trust in God, and yes, your gentleness are all assets that I greatly appreciate. I know that they will also be gifts to all whom you serve and serve with. I know you’ll help us all stay in our own lanes, gently.”
Church of the Ascension, Ottawa — Deanery of Central Ottawa