Clergy and parishioners from across the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa gathered at Christ Church Cathedral on September 20, the last day of Archbishop Shane Parker’s time as Bishop of Ottawa.
“A Service of Thanksgiving for our Journey with Bishop Shane” offered a chance to worship together, to reflect on the diocesan church’s journey over the past five years, to pray for the archbishop as he began his new ministry as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and to pray for the diocese as it began a time of transition leading up to the election of a new bishop in February 2026.
In his homily, Archbishop Parker recalled his election as bishop on March 14, 2020. “Our journey together began the day before the world shut down,” he said, referring to the time when people began to isolate and lock down in response to the spread of the COVID virus for which no vaccine or treatment had yet been developed.
Helping him to prepare for his consecration by phone, former Primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz reminded the bishop-elect that the Holy Spirit was in the hands of all of the bishops who came before him and that it would be with him also. “It is very good to give thanks for our forebears, our predecessors, and those who precede us in ministry, because everyone offers their gifts to the best of their ability in ever-changing circumstances,” Archbishop Parker said.
“It’s a lovely thought that the Holy Spirit is in the hands of diocesan bishops. But there’s something … far more important to consider,” he added. “The Holy Spirit is in the hands of the Church…. The Holy Spirit is in our parish ministries, in our Community Ministries, in Ascension House. The Holy Spirit is in the hearts and minds and wills of our diocesan church, which includes the laity, the clergy, and the bishop, and the many people of goodwill who join with us in serving the world that God loves. People of other faiths, people of no faith, people of good will and good heart who join with us.”
Archbishop Parker commended the way that the Community Ministries pivoted during the pandemic, quickly adapting to the restrictions and finding ways to bring food and care out to the people who used to come into their centres for meals and essential services. Parish ministries, too, quickly found ways to broadcast their worship services online while people could not gather and to care for one another and their neighbours.
This was also a time for listening, he said. “In every parish, we knew that our church was being changed by circumstances around it, not just the pandemic. and we had a heart to guide change instead of being changed.” In the course of the Shape of Parish Ministry Consultations, “we listened really carefully to where the joys were, where the struggles were, where the pain was, where we were being changed but we didn’t want to be changed.” The consultations led to three resolutions being passed with a high level of consensus at the Diocesan Synod and they in turn led to specific priorities, actions and results.
“We continue to try and self-fund our central operations. We continue to try to leave more money in parishes for parish ministry as we fund the operations that support both parish ministries and community ministries from Ascension House.
We have a very capable team of professionals and our senior staff, subject experts, along with everyone in Ascension House whose orientation is to serve the people of God in the parishes and Community Ministries of our diocese. …We have courageously laid out a guide for parishes who know in their hearts they’re facing change and want to embrace it because there is wisdom in the baptized,” Archbishop Parker said. And he pointed to ongoing development of the Learning Commons, which will provide resources, tools and training to help parishes thrive.
“Your diocese, is strong, focused, disciplined, and filled with promise. Your diocese is filled with the Holy Spirit,” he said. “In big ways and in small ways, you offer signs of the Kingdom of God. In acts of kindness, courage, and gentleness, and justice. In acts of faithfulness, compassion, trustworthiness, and mercy. In acts of generosity and prayerfulness, and forgiveness and patience. In acts of reconciliation, peace, hope, and love, you offer signs of God’s caring. The Holy Spirit is in your hands. You are the beloved community of Christ, and you are very ready to embrace your future.”
Later in the service, the Synod Secretaries offered words of thanks on behalf of the diocesan church.
Lay secretary Margaret Porter recalled the moment she heard the news that Archbishop Shane had been elected to be Primate. “There was the pain of realizing we would be losing our dear bishop and the gratitude that the national church would be blessed by his leadership as Primate. And today, with deep gratitude and heartfelt appreciation, we gather here to give thanks to you, Archbishop, for your five years of faithful, visionary, and compassionate service. Thank you for your leadership, your patience, your sense of humor, and genuine care you have shown for the diocese. From the very beginning, you have led with humility, strength, and a shepherd’s heart….Your presence has brought comfort and courage. Your leadership has inspired a new energy and purpose…Your impact has been both clear and lasting. We thank you for the prayers you have offered, the hands you have held, the wisdom you have shared, and the example you have set. You have been a servant leader in the truest sense.”
The Rev. Canon Stephen Sliverthorne spoke on behalf of the clergy and said it was hard to know what to thank the archbishop for because there were so many things. As the Clerical Synod Secretary, he had worked closely with the bishop on the minutiae of governance in many parts of the diocesan church. And he pointed out that in the minutiae, the foundations are laid for transparency, clarity, and accountability. “It has been my privilege oftentimes to work closely beside him, and to see not only the things that we all see, those times in which he has dealt with important people on grand topics, but also where he has devoted tireless attention to the small things that make our diocese thrive.”
Silverthorne added that the archbishop’s guidance and certain leadership through the Shape of Parish Ministry Consultations provided a platform for people in the diocesan church “to share our hopes and our dreams, but also our great fears and our challenges” And he noted that behind the scenes, the bishop encouraged everyone to not just “debate hopes but to weave these things together into solid action plans.
“In his devotion to the small things, as well as the great, I believe that God has shown us in Bishop Shane what our God taught. Not just that God has done great things, placed the stars in the sky, and the planets in their orbit, but is also a god of small things — a god of a manger, a god of a shepherd… and also the god of a weeping woman named Martha at the grave of her brother Lazarus….For that, we give thanks to God, and for the privilege of serving alongside you, Archbishop Shane.”
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be ever at your back…
May the sun make your days bright.
May the stars illuminate your nights.
May the flowers bloom along your path;
your house stand firm against the storms.
And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. Amen.
Listening for God’s voice in a time of change