From our Bishop

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

The encompassing communion of “all my relations”

Bishop Shane Parker November 1, 2021

As the child of Irish immigrants, I grew up with the expression “back home.” We moved frequently as a military family and, without a permanent ...

Bishop Shane and Albert Dumont walking on a path under a tree canopy

Reconciliation is not a spectator sport

Bishop Shane Parker October 1, 2021

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, “to establish, as a statutory holiday, ...

collage of photos of a rainbow from a kayak

Paddling out of the storm

Bishop Shane Parker September 1, 2021

Last summer I took myself up to a large lake in Algonquin Park for an annual three-day silent, solo, retreat. Like all of you, I ...

Bishop Shane praying in front of Christ Church Cathedral

As summer begins and we seek rest…

Bishop Shane Parker June 1, 2021

It is very hard to believe that one year ago, on May 31, 2020, the day of Pentecost, I was consecrated to be your bishop. ...

The provenance of Sister Jerusalem

Bishop Shane Parker May 1, 2021

When I was consecrated and seated as the Bishop of Ottawa on May 31 last year—the Day of Pentecost—I was presented with a pectoral cross, ...

The Aedicule and rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

The hope we need to sustain us can never be destroyed

Bishop Shane Parker April 1, 2021

I have written before of pilgrimages to the land of the Holy One, and how I look forward to leading them again in the future. My ...

The making of Brother Thankful

Bishop Shane Parker March 1, 2021

In mid-March last year, everything changed overnight. Words that had been abstract and distant suddenly became real and present: novel coronavirus; severe acute respiratory syndrome ...

The Judean Wilderness, seen from the Wadi Qelt lookout, Lent 2019.

When the desert blooms, life begins anew

Bishop Shane Parker February 1, 2021

One of the great joys in my ministry has been a close connection with our companion Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Since 2004, ...

Grand Lake, Algonquin Park, January 2011

Listening and learning in the deep winter forest and on our journey through the pandemic

Bishop Shane Parker January 1, 2021

I have spent many hours on snowshoes. When I was a young man, I would travel with friends for several days in the snow-laden forests of ...