Morrisburg was already named for the Honourable James Morris when this site was purchased from James and Louisa Hodges in 1856. The cornerstone for the first Saint James’s Church was laid in July 1856 by the Reverend John Travers Lewis of Hawkesbury. The completed house of worship was opened for Divine Service on 6 January 1859. We have no idea as to what the first church looked like, except that it appears to have had no bell tower.

From 1862 to 1866, Morrisburg was a single-point parish. In 1866, it joined with the Parish of Williamsburg, which included the congregation of the mother church, Holy Trinity, Williamsburg, what was known as the German Mission (briefly in 1874 and 1875) and, improbably, churches at Adolphustown and Fredericksburg (also briefly in 1875 and 1876).  What possible connection, it may be asked, could Adolphustown and Fredericksburg on the Bay of Quinte have with Morrisburg? Two, it turned out. First, at a time when there was a severe shortage of clergy, these four points were readily travelled between on the Saint Lawrence River, despite the distance separating them, especially as steamboat lines and railways offered free passes to clergy. Second, all these churches were part of the then Diocese of Ontario.

The want of a bell tower was felt after the passing of a generation, and the lofty tower we see here was added to the 1856 church in 1878. It is reputed to have been designed by Isaac Johnston, a Black architect who designed a number of churches in the region including the United Church at Williamsburg. Placing Saint James’s tower to one side, with its entrance facing away from the church suggests that Johnston hoped to give Saint James’s an Akron style plan. If so, he was doomed to be disappointed. For the time being, parish resources were devoted to building a stone rectory next door in 1883 in anticipation of Morrisburg again becoming a single-point parish in 1887.

In 1893, the parish decided that a much larger church was needed to provide room for a growing congregation. If they were not prepared to demolish the handsome tower built only fourteen years earlier, at the same time they did not see the Akron-style plan of church favoured by Isaac Johnston as being appropriate for Anglican worship. The result was to leave Johnston’s 1878 bell tower standing, to demolish the 1856 church, and to have the Excelsior Lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons lay the cornerstone for a much more ambitious house of worship in a more correct style suitable to the Anglican liturgy.

Correct? On the outside, maybe. The new Saint James’s Church, Morrisburg was consecrated by Bishop Lewis on 18 April 1894. The new church took its cue from the windows of the upper tower, placing narrow paired windows along the length of the nave, which together with the rose window in the west wall once they were filled with stained glass, plunged the large interior into late Victorian gloom. Some purists were relieved that this hid the pendants hanging from the ceiling.  The remarkable stencilling on the walls was restored in 1983.

The Diocesan Archives collects parish registers, vestry reports, service registers, minutes of groups and committees, financial documents, property records (including cemeteries and architectural plans), insurance policies, letters, pew bulletins, photographs and paintings, scrapbooks, parish newsletters and unusual documents.   

The post St. James, Morrisburg — Stormont Deanery appeared first on Perspective.

En cette période des fêtes alors que nous célébrons Noël et faisons des plans pour le Nouvel An, nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous et à découvrir tout ce que notre communauté a à offrir. Voici un survol de nos prochaines activités :

La messe dominicale a lieu à midi, à l’église Trinity, au 1230, rue Bank, à Ottawa. Nous serons heureux de vous y accueillir dans une ambiance conviviale et fraternelle. (Au fil des ans, la communauté a célébré dans différents lieux, et elle a trouvé, depuis plus d’un an, un foyer chaleureux à l’église Trinity.)

La prière du matin a lieu tous les jeudis matin, à 9 h, sur Zoom, avec des membres de la communauté. Le lien pour nous joindre se trouve ici : https://communautestbernard.ca

Notre messe de Noël aura lieu le 24 décembre à 17 h 30 en l’église Trinity.

Notre dernier Bible et Bouffe de 2025 aura lieu le dimanche 28 décembre à midi dans la salle Canterbury de l’église Trinity. Il s’agit d’un temps privilégié pour nous retrouver, échanger et tisser des liens autour d’un repas simple et chaleureux.

Au début de 2026, des rencontres sur la Bible seront offertes par Pierre LaViolette de l’Université Saint-Paul. Ces rencontres auront lieu les mercredis du 7 janvier au 4 février, de 19 h à 20 h 30 sur Zoom; une belle occasion de rester connectés et de partager, même à distance, la richesse de ces échanges.

En terminant, si vous souhaitez du soutien pastoral ou des célébrations anglicanes en français, n’hésitez pas à communiquer avec moi – ce sera un plaisir d’en discuter avec vous, en tant que curé de la communauté de St-Bernard. Vous pouvez me rejoindre à kevinwflynn@gmail.com, et il nous fera plaisir de vous accueillir.

—Rédigé par le Révérend Kevin Flynn

The post En cette période des fêtes de fin d’année, participez aux activités à St-Bernard appeared first on Perspective.

Time, then, is also a gift we receive from God and, like many gifts, we mostly take it for granted. Like gravity, time is simply reality as the seconds continue to tick by. When we do notice it, it is often because we notice a lack of time – we resent the speed at which good things pass; we are anxious about having enough time to do the things we need to do; we worry about wasting time and saving time and spending time. But the truth is that a day is a day is a day, no matter who or where or how you are. There is, in fact, no wasting or saving or spending time. Time passes no matter what we do or don’t do and God’s work unfolds around us and within us.

This is not, generally speaking, our orientation to time. We are expected to manage our time, making the most of each moment and proving ourselves in control of our lives. Time, after all, is money. Time is a limited resource. Somehow, we are expected to simultaneously regret the passing of time while also hurrying on to the next thing. In the midst of all this, it can be difficult to remember that, in fact, time is not ours to control. We live in God’s time, created and gifted to us by the Source of all we have and all we are. Our time, and all time, is in God’s hands and is in service to God, not us.

In the Gospel according to Mark (4:26-29), Jesus offers this parable:

The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.

This process — planting, waiting, watching, and finally, harvesting — unfolds in time and requires discernment on the part of the farmer to understand when these various steps need to take place. Neither delaying nor rushing will do any good. No steps can be skipped. The time it will take is, simply, the time it will take, and so the farmer must align their activities according to God’s purposes in God’s time. Participation in the kingdom, it seems, involves an awful lot of time and patience which are two things that often seem to be in short supply. This is where Advent comes in.

Advent calls us to enter into a season of deliberate, holy waiting. We count the weeks and days to Christmas but resist the urge to jump ahead to the festivities, focusing instead on the in-between time – waiting not just for Christmas but for the unfolding of the kingdom of God. Like the farmer in Jesus’ parable, we wait and watch for the ripening grain, signs of God at work in the world around us and an invitation to us to join in the harvest.

Christmas will come soon enough. There is no rushing it nor delaying it. We can neither waste the time nor save the time between now and then for the time will pass no matter what we do. So accept the Advent invitation to live, right now, in God’s time, attentive to the kingdom that Jesus proclaims is already near.

The Venerable Rhonda Waters is Incumbent of St. Helen’s, Ottawa

The post Some Advent thoughts on time appeared first on Perspective.

The holidays bring joy but can also be a stressful and difficult time for many people.

“Often there’s a big difference between the ideal that people hold in their hearts and their minds about how things should be on these significant occasions, especially Christmas. The reality of is that it is often full of difficult emotions. Grief … anger, resentment, guilt. All kinds of very strong emotions come up when you have a time like this that encapsulates an expectation of family. And I think we all have an image in our minds of how a family should be. Everybody’s supposed to be in harmony, gathered together, enjoying each other’s company. And so often that’s not the reality….Relationships can be fractured. People can be living so far apart that they can’t see each other. Families are split by marital splits.

There is also the busyness of the season. Do people talk about those kinds of pressures?

Yes, and it can be very hard to figure out how to prioritize those things. What’s actually going to determine how I answer all those requests and demands? Am I going to go with other people’s expectations? Am I going to figure out what’s most meaningful for me? Who am I going to let down? Especially if families are trying to [divide their time] at Christmas between two sets of parents or maybe more…. Trying to please everyone…. Often it’s felt afterwards too. People have some excitement going in, but sometimes they feel pretty bruised coming out.

How do you help your clients through those things?

I trained in a model called voice dialogue, which is similar to something that’s becoming very prominent now, IFS, internal family systems therapy. I trained in a precursor of that… And that’s about parts….We think of ourselves as a unitary entity, you know, ‘I’m just me.’ But in reality, we have all kinds of different parts that operate differently in different situations and have come in to answer the needs of different situations.

Often these parts have come in to protect our vulnerability…. We adopt these protectors because they answer our needs. So, we’re born into a family, we have to fit into it and manage in it. So the parts come in to help us do that. And every person’s accommodation to their family will be different. The parts are protective and creative. …So if I, for example, learn to please other people as a way of accommodating to my family, that protects my vulnerability, but it also gives me a way to interact….

These parts usually work up to a point, and then they hit a wall, and they don’t answer all the needs anymore. And that’s when people usually come to therapy.

My approach is always that what people have learned to protect themselves with is always valid because it worked, and it was necessary for survival. That doesn’t mean it’s working now.

Do people sometimes create or discover a new part?

That would be part of the work, to protect your vulnerability in an alternate way so that you don’t have to use that one that you learned way back when. You now have other options…

There’s also a capital S self … the one who can know all the parts and understand them in their own terms….  Meeting the parts with compassion and understanding is the way to help them loosen up, not to call them some kind of pathology and try to rip them off.

You highlighted a Christmas theme in that.

Being oneself is not toxic. We can come before God as we are at Christmas, We shouldn’t shut ourselves out of the stable because we think we or our families aren’t good enough. The message is goodwill to all people.

The post Spotlight on The Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre (The OPC) — Holiday stress appeared first on Perspective.

“Almost 200 meals were served … [to] a mix of Centre 105 donors and program participants,” executive director Taylor Seguin said, adding that the event raised just over $10,000.

“On behalf of Centre 105’s management board, staff team, and volunteer team, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who attended and donated,” he said. “Times are tough in our communities, but with your support, Centre 105 is able to continue to provide essential services … to the most vulnerable individuals in our community.  Thank you!”

Centre 105, one of five Community Ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, is located at 105 Second Street in Cornwall in the parish hall of the historic Trinity Anglican Church.  It began under the leadership of the Rev. Peter Cazaly (now retired) in 2017 and continues to provide a sanctuary and support for those in need of a hot meal and a safe space to rest or socialize, and referrals to other essential services. The Centre also provides a place for people to do laundry, and in 2024, renovated to add showers.

Amongst those enjoying a delicious breakfast and the social event were members of Cornwall City Council and administrative staff.  “One can never underestimate the value of the contribution of the work done by Centre 105,” said councillor Denis Sabourin.

In attendance were several Anglican Diocese of Ottawa clergy, including the Rev. Canon Dr. Peter John Hobbs, director general of Community Ministries; the Rev. Mark Lewis, the Ven. Peter Crosby, and the Rev. (Retired) Peter Cazaly.

“God’s favourite people are the marginalized, so that is where the church should always be,” said the Rev. Jon Martin, incumbent of St. John’s Kanata North Anglican Church.  Mentioning crises in housing, financial instability and mental health, Martin said, “I think it is essential that Christian communities do everything they can to address those issues and support those struggling with them.”

The next Centre 105 fundraising activity is the Centre 105 Annual Christmas Concert and Holiday Reception Fundraiser, scheduled for Dec. 15 between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Trinity Anglican Church.

For more information on Centre 105 or to donate,please go to: www.centre105.ca

The post Breakfast fundraiser supports Centre 105 appeared first on Perspective.

Dean Beth Bretzlaff took a moment at Synod to thank him for his decades of devoted ministry in the diocese.

“You are the heart and soul of this Diocese, both our parishes and our community ministries. You’ve been a student, you’ve been a priest and a pastor and a teacher and a mentor, a leader as an archdeacon, a canon and director general, a whole new title that we made up just for you,” she added affectionately. “And most of all, you’ve been our friend, and we’re really glad that you’re just retiring and not going anywhere else. So, we look forward to seeing what this next chapter has for you, and we’re going to hold you in our hearts and souls, and we want to thank you.” Synod members spontaneously stood to give him a heartfelt standing ovation.

In October, he kindly took time out of his busy schedule to reflect with Perspective on his years of ministry.

Before Hobbs was a priest of the diocese, he was a child of the diocese, born in Cornwall, Ont. His father, the Rev. R. Harry Hobbs, served in Christ Church Long Sioux, Emmanuel in Arnprior, St. John the Divine in Nepean, and later as the deputy director of program for the Diocese, before the family moved to Manitoba. Asked when he first felt called to ministry, Hobbs said he remembers playing church when he was very young. “Some Sunday afternoons I would have bread and juice and I’d preach a little sermon and distribute communion, all in an old choir room.”

As a young man after finishing his undergraduate degree he considered an acting career and attended theatre school in Montreal. Realizing that wasn’t the path for him, he returned to Winnipeg, uncertain. His father had died in a car accident when he was 16. “I was 24 years old, and I was not a churchgoer at that time. I knew the church very, very well. I had lots of people who I knew were praying for me and who were supporting me, but I was not going to church,” he said. Suddenly something changed. “I had this profound sense of calling, ‘You’re going to be a priest.’ I remember waking up in the house full of rock musicians and actors that I lived in, going down that morning and saying, ‘Guess what? I’m going to be a priest.’”

A few days later, he phoned Bishop Edwin Lackey and said he wanted to be a priest in the Diocese of Ottawa. Bishop Lackey asked him to come to Ottawa to talk with him and sent him a plane ticket. The bishop was supportive but told him to go back to church to start with. “That was great advice,” Hobbs says. He went back to Winnipeg for two years and in that time met and married his wife Diane, and then they moved to Ottawa so he could attend Saint Paul University.

Clearly, he found his way. “I knew the power and the depth of community that can be wrought … with all of the liturgical life of a parish. I knew that there was something wonderful and beautiful about that, but also this sense for social justice was also very much a part of my own sort of emerging ideology and being ordained seemed to be a great marriage of the two.”

Hobbs was ordained in 1992 and served in the parishes St. Matthias on Parkdale Avenue from 1992 until 1995, Chelsea, Lascelles, Wakefield until 2001 and at Christ Church Bells Corners until 2013. He loved his years in parish ministry. “It’s very affirming. …Once or twice a week someone takes you aside and affirms you, says ‘You’re awesome.’ And it’s because you’re doing natural things that a priest would do.”

He added that there are many great helping professions, but “very few that allow you to be with people in some of their most intimate moments in life, moments of great loss, moments of great joy, of accomplishment, of sorrow. And we are asked to be with people in their homes, at their hearth, if you will, in ways that I don’t think other helpful professionals are. And that’s an incredible, deep honour.”

In 2013, Bishop John Chapman offered Hobbs the opportunity to become director of mission for the Diocese, and his interest in the Community Ministries was deep enough pull him away from parish ministry. “I was very happy to come [to Ascension House] … I was always attracted to the Community Ministries of our Diocese and watched them with great interest and volunteered at Centre 454 for a couple of years on my days off.”

During the 13 years since, the Community Ministries have grown along with the expanding and deepening needs of the population they serve. Hobbs estimates the budget for the combined ministries when he became director of mission was about five to six million dollars. Now it is between $15 and $20 million.

He has been a powerful voice for the Community Ministries. “We cannot underestimate just how difficult it is for people who are addicted, people who are living in poverty and struggling with issues like trauma, mental health, addiction. It is a complex web of realities,” he said, speaking to staff last year. “It’s a very different world in which we’re living right now with the acuity of those in need being that much higher than certainly it’s ever been in my life from my observation.

“I think this is a point in time where we as a diocese need to decide, are we going to invest in this ministry? Not that we haven’t, but I think we need to renew that commitment in a way that it shows up in our financial life. It’s great that we have the kind of funding agreements that we have with the City of Ottawa for Cornerstone and Belong Ottawa, and we’re certainly working on it in Cornwall. Each of the Community Ministries in one form or another have a very healthy group of individual donors and parish donations…. But we, as the Diocese, need to really take a look at how we are going to invest in these ministries to ensure they’re sustainable. Because I believe it’s core gospel.

And I believe as we move forward further into this century, the church will largely be measured and the church will be attractive because of its ability, commitment, to care for those who are most vulnerable in our midst.

“There’s lots and lots of people who make the Community Ministries happen, and it’s just simply been an honour to be on this perch as the DG [director general].

Canon Monica Patten, chair of the Community Ministries Committee, praised Hobbs’ extraordinary ability to be a bridge between the Community Ministries and secular organizations, such as the Alliance to End Homelessness.  “He would go there and bring the perspective of the ministries and of the church and learn about what matters in the community.”  She added that he was always a remarkable support for the executive directors. “He genuinely loves the ministries and people they serve.”

As he steps away from the work he has been so passionate about, Hobbs said he feels confident that the Diocese is a living system that will be able to figure out how to ensure that the Community Ministries continue to thrive and grow.

He thanked the Diocese and all five bishops he has worked with. “I’ve been able to not only have the fullness of ministry that this diocese provides me, but it’s also allowed me to be educated and teach. I’ve done three graduate degrees since I was ordained and that means the world to me.”

What’s next? Hobbs says he will continue to teach graduate students at the Virginia Theological Seminary, where he’s been teaching since 2000. But he is looking forward to more time at home with his family and new grandchild. “I love going to church every Sunday morning. It’s the highlight of my week, to be at the Eucharist.”

The post The Rev. Canon Peter John Hobbs retires appeared first on Perspective.

Carole Breton, who was hired as director of Communications and Development in April, introduced herself and highlighted some of the work of the department.

Sharing stories, information and connecting Anglicans through the digital and print newspaper, social media, and other platforms

Populating the Learning Commons platform on the diocesan website

Working with the Synod Secretaries to prepare for the episcopal election

Hosting the Anglican Editors Association annual conference in May 2026 with the Primate as guest speaker

Launching the Hearts of Compassion Fund as a successor to the past Today for Tomorrow campaign to raise funds for the Community Ministries

Noting that one of the key triennium priorities is that the diocesan staff will provide increased assistance and support to parish leaders, Ms. Breton introduced the directors at Ascension House and encouraged people throughout the diocese to reach out and call Ascension House when they need support and advice in their ministries and work.

Stewardship

Carole Breton said she is making efforts to visit parishes and get to know their unique contexts. She recommended drawing on the Stewardship Resource Hub for guidance and expertise. The members serving with her are Derwyn Sangster from St. Thomas the Apostle, who is also the chair of the Stewardship Resource Hub; Barb Dransch from St. John the Evangelist, Ottawa; and the Rev. Jonathan Askwith from St. Clare, Winchester. “Together we are here to listen, to support, and to help shape stewardship initiatives that are grounded in real life of our parishes, of your own reality.”

She encouraged everyone to benefit from the resources available to all parishes in the diocese through the partnership with The Episcopal Network for Stewardship.

Financial Update

Sanjay Grover, director of Financial Ministry, said the 2024 audit had been completed with total assets increased to $155 million from $139 million in 2023. He noted that property sales including that of St. Martin’s Church in Ottawa had increased revenue.

In keeping with the strategic plan, Parish Proportional Share decreased from about 20% to 12%.

One area of concern were deficits in the Community Ministries for Belong Ottawa and Centre 105 in 2024 amounting to about $700,000 combined. Belong Ottawa was able to cover much of its deficit with some reserve funds, and the diocese covered the remainder from its reserves. Grover said that the new management team at Belong Ottawa has done a lot of work to stabilize the situation and is now anticipating a small surplus with hopes to start building up a reserve again. Centre 105 in Cornwall’s deficit was smaller, but the program and needs of the community that it serves are growing, so they are looking for new ways to help break even, Grover said.

Community Ministries Update

The Rev. Canon Peter John Hobbs, director general of the Community Ministries, offered a brief overview of the many essential and compassionate services the five community ministries — Belong Ottawa, Centre 105, Cornerstone Housing for Women, The Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre, and the Refugee Ministry Office — provide to some of the most vulnerable people in our midst.

Addressing the deficits referred to in the financial update to Synod, he noted that Belong Ottawa’s new executive director Shauna-marie Young inherited the deficit when she was hired. Under her leadership and that of director of operations Michael Howard many of the problems have been rectified. Hobbs shared the good news that:

• An accurate costing of Belong Ottawa operations led to a much more robust funding agreement with the City of Ottawa.
• Fundraising and donor development has been prioritized and the annual fundraising goal for 2025 has been already surpassed.
• And there is hope that the creation of the Hearts of Compassion Fund in support of the Community Ministries established by Archbishop Shane Parker this summer will rekindle the support previously received through the Today for Tomorrow campaign.

Hobbs said that Centre 105’s deficit, though smaller, is as concerning.  Contributing factors were cost overruns in a capital project to construct showers and washrooms, a change in United Way funding that meant a $30,000 reduction in funding, and an exponential increase in demand for services among the people Centre 105 serves. Currently, the City of Cornwall does not provide core funding the way the City of Ottawa does for Belong Ottawa and Cornerstone but talks with the city council are ongoing. Monica Patten, Chair of the Community Ministries Committee, is leading a task force exploring ways to make Centre 105’s important ministry in Cornwall sustainable.

“We know God calls us to this work, these ministries. We know we are invited to follow Jesus. We know we are to use our gifts, resources to bring something of God’s infinite compassion to bear upon this world,” said Hobbs.

The post Diocesan Synod 2025 — Ascension House reports appeared first on Perspective.

 At the opening of the sessions on Oct. 24, Dean Beth Bretzlaff introduced and thanked Bishop Michael Bird for serving as Diocesan Administrator until a newly elected bishop is installed in May 2026. L to R: Synod Secretaries Margaret Porter and the Rev. Canon Stephen Silverthorne; Bishop Michael Bird; Dean Beth Bretzlaff and Chancellor Canon Henry Schultz.

A greeting from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem

The Very Rev. Richard Sewell, Dean of St. George’s College in Jerusalem, sent a video greeting. He thanked the people of the diocese for their love, prayers and advocacy during these last two years of war and trauma and thanked God for the ceasefire at that time.

“The ending of the terrible destruction, the decimation, the loss of tens of thousands of lives is one thing and a very important thing, but actually so much more needs to be done to bring that elusive peace which everybody here so desperately needs.” Dean Sewell added a wish for God’s blessing for the Diocese of Ottawa.

“Our heartfelt love and prayers are with you as you enter into this period of your time of Synod fellowship together.”

Report from General Synod 2025

Diocesan representatives — Caroll Carkner, Kate Jordan, Katherine Spencer-Ross, the Rev. Matthew Brown, the Rev. Dr. Jon Martin and the Ven. Kathryn Otley— offered their observations and thoughts about attending the 44th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada in London, Ont. in June.

The Ven. Kathryn Otley described her feelings about the primatial election as “shock and awe.” The shock came when the House of Bishops submitted Bishop Shane Parker’s name in response to a request for additional candidates after the second ballot and with his unexpected election. She said the awe came two days later at his very moving installation as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada when the Ottawa representatives were asked to participate by assisting Archbishop Parker as he vested for his new role.

Kate Jordan and the Rev. Canon Jon Martin, both attending General Synod for the first time, reported that although discussion among those attending did become passionate at times, the overall atmosphere was one in which people listened respectfully to each other and made efforts to incorporate the views and experience of others.

Episcopal Election news

 The Rev. Canon Stephen Silverthorne, Clerical Synod Secretary updated Synod on preparations for the episcopal election set for Feb. 28, 2026.

The Supplementary Nominations Committee, appointed by Diocesan Council and advised by the House of Bishops, can appoint one or two nominees who can be from other dioceses.

The Episcopal Elections Committee, chaired by the Synod Secretaries, is developing formal questions to be answered by all of the nominees.

In the weeks leading up to the election, four public meetings will be held different locations across the diocese as an opportunity for people to get to know the nominees. They will include a formal introduction, a question period and a reception. The meetings will also be live-streamed.

Applications are now available through a portal on the diocesan website. Nominations must be supported by at least five lay members of Synod and five clergy and be submitted by Jan. 24, 2026 for the candidate to take part in the public meetings. Additional applications can be accepted until the electoral synod is called to order on Feb. 28.

Who votes

• Diocesan Council members in 2025
• 10 retired clergy (chosen by the retired clergy of the diocese)
• Members of the 2025 Diocesan Synod, including active clergy and lay parish members

Voting is completed in successive rounds until one of the candidates receives a majority of votes in both orders (clergy and lay).

The new bishop will be consecrated at a service on May, 9, 2026.

Update on triennial cycle and current priorities

The Ven. Monique Stone chairs the Evaluation and Priority Setting Task Force, which includes the Rev. Michael Garner, Kate Jordan, the Ven. Brian Kauk, Alec Simpson and Jamie Tomlinson. Archdeacon Stone explained that they have been working “to design a way that we can evaluate the work that we’ve done over the last three years, and to review the impacts that have been made.” She explained that the review and assessment will then help “all of us to work together in developing priorities for our next triennium as well.”

In her presentation, Stone looked back to a previous strategic plan, Embracing God’s Future (2014), to see what goals and objectives were agreed upon by the diocesan church. Moving to more recent work, she gave an overview of the way the Shape of Parish Ministry Consultations, which began in 2020, led to a consensus at the 2022 Synod for three proposals, which developed into 11 actions supported at the 2023 Synod, and finally six desired results presented at the 2024 Synod (see graphic).

Archdeacon Stone encouraged everyone to “acknowledge the importance of all that we have done so far, and to recognize that this is the infrastructure of who we are as a diocese.

The task force has developed tools and processes for a review of the achievements, challenges, and remaining work of this 2024 -2026 triennium. They asked Synod members to discuss and offer ideas and feedback in writing.  Stone added that the task force will be “unfolding opportunities for all of us together to determine the priorities also for the 2027-2029 triennium that we will approve as a synod at next synod.”

Anglican Foundation of Canada

The Rev. Amy Hamilton, acting director of the Anglican Foundation of Canada, brought news of the foundation’s latest initiatives:

•   a new online application portal
•        new legacy giving resources
•        Category C grants of up to $50,000 for strategic, high-impact projects
•        Greater emphasis on funding community ministry projects
•        Growth of Say Yes to Kids — 30 teams raised $160,000 this year

Contextual Mission update

Archdeacon Mark Whittall, co-chair of the Contextual Mission Sub-Committee, reminded Synod of the goals envisioned at the 2023 Synod:

• By 2028, every parish in our diocese will be engaged in a new or renewed contextual mission initiative.

• By the 135th anniversary of our diocese, in 2032, we will have created 35 new worshipping communities.

One resource he recommended was a Certificate in Missional Leadership course offered in partnership with the Center for Missional Leadership in Vancouver, B.C. Five parishes in the diocese are currently participating.

Other presenters offered inspiration from their experiences:

• Carolyn Coffin-Caputo recommended a course on Reimaging Church from the Niagara School for Missional Leadership. And she described a hot lunch program that the Parish of the Lower Valley is just creating in Hawkesbury that will be served in the Church Hall.

• The Rev. Colin McFarland recommended a course on John Bowen’s book The Unfolding Gospel available on the Contextual Mission page of the diocesan website

• The Rev. John Holgate described popular monthly community gatherings and lunches held at St. James, Manotick

• The Rev. Dr. Thomas Brauer described the success and growth of a monthly games night at St. John’s, Smiths Falls

They offered information about how to apply for diocesan Future Fund grants to fund such ventures. (Watch for more in-depth stories on these experiences with contextual mission in upcoming issues of Perspective.)

 Learning Commons report

Caroll Carkner, chair of the Education Committee, reported that a great deal of progress had been made since the last Synod in developing Learning Commons resources, including several in-person training sessions for parish leaders held in several locations in the spring.

The Rev. Dr. Canon Jon Martin, co-chair of the Parish Development Sub-Committee, updated progress on the development of online resources. He noted that they decided to shift from offering introductory modules as videos to written materials because it is easier to update and add to written text and because video was difficult for people without reliable Internet service to access. An introduction to parish development is available, with two more modules on community and pastoral care to be posted soon.

The Rev. Simone Hurkmans, co-chair, introduced Synod members to the Thriving Parish Self-Assessment Tool, a questionnaire to help parishes decide what areas of parish life to prioritize [worship, spiritual growth, community, pastoral care, contextual mission, leadership & governance, financial stewardship and management, property management and maintenance.] She led Synod members through a test run of the tool so that they could guide their parishes through its use.

Motions presented

The All My Relations Panel drew Synod’s attention to the fact that 2025 marks the tenth year since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report. Following a short video with inspiration and challenges from the late Justice Murray Sinclair, AMR co-chair Kathryn Fournier introduced a motion calling on the Diocese to renew its commitment to ongoing education to ensure its members learn about the church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary. The motion carried with broad support.

The Rev. Canon Hilary Murray introduced a motion for the Diocese to support the UN Declaration for the Decade for People of African Descent being extended for a second decade. The motion carried.

Canon and bylaw amendments

Diocesan Chancellor Canon Henry Schultz led Synod members through numerous amendments to the canons and bylaws, including some updates to the governance of Community Ministries. All motions were carried.

Synod Reflector

The Rev. Canon Dr. Sarah Kathleen Johnson, director of Anglican Studies at Saint Paul University, offered three reflections for the 2025 Synod. Read more in our next issue.

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The kitchen required a complete overhaul, particularly because it lacked insulation and had an infestation of mice. The downstairs wood floors have significant issues with damage and splintering and are unable to be sanded in high traffic areas as they are worn down to the tongue and groove. There is no air conditioning.

The parish considered demolishing the rectory, but it was designated as a heritage building in Perth, so demolition was likely to be opposed. Renting and selling were also considered, but the best option for present was determined to be renovating the house for the new incumbent.

Parishioner Christine Erdos is a designer who offered to redesign the kitchen as a donation to the church. That just left the challenge of fundraising about $110,000 to pay for the rest of the renovation costs.

Parishioners Ray and Elaine Hook took up the challenge. Ray’s career in the military and Elaine was a nurse. “I retired young, but I still did probably 38 years in uniform and then took a series of civilian jobs,” which included development work, fundraising for universities and the Royal Military College Alumni Association, Ray told Perspective.

Elaine also had apt experience. “After a nursing career, I spent a lot of time in the not-for-profit sector,” including food banks. “So, we thought we were ideally suited, and we’re people of action,” she said.

They had the skills and also the motivation. During their working years, they had moved many times before finally retiring in Perth and beginning to attend St. James and coming to love the community they found there. “After 23 moves and nine different churches, St. James tops them all,” Ray said.

One of the places they had lived was England where they had toured historic churches. “When we came here, I thought, this is such a beautiful building,” he said. “So, I went to the council and the wardens and said, would you be willing to let me do tours of the church? Because I think it’s important that people get to know that, one, this church is open and welcoming, and two, that people see this building because of the historical significance of it. They supported me full on.”

Ray and Elaine also help with St. James monthly community dinners that the parish prepares as a free meal open to everyone and that usually draw about 100 people — those who may need a hot meal and those who want the company and social connection. The Hooks feel it is an important outreach.

Three years ago, Elaine was seriously injured a car accident. After her hospitalization, she had 10 weeks of recovery at home when she couldn’t get out at all. They have no family in Perth but were very moved by the ways that people in the congregation stepped in to help and care for them. “We feel very strongly that congregation here is like family to us,” Elaine said. “And so, this was kind of our way of giving back for what they had done for us.”

They donated $10,000 to get the fundraising started, with $5,000 used as matching funds for any donation over $100, and they are using their skills and experience to spearhead the fundraising effort with great success so far. Thanks to generosity in the parish, Ray was hopeful they would be halfway to their goal by the end of October.

The renovations are progressing, and they hope to have it all ready when their new incumbent, the Rev. Robert Camara, arrives in December.

Update: Contacted in early December, Ray was pleased to share that they had reached close to 75 percent of their $100,000 goal. He and Elaine had donated another $5,000 for matching gifts as well to help the project cross the finish line.

How you can help

Anyone who would like to donate to the project can go to the St. James website: https://www.stjamesperth.ca/support-st-james

E-transfer: stjamesperth@gmail.com

Online donations to St. James Church Perth using Canada Helps: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/27635

By mail: St. James Anglican Church, 12 Harvey St. Perth, Ontario K7H 1W4

In all cases, please ensure that you direct the donation for Rectory Renovations.

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