Among those drawn to the Opeongo Colonization Road in Renfrew County was John S.J. Watson in 1859. He was a remittance man, banished from his home at Rockingham Castle near Corby in Northamptonshire, England by his aristocratic father for marrying a scullery maid named Mary Martin. The castle was an old royal residence fallen to ruin, acquired from the Crown by Edward Watson in 1544 and kept in the family ever since. John Watson was given $10,000 ($250,000 in 2024 dollars) and came to Canada with a group of settlers including tradesmen. They established Rockingham in Brudenell Township, with a store, mills, a post office, setting up various trades, and building Saint Leonard’s Church before the money ran out.

Here we see Saint Leonard’s Church, Rockingham, as photographed on October 8th 2004, 140 years after it was built by John Trant. The congregation began meeting around 1864, and this house of worship likely was constructed at that time for use as an Anglican church, primarily with funds supplied by John Watson. It may possibly have been used as a Union Church in the early years. As late as the mid-1870s, it first appears in the Synod Journal of the Diocese of Ontario when the Rev. Montague Gower Poole of Eganville took services in Rockingham several times a year, leaving the coast clear for clergy of other denominations to visit.

Another document tells us that a church was in the course of being built here by the Rev. Mackay in 1883, but that building seems to have been put up elsewhere in the mission. Whether built in the 1860s or 1880s, this board-and-batten church with pointed windows epitomizes the romantic legend of the settlement. In what sense was Rockingham romantic?  Simply, it may be answered, in that the entire notion of attempting to build an agricultural settlement here was an “extravagant fiction, invention or story, a wild or wanton exaggeration, a picturesque falsehood.”

Not until 1883 was the Mission of Brudenell created, with churches at Combermere and Rockingham. It was renamed Combermere in 1884. In 1904, this mission consisted of Bangor, Bell’s Rapids, Combermere, Craig Mount and Rockingham. The following year Rockingham is listed in the Synod Journal as including an outstation at Jessup’s.

In 1922, the Mission of Combermere listed stations at Bark Lake, Barry’s Bay, Centreview, Combermere and Purdy, but not, tellingly, at Rockingham. Rockingham reappeared briefly in the Synod Journal of 1945, only to disappear from its pages thereafter. Tradition indicates that the last regular service held at Saint Leonard’s was in the summer of 1941.

On 14 May 1967, Bishop Ernest S. Reed of Ottawa performed the Act of secularization of Saint Leonard’s Church, Rockingham. A stay of demolition was made on this building until 30 April 1996, and an agreement was made to sever the property from the cemetery. Title to the property was transferred to the Friends of the Rockingham Church 30 years later.

If you would like to help the Archives preserve the records of the Diocese and its parishes, why not become a Friend of the Archives?  Your $20 membership brings you three issues of the lively, informative Newsletter, and you will receive a tax receipt for further donations above that amount.   

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The OPC is excited about the engaging look and feel of our new website.  People often seek counselling during difficult moments in their lives. With this in mind, we sought to make this new site intuitive, uncomplicated, and easy to navigate, making it simple to find what is wanted quickly and easily. We think this new website showcases the OPC for who we are: a current, vibrant, positive place with therapists who care and are ready to support those who seek our services.  So, please consider this your personal invitation to check us out! Get to know who we are and what we offer.

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I’ve got a passion for germinating seeds. Grapefruit, lemon, orange, avocado, mango. When I see a pale little grapefruit seed or hold a smooth brown avocado pit in my hand, I am reminded that so often what looks like nothing much has the potential to be so much more. As I bury those seeds in pots of earth, I pause in the hope that in the darkness of that earth—where I can’t see what’s happening—roots will sink down, and shoots will spring up. Those little seeds will become so much more as they transform into lush green leaves and bear fruit. I am reminded that what looks like death can be transformation.

Springtime, a season of planting and new growth, new life, offers us an opportunity to revisit Jesus’ words in John 12: “Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” In verse 25 Jesus goes on to speak of loving and losing, hating and keeping life.What do these verses mean for us as followers of Jesus?

If we look to the chapter before these verses in John 12, we see a movement beginning to gain traction. Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. A great swell of people believed in Jesus because of this, and the authorities, concerned about the growing number of people believing and following him, plot to kill him. Jesus could have run for the hills at this point. He could have gone into hiding, living a quiet life as a rabbi, making a difference locally but not globally. That’s not what he did though. He continued to Jerusalem.

Jesus knew that setting his face to Jerusalem and continuing on meant that he would die. This offers us an invitation to think about death and dying. It’s not about whether Jesus will die. It’s about how, and what for. It’s not about whether we will die. We are all dying, laying down our lives, minute by minute, hour by hour.  The invitation is to think about how we are dying—how we are laying down our lives—and what for.

A grain of wheat cannot grow unless it dies. It has to sit in the darkness of the earth, waiting for its moment to sink its roots, and send up a green shoot toward the sun. If stalks of wheat are left blowing in the field, they will eventually die. Some of the grains may be scattered by the wind and take root and grow. But…they may not. If you pluck the heads of wheat though, and break them open into grains and plant them, the chances of a good crop are much higher. It’s not about whether we’ll die. It’s about whether we are determined to remain an intact stalk of wheat blowing in the wind, or whether we are willing to be broken open into seeds and buried in the earth to bear fruit. Jesus could have remained an intact stalk of wheat, living life under the radar, blowing in the wind and eventually dying without bearing fruit. That’s not what he did, though.

Jesus was willing to be stretched and broken open, willing to be buried, willing to be planted, in order to bear fruit. Jesus was willing to suffer and die so that God could raise him from the dead, showing us that death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. The way that Jesus died, and his Resurrection and Ascension, created a field of wheat—a field of followers—that yields a harvest more than 2000 years later, continuing to point to a way of life that offers endless potential for growth, transformation and love.

How are we to live and die as followers of Jesus? And what is our laying down of our lives and our dying for? We are invited to live and to lay down our lives, willing to be stretched and broken open just as a head of wheat is broken up into grains. We are invited to be willing to be planted. Our lives are for growth. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to live and die in a way that creates fields of love and new life in this world. May it be so!

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In November 2023, Guild members attended an in-house workshop to study the process and to facilitate the remembrance of the connection between who we are within the greater body of Earth and our role in an ecosystem of healing. The workshop was led by Robin MacDonald a facilitator, who works within the realms of social justice, earth care, as well as spiritual and mental health.

In March, the Guild delved even deeper during two online book club sessions to explore Joanna Macy and Molly Brown’s book Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work that Reconnects, which describes the work of reconnecting, or deep ecology, “as a body of work and teachings to move from ecological apathy and grief to social healing and collective thriving.”

There is no doubt that the labyrinth can be helpful to provide a framework for working through difficult realities such as climate change. Walking the labyrinth provides time for a releasing, reflecting and gaining new perspectives. Macy and Brown’s book could be considered as a guidebook to do the spiritual work of reclaiming our humanity here on Planet Earth. It explores our relationship with the natural world, and indeed how we are part of the natural world. It also asks how one can work through apathy and hopelessness to a place of synergic power. The role of spirituality is explored in terms of our oneness with the Earth.

Joanna Macy calls upon her five decades of activism to share her experience for this work. Molly Brown’s family moved to Los Alamos shortly after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She reflects on the banality of evil and the assumptions of scientific and military culture.

The Work that Reconnects is presented as a spiral with four stages: 1) Gratitude; 2) Honoring our pain; 3) Seeing with new and ancient eyes; and 4) Going forth.  (see image, above right).

I appreciated the many examples of practices shared in the book which were unique ways to integrate the work in a practical way. For example, the practice of inviting representatives from different life forms such as a bird, a river, and a fish to speak as part of a ‘Council of Beings’ to humanity, brings a powerful message of interconnectedness.  This book is a rich resource which one could potentially use to engage with reconnection on an ongoing basis.

On May 11, 2024, the Labyrinth Guild is working with Robin MacDonald once again to host a public workshop entitled Stepping Forward for Earth. This retreat-style half-day workshop is designed to facilitate remembrance of the connection between who we are with the greater body of Earth and help clarify your role in an ecosystem of healing. Space is limited so register early.  More information can be found on the Christ Church Cathedral website’s listing of upcoming events:

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Launched at Synod 2023, the Time of Prayer is an initiative that Bishop Shane Parker described as “a critical first step as we seek to engage in contextual mission.” He explained to those gathered online that the term contextual mission is about serving the world that God loves. “We need to be in a place where we can see how God is already at work in the world before we can discern how we may be called to participate in God’s work in the world. We must listen in a new way to the Holy Spirit,” he said. “And so, at this time, in this time of prayer, we are listening for sparks that draw our attention to the places and people and situations where we might be called to offer our resources as a church, to enable the light of Christ to be present in our context.”’ He added: “And we will get to that only by taking a time apart to pray.”

The Rev. Simone Hurkmans, who co-chairs the Time of Prayer Working Group with Paul Mugarura, introduced other members of the working group — the Rev. Canon Ken Davis, the Rev. Elizabeth December, Paul Dumbrille of the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, Archdeacon Mark Whittall, and Daniel Jerusalimiec. She also thanked Karen McBride, a postulant of the diocese, who was instrumental in preparing materials.

The Rev. Elizabeth December offered a tour of the Time of Prayer resources available on the ADO website, which include videos from the launch at Synod and new resource materials posted monthly. The monthly resources have four sections:

Pray – an opening prayer

Listen – a Bible study guide, which includes PowerPoint slides that can be modified and adapted to each context and the groups that are using the resource

Consider – a theological reflection related to the the Bible study

Inspire – an example of contextual mission from another parish’s experience

Several people shared examples of the ways that they are making use of the monthly resources.

The Rev. Canon Ken Davis said St. James the Apostle Church in Perth is using the Time of Prayer resource as a monthly Bible study resource in the parish. The prayer is incorporated into the Prayers of the People at Sunday worship, and a shortened version of the Bible study was used at Parish Council. They also began their vestry meeting with a Bible study in small groups. “There was a proposal made before the end of vestry. It was very exciting,” he said.

December said she has been using the Bible study resources at Julian of Norwich, where she serves, at their pastoral care team meetings, education planning meetings and other parish gatherings.

The Rev. Rosemary Parker sent word that St. Aidan’s parish has been using the Time of Prayer resources as the focus of a joint Bible study with a neighbouring Lutheran parish. “My thought was that we are in the same geographic area, are in full communion, and who knows what divine sparks might come from it,” she said.

Hurkmans led those who attended the online gathering through the Time of Prayer resources for April, using a lectio divina (divine reading) format for the Bible study to familiarize everyone with the resources.

More diocesan gathering are planned throughout the year.

Futher information is available at: ottawa.anglican.ca/resources/a-time-of-prayer/

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That is thanks to the work of Canon Henry Schultz, who was tasked with preparing an updated and consolidated version when he was appointed Chancellor for the diocese four years ago, and a couple of other key contributors.

One of the challenges of this task was that the last time the CBRs were consolidated and printed was in 2012. That meant that all of the amendments made from 2012 to 2019 were recorded on additional pages but they weren’t integrated into the relevant sections of the CBRs.

So, the first challenge was to cross-check all of the amendments with the records of the Diocesan Council meetings and Synods in which they were made to make sure they were correct.  “I had to .. make sure that the changes that we were putting into the consolidated version were consistent with the original enactments made in previous years….It’s tedious but necessary work,” Schultz said.

The next challenge was a technical one. The master digital copy from 2012 was in WordPerfect format, which had to be converted to the now standard format Word document. The technical process for converting one format to the other didn’t really work, so Schultz turned to Ed Hicks, a former colleague at the Department of Justice, to clean it up and turn it into a readable format. “It was yeoman’s work,” Schultz says with much gratitude.

Regina Silva, ADO digital communications coordinator, worked on the final version, producing a table of contents, and searchable HTML and PDF versions to be posted on the website.

The CBRs are ever-changing, said Schultz, but now that the new consolidated version is online, it can be updated each year after Synod and he hopes no one will be faced with a monumental task of updating cumulative years of amendments again.

“I guess it’s a reflection on me that I tend to like things nice and tidy, so … I feel a tremendous satisfaction that .. our own internal rules are now at least up to date and readable, and that’s really important for an organization like ours.”

“We do have a couple of CBRs that are a little bit anachronistic,” Schultz observed. He noted with his familiar wit that the canon regarding the authority of Incumbents, which states that their responsibilities include the ringing of the bell, should remain. “I’ve made it clear, that’s one change I refuse to make,” he quipped.

The CBRs may be viewed online at ottawa.anglican.ca/resources/canons-bylaws-and-regulations-cbr/

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In 2025, the service will be hosted by St. John the Apostle Anglican Church in Vankleek Hill. Donna McMillan and Carol Carkner in the centre of the photo (above) accepted the World Day of Prayer candle, which is passed from each host church to the next, from Lina Beck (left) and Father Rick Lorenz (right) of St. Jude’s.

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St. Helen’s Fine Art Fair originated in 2020 as a spring counterpoint to the church’s very successful fall craft sale. The aim was to showcase local artists from the east end of Ottawa to the wider Orleans community. That first year’s effort was, unfortunately, cancelled at the last moment, with 15 guest artists planning to participate, due to the onset of COVID-19. Undeterred, the 2021 fair successfully ran as an online sales event and the following two years continued that success with full in-person sales events. Among the contributing artists, there has always been a contingent of three or four parishioners showcasing their captivating artwork.

Unlike other fundraising activities, St. Helens retains only a 20 percent commission on sales, the rest will go directly to the artists, which, last year resulted them taking home in excess of $3,600. The balance, together with basic entry fees, has typically allowed St. Helen’s ministry to donate about $1,200 to one of our Diocese’s programs. One year the donation was in support of Ukraine refugees, another year in support of Hollyer House, and last year in support of the Diocese’s general homeless ministry. For 2024, St. Helen’s Community Partnership Committee (formerly Outreach) has requested that this year’s donation go to support the flood victims in Pakistan.

Two artists who have been very successful the past few years are venturing into new creative endeavours: Brenda Reid is further exploring her Indigenous roots with some traditional animal sculptures, and Joanne Lacroix is venturing beyond her imaginative pyrography and discovering her talents with fused glass.

Joining us this year is Lynda Dyson who will be enticing us with her abstract figures in mixed media and after two years away, Peter Lackey is returning with his inspired stained-glass art.

Other artists contributing the fair this year are: Jill McKinlay, an RA Camera Club winner with her dazzling flower photography; Caroline Daevy, an award-winning artist, offering her traditional and abstract oils; Carole Renaud with her bold, rich and dramatic paintings; Elisabeth Baechlin whose creations are inspired by nature; Hélène Lepage, an award-winning painter whose focus is on strong colours on a variety of media; Mary Douglas with her exceptionally colourful watercolours; Andrée Marchessaault, presenting her paint studies of some renowned artists; Jane Cass with her very striking landscape photography; Peter Waddell with his innovative wood bowls and trinket boxes; and Clayton Knowlton recognized for his whimsical box sculptures.

You can view the galleries of these artists on our web page (www.sthelensartfair.ca) and follow the progress of the art fair on our Facebook and Instagram pages (www.facebook.com/sthelensartfair and@sthelens.artfair)

If you are an artist looking to exhibit your work for the first time or an experienced gallery artist, the art fair still has room for you. For more information, please contact Brian Glenn, Art Fair Coordinator, at sthelensartfair@gmail.com.

The fair will be held on Saturday, June 1, between 10 am and 3 pm at St. Helen’s Anglican Church, 1234 Prestone Dr., Orleans.

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Nalini began singing at age three and will perform with her husband and bassist Adrian Cho, who is the founder and artistic director of the Ottawa Jazz Orchestra (OJO). A teacher with Carleton University’s Learning in Retirement/Lifelong Learning program since 2011, Cho has been dubbed a “cool guide to hot jazz” by the Ottawa Citizen. He is also an accomplished wildlife photographer.

Singing and writing in four languages, Nalini has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival and released several acclaimed albums. In Ottawa, she sometimes sings at the National Arts Centre’ Fourth Stage with the OJO. She has also given gala performances for former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Sir Paul McCartney.

Joining Nalini and Cho for the church event will be Mike Tremblay, a superb saxophonist who often performs with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and is co-founder and director of the Carleton University Jazz Camp. His performance credits include Natalie Cole, Alanis Morissette and Lou Rawls.

The intimate Jazz & Tapas event will be held at the back of the church from 4 pm to 6 pm, a space with excellent acoustics. It is sponsored by Amica The Glebe which will also provide some tapas such as marinated lobster caps, duck confit spring rolls and caramelized brie and pear.

A delicious range of nibblies will be served including donations from local restaurants and food merchants. The last event received contributions from Flipper’s Seafood Restaurant, Von’s Bistro, Café Morala (now Happy Goat Coffee Co.), Erling’s, Irene’s Pub and Light of India.

Tickets will include food, entertainment and non-alcoholic beverages. A complimentary glass of wine or beer is included in the adult ticket price. There will also be a small silent-auction table.

After the last event in 2018, many guests offered enthusiastic compliments on the food and the décor, noting the night-club ambiance with black table cloths, red napkins and candles. “A resounding success all round, music, food, community and ambience,” one of them said.

Half of the proceeds will go to the Black Canadian Scholarship Fund (BCSF) administered by the Ottawa Community Foundation. Since 1998, the fund has provided bursaries for first-year university students who have graduated from Ottawa area high schools. Last year four scholarships of $6,000 each were awarded.

Tickets can be purchased through St. Matthew’s online boutique (auctria.events/stmatthewsboutique.com) Adults: $60, Students, (not including alcoholic beverages): $40. Saturday, May 11, 4 to 6 pm, St. Matthew’s, 130 Glebe Ave. entrance, just west of Bank St.

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