Archbishop Shane Parker was installed as the 15th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada at the closing Eucharist service of the 44th session of General Synod at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ont. on June 29, 2025.
Clergy and lay representatives from the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa who had travelled to the Synod took part in the service presenting and supporting him: “Our family in Christ, we bring before you Shane Parker who has served among us faithfully as our bishop, chief pastor and sibling in Christ. With gratitude for their ministry among us, we send them forth to serve as the fifteenth Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.” They assisted him as he donned a deep blue cope and mitre representing the Office of Primate and Archbishop of all Canada.
Canon Ian Alexander, the retiring prolocutor, and Archdeacon Tanya Phibbs newly-elected prolocutor presented him with a primatial cross as the symbol of his office as primate with the words: “Lead us in witness to the world that genuine authority and true joy come only through walking the way of the cross with Christ, our Saviour and Lord.” Chancellor Canon Clare Burns presented Parker with the Canons of the Anglican Church of Canada.
The archbishop responded: “Through the symbol of the cross of Jesus Christ, may God renew in each of us this day the willingness to die to self, that we may rise daily to a new life of servanthood in the Risen Christ. And may these canons govern us so that we remain in a right relationship with each other and always discern how they can encourage and empower each of us … in our shared ministry as the body of Christ.”
National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Chris Harper who smudged Parker earlier in the service, also presented him with a feather. “On behalf of the Anglican Council of Indigenous People and our Sacred Circles, I welcome you as a colleague and sibling in Christ, that together we may continue to build up, honour and respect our ministries and peoples.”
Parker was also welcomed by Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and Moravian Church Canada and was presented with a gift from the Metropolitans of the Anglican Church of Canada.
The Secretary General of The Anglican Communion, Archbishop Anthony Poggo, and the Primate of Brazil, the Most Reverend Marinez Rosa dos Santos Bassotto welcomed him into the community of Primates in the Anglican Communion.
Archbishop Santos Bassotto offered the sermon for the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. She reflected on the Gospel text from John 21: 15-19 in which Jesus asks Peter three times “Do you love me?” Each time, Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” And each time, Jesus instructs Peter to feed or to tend his sheep.
Bassotto pointed out a subtlety that is not apparent in the English translation of the text. When Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” he uses the Greek word for love agape, “often translated as unconditional, committed, selfless, and sacrificial love,” she explained. “In other words, Jesus is asking Peter if Peter loves him with all his heart, truly with the love of God.”
Peter twice answers using the Greek word for love philia, which can be translated as fondness, affection, or friendship, Bassotto said…The third time, Jesus changes the question, using same the word that Peter had used. ‘Do you love me with love of a friend?’
This shift shows compassion, she said. Jesus accepts Peter’s love, “even though it is limited, fragile, and flawed. Even though Peter doesn’t reach where Jesus wanted him to, the call remains. ‘Tend my sheep. With the love you have for me, come and serve me. Go where I send you.’ Jesus knew Peter was not perfect. He knew none of the apostles were perfect. He knew them very well, but he also knew their love was genuine. Even though it was limited, Jesus did not demand more from Peter and the apostles than they could give. Yet he did demand that this love be the foundation of their discipleship and that it guide them in shepherding.”
While that divine compassion is vital for all Christians, on this occasion, Bassotto spoke directly to Archbishop Parker as he faces the challenge of leading the Canadian church through financial problems, major change and restructuring. “Shane, my dear brother in Christ, as you know, ministry, in our case, primacy, is not an honour but a call to service, mission, evangelization and to perform prophetic actions in the name of God and on behalf of the people.”
But she said, “We are ordinary people with limitations…. And no matter how much we wish otherwise, we are not immune to weakness, mistakes or missteps. Recognizing that we are not perfect is essential in our ministry. It is crucial even for our own wellbeing.
“God called you, brother, to exercise a ministry of leadership different from maybe what you are used to. Do not be afraid. We live in a society that overvalues power and majesty. However, the first attribute of God is not power, majesty or strength, but compassion. This is the experience that Jesus communicates when he affirms himself to be a good shepherd. It is this compassion that Jesus shows when he accepts Peter’s limited love as sufficient to begin the journey….
“The ministry you are assuming now is not an easy task,” she said. “And for that very reason, an awareness of our own limitations is important. On the other hand, our weaknesses and limitations do not invalidate or hinder God’s grace. In other words, our frailties do not prevent Christ from acting in us and through us.
“Let us always remember that even shepherds, clergy, bishops, archbishops, are Christ’s sheep. We are all God’s sheep. And he himself wants to shepherd us. Let us strive to allow Christ to act in us and as His sheep, let us also be shepherds in His name.”
Archbishop Parker offered this prayer to close the service: “God has abundantly blessed us with grandeur and beauty; from the waters of the Atlantic to the Pacific; across the Rockies and the Prairies; from the Arctic to the Great Lakes; across the Great Canadian Shield and the Laurentians. May what we share together across our country always unite us; may our faith empower us to faithfulness in all we say and do as the body of Christ. The blessing of God almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier be with you this day and always. Amen.”
The live stream of the entire Eucharist service can be viewed here.
An abiding sense of thanksgiving