“It’s important for you to know, and for those who are listening online across our country, that our cathedral in the nation’s capital has one of the strongest youth ministries in the Anglican Church of Canada between its two choirs. Upwards of 40 and sometimes 50 kids weekly gather to sing together, to sing scripture, to grow in their stature as the children of God.” It’s a wonderful ministry, he added.

The choirs have plans to travel to the U.K. next year and to sing at Westminster Abbey in London in 2027.

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There was a particularly warm welcome as a homecoming for the archbishop who had served as a priest of the diocese, dean of the Cathedral for 25 years and as the 10^th bishop of Ottawa for the past five years until he was elected Primate in June of 2025.

After congratulating the Cathedral girls’ choir on their 25th anniversary, Archbishop Parker began by noting that the first place he travelled after being elected was to Calgary to attend the Sacred Circle, the national gathering of Indigenous Anglicans in Canada, in August 2025. The Indigenous Church is resurging, celebrating and being celebrated, he said. “Our Indigenous church is growing confident as Indigenous Anglicans with ancient roots and traditions on this land.”

He added: “In what could be described as kind of a cosmic irony, the Anglican Church of Canada, as distinct from the Indigenous Anglican Church that dwells within it,… over the last century or so, has gone from being in a central place of privilege in Canada to being on the margins.”

January 1 is the day when Christian churches celebrate the naming of Jesus. “What does it mean for us to lift up the name of Jesus from our place in the margins of Canadian society?” Parker asked. “What are we to make of the words from the ancient Christian hymn we heard read from Philippians? ‘In the name of Jesus, every knee should bend in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.’ It sounds like a call to Christian nationalism, which our church has recently and firmly denounced as a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to Canadian democracy. It sounds a lot like the place, the mindset, that the Anglican Church had when it first came to this land. Imperial, somewhat arrogant, privileged, and profoundly damaging to the spiritual traditions of the first people,” he said.

Instead, Parker explained, for the people, clergy, and bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, “lifting up the name of Jesus means three things: communion with each other, communion with all humanity, and communion with the Creator of creation.

He elaborated: “Lifting up the name of Jesus means building up our parishes and congregations as well-run places of belonging, friendship, of lifelong relationships, intergenerational, diverse communities of worship, pastoral care, and service, communities that include all who seek relief from isolation and meaninglessness and loneliness, places of genuine concern and meaning…. Lifting up the name of Jesus also means selfless and courageous and steadfast acts of compassion, justice, advocacy, mercy, and peacemaking. It means building up our ministries and missions that serve the most vulnerable people, the oppressed, the victimized, wherever they are in this world. And critically, it means standing alongside every group or government, or person of goodwill who also seek to bring compassion, justice, mercy and peace to others. For us, the name of Jesus means deep communion with all human beings and with the earth itself.”

For Anglicans in Canada, Parker said, it also “means being a people of hope. Christ was born. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. We are a people who wait and live and serve in hope because we believe Christ Jesus is before, within, and after all time, all space, all things in heaven and earth. God is not finished yet.”

The archbishop offered this advice for living in that hope. “Be fully alive. Use your good gifts and resources fully and wisely. Build up, adjust, shape your parishes and congregations to be meaningful places of deep communion with one another. Courageously and selflessly join with other people of goodwill to serve those who live precariously. Be in deep communion with all humanity and lay claim to the hope that dwells within us and around us at all times.”

View the entire service

Following the service, everyone was invited to a festive reception in the Cathedral’s Great Hall:

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“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.

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How are you navigating this change?

One of the peculiar things about the office of Primate is that you’re quickly elected and installed, and you’re it right away. For me, as everybody knows, this was not something that I had intended to have happen and then in the mix of the Holy Spirit and the election it came to me, and so very quickly I went from not being in and believing I shouldn’t be in, to being in, and two days later, it happened…. On the Monday, the day after I was installed, I stopped by Church House to begin the onboarding, after a meeting early that morning to be briefed…. And so, for the last three short weeks, I have essentially been holding two offices, managing both.

Having been approached many times in the months leading up to General Synod and the election, you were aware that you could still become a candidate?

During the Eucharist that morning, I just had this sense of “I don’t know if I can resist this,” and a deep sense that “it’s not my decision to make anymore. I need to allow whatever will happen,” not knowing that there would be a call from the floor. …The bishops were cloistered, and then when the motion came for more names, that was really the moment of relinquishing. It was not a joyful moment, it was just a profound moment of finally letting go. I think when we let go and allow ourselves to follow God or to respond to a call, there’s a sense of having crossed a threshold from spending a lot of energy resisting to just almost being freed in a way. …And, at some level, I knew it was going to happen without knowing it was going to happen. I think that’s what discernment is all about. You almost see the thing unfolding. And I was very much at peace during that time.

Do you see parallels with your election as bishop here?

I had the privilege of being in our diocese for a long time, being in senior leadership for almost 25 years as the executive archdeacon, or diocesan archdeacon as I was known, and as the dean. ….I had a pretty good sense for where our Diocese was at and what it was ready for and capable of, and so, I didn’t come to it confused about what I was called to do. In the roadshow, as we affectionately call [great chapter meetings] in the election, I was very clear about what I would do. And I did what I was said I was going to do. The pandemic made it challenging in some ways. On the other hand, not much else was happening. And we did a lot of work, even during lockdown. People are wise. The people of our diocesan church know what’s going on, they were well-aware something needed to happen and were primed for change. It was a matter of creating a vehicle for that to be expressed and then leading through it with many, many people alongside.

So, there was a sense of rightness about being elected when I was 62 at the end of a career. I was thankful to be called then because of all the things I was able to bring to it. And oddly enough, I feel that same sense of rightness growing in me with respect to this new position. I understand why God has called me to this at this time. And the way I’m wired seems to be aligned with where our national church is at in much the same way it was with our diocesan church.

You have been very focused on seeing our Diocese through that process of change. Are you concerned about its implementation going forward?

I have to say that I was not concerned about our Diocese in those moments of relinquishing and being elected. And every day since then, that belief has been validated. We have so many skilled people who have been part of the last five years, and our Diocese is in very good shape, and frankly, I think one of the reasons why people may have been interested in me is because our Diocese has such a good reputation. We have addressed a number of the big issues together, and that’s been a strength of our Diocese. And without getting too far ahead, many of those things are precisely what needs to be addressed in terms of the national church as an organization, not so much the dioceses, although most dioceses need to face the same questions….

The Learning Commons and our triennial cycle … are underway, but they’re not firmly landed yet. I believe that our Diocese is aware of the importance of those two things, … so the steering of those for the next half year or so, absent a bishop…, will be where the lay and ordained leadership of our Diocese will need to bring them forward….The approach that we’ve taken, that I’ve tried to lift up, is we have tremendous talent across our diocesan church. [Similarly,] there’s tremendous talent across the national church. It’s not possible for Ascension House or Church House to make enough hires to equal that talent, so it comes back to that convening and coordinating and communicating role [outlined in the Pathways document approved by General Synod as the way forward for change.]

In many ways what we have done is really kind of classic cultural change in an organization. You consult, you listen, you build consensus, you articulate proposals, you refine them, and then you implement them…. People often underestimate the degree of difficulty and the depth of change. Often [people think], ‘We’ll just do a few little operational things, or we need a new strategy,’ when in fact we actually have to change the way we think about ourselves, and that change will result in changes to the other things.

Are we there yet, in terms of changing the way we in the diocese think?

One of the best sorts of evaluations of leadership is when you leave. And what I sense is that the changes that we have undertaken together are firmly embedded in the culture of our Diocese. Not everywhere uniformly, but I think in the principal clusters of leadership, there’s a sense in which we have parish ministries, we have community ministries, clergy are priests of the Diocese. We can largely resource our central operations independently from relying on parishes for that money. We leverage all the assets and so on in order to make Ascension House as self-funding as possible to leave more money for ministry and parishes, to have more money for the core ministries of the community ministries. So, I think that way of thinking, it’s not just language when we say our diocesan church, the church is the Diocese and it has parishes. That awareness of the whole, that sense in which … we are much stronger when we don’t “other” one another or other our central office or other the bishop. There’s a sense in which we’re journeying through time together and we have so much we can offer to one another. And yes, it needs to be the highest standards of not-for-profit governance. [The image of the church as a stained-glass window offered by theologian Henry Chadwick] I think is extremely powerful. We have paid attention to the oak and iron where it was needed, and we’ve placed the glass in the frame in a way that it’s ready to shine. And we just need to turn it towards the light a bit.

Can experiences in this Diocese serve the national church?

There is no program staff in Ascension House. It is all enabling and serving staff, people who keep the connections, who serve and support our ministries, who enable people to share their gifts, so I think that model has a lot of merit, and I believe that’s a proper use of the national function, the office of the Primate even, to convene, to coordinate, to communicate, very important. The Pathways document is an extremely astute. The fact that it received over 90% approval means that there is a will to implement it and that’s not lost on me….

We’re a diocesan church with parish communities and community ministries, and the national church is a collection of 30 dioceses, and it’s the body that, on the one hand, is the “parliament” that  gathers every three years. But it’s also a national not-for-profit organization that’s designed to serve the church. And like a lot of organizations, over the years, there was mission creep. And in the times of largesse in the ‘60s, it grew. We’re not there now, and we need to understand, as the Pathways say, if our core purpose is to convene, to communicate and to coordinate, what falls under those categories in terms of what we have been doing, what doesn’t and what we need to do, so there will be deep change.

I have three years. This is a finite term with an unambiguous mandate. What we did in our diocese during the Shape of Parish Ministry Consultation has already been done. The consulting has been done, the consensus has been built. We now need to kind of faithfully operationalize those six pathways,. to create a provisional structure to steer change, to staff it, and sort out the sequence  of change and work in six different pods or teams to bring about as much change as possible, leading to the next General Synod, where  many of those changes would be ratified. Having said that, there are lots of ways to gain approval between General Synods. The Council of General Synod is one. It is also possible to convene a General Synod between General Synods if necessary, so there are many tools which I’m anxious to explore and to use. But the principle we observed of lots of consultation, lots of iteration before we land will continue. Things will be tested and shaped and refined.

What were some of the highlights of your years as bishop?

Without exception, every parish visit was a highlight. I began this journey the day after the world shut down and the early months starting with the very unusual consecration being seen by more people than most consecrations but having only five people in the room at the time.

I don’t know how it came into my head but the idea of ADOn The Move, the podcast, that was very special because it wasn’t about me. It was me talking to people across our diocese. And I think it allowed people to see me not as the bishop, but as a person who really loves the people of God. It was a lot of work and could not be sustained once the pandemic ended, but those 15 episodes remain quite precious… So that was a wonderful way to share the scope of our Diocese with one another. I enjoyed that very much.

And our Synods where we had those remarkable moments of unanimously or overwhelmingly approving the proposals emerging from the Shape of Parish Ministry Consultation. That represented the culmination of us working together in a way that is rare. Those moments when virtually every hand in the room approved of those three proposals, that was very powerful and very meaningful, because it spoke to the excellent leadership that had been given by many, many clergy and lay leaders to bring that about. That was special. And it’s been five years, almost precisely five years, funnily enough, of pure joy. I’ve always felt thankful.

Your time as Bishop of Ottawa will wrap up with a worship service of thanksgiving on September 20. What’s the plan for that service?

Our experience here was very positive and something that’s very important to me as I leave, is that we celebrate our five years together as bishop, clergy and people. It’s not a celebration of me and my ministry. On September 20th when we meet, it will be very much the story and celebration of our time together, because that’s what matters. A bishop is a servant leader, is a facilitator, lifts up the body and its parts and enables them to grow into the full stature of Christ, and that’s very important.

Tell me about the idea for the Hearts of Compassion Fund, which will support our Community Ministries?

The ministry that we’ve shared in the last five years is our story, our history, our collective legacy. Often when a priest leaves a parish or a bishop leaves, there’s a wish on the part of people to somehow express thanks, and I do not want to gain materially from that thanks. We walk alongside the most vulnerable people in our communities, and I want our thanksgiving for our time together to be expressed as compassion and love for those who live precariously that we care for in many, many ways. And so that fund is an expression of our collective thanksgiving for the journey we have had together.
And it is to remember the poor, to remember the children of God that Jesus calls us to walk with.

What are your prayers for our diocese?

I pray for our Diocese in the sense that I hold it with affection, with love, and with much hope in my heart. I pray that what we have enjoyed together continues to be felt and flourishes as the life of our Diocese goes on. It was my joy to be in every parish in our diocese, at least once during my time, and to feel our diocesan church from the level of some of the smallest congregations, and the life and love that’s in their communities, to the feeling of our Synod achieving consensus, is a remarkable and privileged place for a bishop, and I hope that deep sense of connectedness is something that’s felt by everyone as we go forward.

To honour and celebrate Bishop Shane’s dedication and service, our diocese is establishing the Hearts of Compassion Fund to reflect his commitment to enabling our church to serve the most vulnerable members of society. Donations to the Hearts of Compassion Fund will be distributed annually amongst the Community Ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa as they continue to provide loving service, friendship, and support to people who live precariously and suffer. 

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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.

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